The more I think about this film, the more I like it and can’t wait to see it again. I’m glad you could appreciate it for what it is, even if it’s a bit hard to follow. This is more for the themes and style than it is for the storyline.

In talking to the guys I went with, both of whom are BIG Dylan fans – one loved it, one wasn’t so keen but the film certainly sparked passionate discussion from both.

Essentially, it sounded to me like thy got a whole lot more out of it and I think one does need to have some familiarity with the Dylan history but for a non-fan, the film feels like an interesting experiment which looks great, with amazing performances but it doesn’t work if you’re not an insider.

Never saw the Van Sant film, but it sounds like the exact same thing here. The more and more I think about it, which I mentioned in the Cinecast but didn’t really get across very well in the above review, is that I really love this movie. Now that’s I’ve seen “Don’t Look Back,” I’d really like to re-visit this one again. I’d say it has a strong chance of making my year end top ten (which is only days away from being ready).

If you’re a Dylan fan and know about his life, you’re going to love this one. As long as you can handle the length and also realize that this is a visual art film – not a narrative storyline.

http://www.thepaganagenda.com/2006/10/08/bob-dylan-the-judas-playlist/

Great review though, mate. I think when Indy 4 comes out, I’m going to do a written review, a video review, an audio review, an interview, you name it.

As it stands, even if I wanted to see it, I wouldn’t be able to because it’s still not playing here.

See ya.

By the ways, in case you were wondering Andrew James and I are not related.

For a good “in” to Dylan, try Blood on the Tracks. Not his most influential or “experimental” album, but it’s a slightly more listenable before trying his more less commercial stuff (for lack of a better term).

Also, after he went electric, there are loads of great records. Chech out “Bob Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Review Bootleg series (Vol 5): 1975″. Or “Time out of Mind” is a good one too. In this day in age, you can download anything and see if you like it, then buy what you like.

The wedding band (sorry not ring) had to have been deliberate, and I guess rather than a fuck you to authenticity, it may have been yet another reference to the film being unstuck in time, the overlap of the Dylans, the married one somehow merging with the younger one.

Also I wanted to catch you up Andrew on the idea that Gere doesn’t look anything like Dylan… there are shots that look exactly like the seventies Dylan, I wish I could find this music video around that period on youtube but I know Haynes was directly referencing it in some of the shots.

That’s a good question. Half or 3/4 is a rough guess. Even though I KNOW I didn’t pick up on all the references, you can just feel that there is some kind of “inside joke” happening all the time. For instance, I’m not too familiar with Dylan in his later years, so I don’t really get anything within the Gere sequence (the dead horse, the circus, the dead girl, seeing himself, the mask) – all that stuff seems referential even though I didn’t pick up on what they were.

And yes, I’m really looking forward to checking out “Don’t Look Back” now, before seeing this again (which I will certainly do).

I also forgot to mention that during the Gere segment, “My Morning Jacket” performs a song in that werid, circus town that is totally haunting and beautiful.

How do you know how many references you missed?