Audio-Visuals

BOB DYLAN: DON'T LOOK BACK
Directed by D.A. Pennebaker
(Docurama DVD)
The true mark of great art is less the impact it has on its initial appearance than it is the effect it has over time. How well does a work hold up, years or decades after its creation, especially in comparison to the things it's influenced? Is it worth remembering solely for being the first of its kind or because it still towers above its children?

34 years after its release, Don't Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker's documentary chronicling Bob Dylan's final acoustic tour through England in 1965, stands as the definitive rockumentary. Pennebaker used the then-uncommon cinema verité method, in which the filmmaker simply turns on the camera and records the action in front of it. There's no script, narration or interviews here, not even any complete concert performances, just scenes from backstage, in the hotel room, in transit and from other mundane locations. It's not a completely unvarnished portrait, of course—judicious post-production editing keeps the story moving in the direction Pennebaker wants it to go, and Dylan was perfectly aware of being filmed, letting the camera see what he wanted it to see. But it's still a fascinating, absorbing, ultimately revealing glimpse into an artist who was already bored with his icon status and ready to move on to the next challenge.

Pennebaker compiled 20 hours of footage but seems to have known exactly which portions would make a compelling film. There's a scene backstage where Dylan, suffering a case of backstage nerves, plays mind games with Terry Ellis*, a college journalist attempting an interview. Immediately following this amusing but uncomfortable scene, Dylan takes a bizarre audience with the High Sheriff's Lady of Newcastle and her three sons, two of whom are named Stephen. There's an incident before the first Royal Albert Hall show, in which Dylan becomes outright hostile towards a reporter from Time, a magazine Dylan clearly believes to be subpar and out of touch. There's a fascinating look at the business machinations behind the stars as Dylan's manager Albert Grossman and British promoter Tito Burns negotiate with both the BBC and Granada to secure the best (i.e. most financially advantageous) deal for their client's radio appearance. There are scenes where Dylan, Joan Baez and tour manager/professional FOB (Friend of Bob) Bob Neuwirth swap Hank Williams songs and where Dylan works out a new song on a backstage piano. Donovan, Marianne Faithful, producer Tom Wilson** and the Animals' Alan Price make brief appearances. It's all amazing stuff, tied together by Pennebaker's skillful editing and Dylan's sheer presence. The singer/songwriter was at the peak of his enigmatic charisma, all sunglasses, cigarettes, curly brown hair and attitude—the epitome of mid-60s counter cultural cool. Dylan makes this film visually as well as contextually interesting—there are numerous frames worthy of becoming posters, as indeed some of them have.

The DVD transfer is excellent, upgrading the original lo-fi stock without losing its charming—and highly influential—amateur quality. The disk also contains an illuminating commentary track by Pennebaker and Neuwirth, revealing, among other things, the origin of the film's name. The most important extras for Dylanologists will be the five audio bonus tracks, unedited performances of songs only excerpted in the film, including a stunning and rapturously received reading of "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll." And of course the film begins with what's virtually the first music video, the famous Dylan-with-cue-cards piece that's accompanied by "Subterranean Homesick Blues." There's not a single part of this DVD that won't arouse at least some interest, even from non-Dylan fans. Over two decades on, Don't Look Back remains the standard against which all music documentaries will be measured. Michael Toland [buy it]