Review of Bob Dylan – Don't Look Back (1967) by Peter L — 01 Feb 2008

Anarchists and Cigarettes.

2007 saw the resurgence of one of the greatest and most influential non-political persons of the 20th century: Bob Dylan. Besides the release of an all new album, Dylanâ??s life was finally made into a movie in the only way one could imagine the iconic artist would be: played by six different people who arenâ??t really him but represent certain periods and all interlock in a metaphorical narrative, all thanks to director Todd Haynes. And while Iâ??m Not There probably spoke more to who Haynes is as a filmmaker than Dylan as a person, an all-new 35mm cut of the classic documentary Donâ??t Look Back gives insight to the man. And while over 40 years old now, Donâ??t Look Back still speaks to todayâ??s audiences about music, celebrity culture, media, philosophy, documentaries, and of course, Bob Dylan.

For those who donâ??t know the film, Donâ??t Look Back, directed by D. A. Pennebaker, is filmed during Dylanâ??s 1965 London tour. A few years shy of going electric, the film captures him during the height of the popularity of his album The Times They Are A-Changin'. But Pennebaker is not a normal documentary filmmaker. The film is shot completely in a documentary style know as cinema verite, meaning throw the camera out there, and the story will make itself. If there was an auteur to this film, it might belong to Dylan more than Pennebaker.

As the film jumps through London and the many faces and battles Dylan finds, itâ??s easy to recall some of the famous moments: A makeshift music video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues," numerous battles with Time Magazine correspondent Horace Judson, a romance with Joan Baez, money negotiations, a small concert at a voterâ??s rally in Mississippi, a battle with upcoming musician Donanvan, the famous line â??Give the anarchist a cigarette,â?? and many many performances.

And somehow, Donâ??t Look Back seems even more potent today than it ever did in the changing 60s. Dylanâ??s battles with the media only reflect todayâ??s paparazzi culture. His songs seem more relevant to our pessimistic world than the hippie age. And what of Dylan himself? Bumbling and mysterious, yet always charismatic and charming, Dylanâ??s personality and simple awe in his personality make this a film worth noting.

Donâ??t Look Back is one of the few well known documentaries made in cinema verite and the style really shows the power of the film. Dylan would have never conceded and made a real film about him. So Pennebaker captures why he is the master of his own world in the only way possible.

Donâ??t Look Back plays for one week only at New York Cityâ??s Film Forum. The film received an all new DVD treatment last winter and is widely available.