James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” fluidly captures the relationship that evolves between art and fame and is fortified by sincere performances, simple story telling, and neat editing
A Complete Unknown movie review
Film : A Complete Unknown
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Joe Tippett, Eriko Hatsune, Peter Gray Lewis, Peter Gerety
Director: James Mangold
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 140 min
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James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” fluidly captures the relationship that evolves between art and fame and is fortified by sincere performances, simple story telling, and neat editing. The purposefully enigmatic Nobel prize winner with a six-decade career behind him, Bob Dylan, has always been a rebel without pause and this film, even though its about his formative years, encapsulates that quality in exemplary fashion. The lyrics are the heart and soul of Bob Dylan’s music and Mangold’s film makes it the highlight of Bob Dylan’s early years when he was finding his footing inspired by Woody Guthrie and with the legendary Pete Seeger’s unstinting support.
The film begins in New York, early 1960s. A 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and his eager wish to meet up with his inspiration, the ailing Woody Guthrie. His revolutionary talent was eventually destined to change the course of American music.
“A Complete Unknown” opens with a recording by Woody Guthrie, the young Bob Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) hero. Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), is in a hospital in Jersey, and he happens to be visited by the legendary Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) on the very day the 20-year-old Dylan stops by. Seeger convinces Dylan to sing for Guthrie. And the rest is history as you know it. Mangold plays to Dylan’s strengths by showcasing his sheer talents and songwriting brilliance.The film manages to play quite a few of Dylan’s songs. There’s not much dialogue and the music does the talking.
Seeger, takes Dylan home after that chance encounter. He is also shown defending his freedom of speech in a courtroom. Two women play an important role in shaping Dylan’s career. Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) who he is shown living with for a period of time and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), who eventually becomes a folk superstar playing much more acceptable music than what Dylan wants to play.
In order to show us Dylan’s impact on the world around him and influences thereof, Mangold displays news clips of world affairs to lend context to Dylan’s lyrics. We see news clips of the Cuban Missile Crisis while Dylan plays “Masters of War” in a club. The music is not just part of the soundtrack, Mangold makes it an integral part of his story telling effort. We see Dylan develop a friendship with Johnny Cash. As a rebel, Dylan refused to play some of his biggest hits on a tour with Baez. He also insisted on going electric at Newport in 1965.
Mangold’s longtime cinematographer Phedon Papamichael captures the era in all its glory. Production designer François Audouy’s sets are layered with detail. Dylan’s 4th Street apartment, Baez’s room at the Chelsea Hotel, the studio at Columbia where Dylan recorded many of the songs, the dimly lit basement venues, the coffeehouses, record stores, student hangouts and the outdoor festival scenes look lived-in and real. Arianne Phillips’ costumes also promote authenticity.
The script by Mangold and Jay Cocks’s does an excellent job painting Dylan as a poet of his generation, whose raw poetry found fodder in troubled times. Mangold expertly crafts the emergence of Bob Dylan from the Greenwich Village folk music scene of the early ’60s in the first half of a tumultuous decade. The period is represented impeccably, and the music performances give you a ‘live’ feel. The actors are all exceptional - especially Chalamet, who pours his heart into Dylan’s songs. His voice and performance have the raw unfinished quality that makes the experience seem real.
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