A Complete Unknown Review!

A Complete Unknown is a dramatic glimpse of Bob Dylan, musician and songwriter, it deals with the people in his life during a few, pivotal years! James Mangold, who also directed Walk the Line (2005), directs and co-writes this movie. Jay Cocks is his co-writer and he had written the powerful dramatic adaptation of Silence (2016). The title is very clever in that it contains part of Dylan's lyric in "Like a Rolling Stone" which is accusatory to Miss Lonely, but instead is a challenge that Dylan may not be known with this film. The movie is based on the book, Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seegar, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixites (2015) by Elijah Wald who likes the film. 

We hear Woody Guthrie singing, “Dusty Old Dust (So Long It’s Been Good to Know Yuh).” Guthrie is an icon of folk music and his song has the touch of country music, but captures about the regular folk who lived in the Great Depression. It is 1961, our starting point and a station wagoncrosses a bridge, in the back seat is a young man, Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) with a guitar case. Chalamaet is stunning in presenting Dylan as a complete person, genius, flawed, and funny. His filmography is also impressive starring as Paul Artreides in Dune: Part Two and last year, in the lead role for Wonka (2023). I hope he gets award recognition for his performance. 

Bob is writing as he enters Greenwich Village, the heart of the bohemian scene, “La Vie Bohème!” It is a street filled with people playing guitar or a tambourine, a great depiction of the time, He is simply dressed hat, scarf, brown jacket, and backpack. He heads into the Folklore Center, the place to be for folk music, Bob sits at the bar and holds up a headline to find out where is Greystone to find Guthrie. It is in New Jersey and Bob says he just left there. At a court house, a federal judge (Peter Gerety) with an eyepatch is about to sentence over Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Conrad Earp was played by Norton in Asteroid City (2023). Seeger was an activist and here a proponent of getting folk music into the widest audience as possible. He is known for writing, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” In 1959 which was rerecorded by The Byrds in 1965. 

He is going to be sentenced for contempt of Congress. His wife, Toshi (Eriko Hatsune), is in the audience. Hatsune's last American film was Emperor (2012). The dispute is over an anthem as Communist and Pete counters that Woody said, “A good song can only do good.” He takes out his banjo ready to play when the court gets restless. Pete goes out to the court steps with his wife surrounded by a crowd with reporters. Pete takes out a banjo and begins singing "This Land is Your Land" which was recorded by Guthrie in 1944. In the mass of people is a Better Dead then Red sign. Everyone starts to sing along. This scene is key to the film shifting away from Dylan who is really the vehicle to show us the time and the movie's focus on the music. 

At night, a taxi pulls up to the Greystone Park hospital. Bob enters the hospital and turns away from the nurse's station, he hears music, and goes into the room with Pete playing banjo and quietly singing "Dusty Old Dust" for the bed ridden Woody (Scoot McNairy) who is unable to speak. McNairy also starred in this year's horror film, Speak No Evil. He was suffering from Huntington's disease and began his stay at the hospital in 1956. McNairy is able to be expressively with Woody largely non-vocal. Pete turns to see Bob standing in the doorway. He walks over to the bed and Pete introduces himself. Woody gestures to Bob and Pete explains that Woody wants to know about his guitar. Bob explains that he sings and writes songs back in Minneapolis. 

He is there to meet Woody and says he wants to "maybe catch a spark." Woody reaches out for a card that he hands to Bob, he turns it around to read, "I Ain't Dead Yet", and chuckles. Kinda funny. Woody bangs his hand on the table and Pete explains that Woody wants to hear Bob's song. He starts coughing while Bob takes out his guitar. Bob starts playing "The Song For Woody", this was a song that was on Dylan's first album, Bob Dylan (1962). Chalamet's singing is impressive, it made me feel like Dylan's singing. Woody bangs on the table in applause. Pete drives Bob and turns on the radio, Bob recognizes Little Richard singing, "Long Tall Sally." They discuss music and Bob says he likes everything including Johnny Cash. Pete says a good song doesn't need "frills" like electric guitar, a line between him and Bob. 

They arrive at Pete's home in the woods and Pete introduces Bob to his wife. She seems to reluctantly accept him as a house guest. There is also Pete's kids; Danny (Riley Hashimoto), Mika (Maya Feldman), and Tinya (Eloise Peyrot). Toshi doesn't want Bob to smoke in the house and he steps outside. A family man, Pete Seeger is presented as a conservative, but artistic person. In the morning, the family is having breakfast, while Bob is working out "Girl from the North Country" and Pete watches him. Pete is on stage and gives the audiences parts to sing, "Weeoh aweem away" while he strums his banjo. Bob watches as Pete starts to sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", his effect on the audience who all claps for him. Pete steps back stage and tells Bob, "I'll get you out there." 

We see walking down a night street, throngs of fans who greet a woman whom we only see from behind, Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). An incredible introduction to one of the best folk singers. Her first three albums were gold, her first album, Joan Baez, was in 1960. I was stunned that Barbaro moved from Top Gun: Maverick (2022) to singing and portraying a strong and talented woman.  She has long, dark hair and dresses in black. She walks into the dressing room while manager Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) notes that a RCA Records executive will be in the audience. Fogler was in the fantasy movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). Joan says she has Columbia Records and Albert pushes her that RCA has the well known artists except a folk singer. She tells him to leave and he says she doesn't smile and "makes men crazy." 

