While all of the actors are exemplary in their portrayals of whatever aspect they are bringing to life, it's Cate Blanchett who steals the movie as Jude Quinn, the Bob Dylan who pissed everyone off by plugging in an electric guitar. Not only does she capture the essence of Dylan physically from that period of his life, she conveys both his arrogance and his insecurity over people's reactions to the change in direction that his music took. This is a brittle and fragile person who never wanted to be an idol, a pop star, or be anybody's voice but his own, let alone the supposed voice of a generation.
How can an artist grow and create if he or she is constantly tied down by the expectations of an audience who want him to keep doing the same things over and over again? The Dylan as depicted by the character of Jude Quinn is trapped in the snare of her own popularity and looks to try to use any means possible to cut her way free. If that means being arrogant and insulting with the press, and coming across like she doesn't give a shit anymore - then so be it. You get the feeling that the motorcycle accident of 1966 that almost killed Dylan was a salvation because it gave him the means to disappear and do what he wanted to do.
Interestingly enough a number of the songs used during the film are taken from the recording sessions that Bob Dylan and the Band did during the time he was hiding out from the world in Woodstock, New York. From the hours and hours of material they recorded at that time the album The Basement Tapes was created, Haynes has not only used songs off the album, but he was given permission to use material that hadn't been released before. While some of the songs in the movie have Dylan singing the original versions, others are new recordings of his material by contemporary performers, and some are sung by the actors.
In an extensive question and answer/interview session with the director Todd Haynes on the special features disc, he explains that the music he chose wasn't necessarily his favourite stuff, but the pieces he thought would help with movie's continuity and help carry it forward. Unlike a lot of special feature interviews with directors, this one is actually of some use as Haynes goes into quite a bit of depth about his process and how the film came together.
Article comments
1 - Derek Fleek
I completely agree. It doesn't answer questions as much as it describes his personality. This was one of the best films of 2007. This is a must have for your collection of DVDs
2 - Ken
I despised this movie, and I'm a huge Dylan fan. If capturing the mannerisms of Dylan was so important, why weren't the characters named Bob Dylan. Or is that not "artsy" enough? Ridiculous.