Review of Bob Dylan – Don't Look Back (1967) by Corey B — 16 Nov 2007

40 years after it's first performance at San Francisco's Presidio Theatre in 1967, 'Don't Look Back' remains one of the most intimate portraits of any artist ever filmed. More importantly, it is one of the more revealing documents of Bob Dylan's musical career.

D.A. Pennebaker follows Dylan as a detached and unassuming observer during his immensely successful tour of England in 1965. The film also sees appearances from his manger Albert Grossman, Joan Baez, Donovan and a full cast of friends, journalists, fans and interested onlookers. It is Bob though, as much a performer off the stage as he is when he is singing, who demands our rapt attention.

If any praise should be given to this film, it should be in respect to the way Pennebaker has captured such a revealing glimpse of a personality who is notorious for his cautious attitude toward the media. Depicted here, are the exasperated members of English press, who expect Dylan to simply define himself, without attempting any interpretation of their own. In contrast, this is precisely what Pennebaker avoids; the film does not pose any questions about its subject, nor does it offer any explanation into Dylan's character. It requires its audience to take from it their own interpretation of the events portrayed. In Pennebaker's own words "It is only a kind of record of what happened".

'Don't Look Back' is a goldmine of performance footage, including rare recitals with friends and fellow musicians in the intimate settings of hotel rooms and backstage halls. Bob Dylan fans and music lovers alike will find this to be an intriguing and most enjoyable documentary.