The club has a red curtain, spotlight on Joan on a chair with her guitar, she sings, "House of the Rising Sun." It is a folk song of unknown origin, but Guthrie recorded a version in 1941, Dylan recorded it for his debut album in 1962. I'm familiar with The Doors rendition which is put on constant repeat so Barbaro's singing is refreshing, love it. Her soprano is captivating as the audience watches, Bob is also watching Joan, then she sings a cappella, wow. It really feels like she is lost in the song until the audience starts clapping. Joan passes Pete who introduces Bob. Pete takes the stage and tells the crowd about meeting Bob with Woody. Then, Bob is introduced and gets on stage. Joan stops to watch as Bob tunes up his harmonica. He points out Joan and says, "She's pretty, sings pretty, maybe too pretty." Kinda of a criticism, a slight on her talent. 

Bob starts singing "I Was Young When I Left Home", a personal song with quiet strumming of the guitar, Albert takes note of it and starts to talk with record executive, John Hammond (David Alan Basche). This is another movie where I wanted to walk out to get the soundtrack, but of course stayed to watch all of the film. The crowd claps. The next day, Albert is impatiently waiting at the CBS building and then yells at Bob for being late. In the elevator, Albert reads the newspaper review of Bob, and then pulls him to the studio. Bob readies with his guitar and starts to play "Fixin' to Die" when a man in the recording room stops him. Bob is told he keeps turning his head from the microphone when playing. A nice awkwardness for Bob as an artist. Albert mentions that Bob has original songs, but he is told that only traditional songs will be used. A closeup of Bob playing "All Over You" as we find he is singing in the Riverside Church. There is applause from the All-Day Hootnany! audience.

A Blues band takes the stage to sing " Walk On" as Bob walks over to find a seat in the pews behind a woman with long hair. This is Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) whose name was changed to keep her identity private for the movie. Fanning played Catherine the Great in the historical drama series, The Great. She asks Bob his age, he says 20, and then if he wrote his song. Bob says he did and Sylvie says "You're good." They are shushed, funny!, and then he offers her a peanut saying that he worked at a carnival. Later, they walk the streets as Bob tells her about the carnival. This is an interesting part of the film since Bob's past is elusive; is he telling the truth?, making up stories of his past?, and this turns to the movie itself as laying out the accuracy of Dylan's life. I'm of the mind that like Dylan's songs, to judge the work, and not the creator. 

The couple reaches a movie theater playing Now, Voyager (1942). He asks Sylvie if she can pay for the tickets. His funds are always in question, but he gets by with the help of others. Bob sees Sylvie wipe away a tear at the scene between Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) and Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid). At a Chinese diner, she finds the story beautiful with Charlotte finding herself, Bob argues that the character only made herself into something different. This is the rift between them that has a bearing on their relationship. Bob says he wants to be a musician and admits that he only records covers of songs. Sylvie brings up the war and then they walk back to her home while she tells him about her volunteer work. This includes the Congress of Racial Equality. Bob asks what she is doing tomorrow and Sylvie reminds him that she went over her schedule. She takes his hand to write her phone number. Sylvie is drawn to Bob as an artist and he is attracted to her, but their paths are different. 

The next day, Bob is at the record store and hears Joan Baez’s song playing and he finds her last record picked up by a customer. Chalamet really has the sullen look down. Sylvie calls Bob over for a Civil Rights speech. Bob carries groceries as they head to her apartment. A post man has a package that he says is for Robert Zimmerman, Dylan’s real name. Later we see his notebooks as Bob is writing lyrics. At the hospital, Bob is playing “Blowin’ in the Wind” to Woody listening while smoking his cigarette. The orderly (Michael Everett Johnson), George, is angry that Woody is smoking and puts out the cigarrette. He also brings up the elderly patient that is also in the room won’t be able to rest. Pete walks in and tries to calm George. Woody chuckles. At a party, Sylvie’s sister, Gena (Alaina Surgener) is looking through the notebooks of Robert Zimmerman, and Sylvie closes them up. 

On television, Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) is singing “Folsom Prison Blues.” Holbrook is also in the drama, The Bikeriders. He is key to the creative choices for Dylan. Of course, the cameo is noteworthy since Mangold is known for directing Walk the Line (2005) based on Cash’s life. Sylvie is busy preparing for her trip to Rome that will take her away for twelve weeks. She says she doesn’t really know him and about his past. Sylvie is about to leave when she reads a fragment of lyrics from “The Times They Are A-Changin’” Bob snatches it out of her hand. She kisses him goodbye and Bob closes the door. The tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis is on television while Bob has his work spread out on the floor. He goes to the window to hear the panic on the streets. Pete and his family are worried. Joan makes a call, but no answer. Bob listlessly walks the street as a car races past. Joan tries to hail a cab that speed by, there are alarms, and people running past. It is the end of the world. 

She is drawn to hear Bob's voice and walks to the Gaslight Club. He sings his new song, "Masters of War", and Joan watches him. The audience claps and Bob leaves saying, "Go find someone to love."  He sees Joan on the steps. This is something that I noticed throughout the film. The staging literally always has Joan above Bob. He walks past her and then they kiss passionately. Joan looks out the window the next morning to see the sun still shining. She leaves Bob in bed to see the television news and then outside the window to see kids playing in the street. Joan looks over at Bob's lyrics and notes. Bob lights up a cigarette to see the news and says, "Well, that's that." He goes to play his guitar and Joan asks him who taught him to play. Bob says he learned at the carnival. I love that Joan knows he is lying since she had lessons. He insults her lyrics and then she has him play "Blowin' in the Wind." The music really got into me and I started singing. A Complete Unknown is a masterwork of a biopic giving Bob Dylan, his fellow musicians, and lovers, a complexity that reveals the music that helped shaped that time! 

Five+ Lyrics out of Five! 

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