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List Price: $14.95 | | Label: Weinstein Company
Salesrank: 8519
Released: May 6, 2008 |
| Our Price: $4.98 |
| Used Price: $2.97 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Inspired by the life and songs of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There is "a profoundly personal and passionate film" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times) that captures the essence of this elusive genius. Six different actors -- including Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Oscar® nominee Cate Blanchett in a "soon-to-be-legendary performance" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) - each embody part of the Dylan legend: from Greenwich Village folk singer to electric guitar trailblazer to born-again preacher. Directed by Academy Award®-nominated writer/director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), I'm Not There is "unquestionably the year's most original American movie" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).
Description of I'm Not There (Two-Disc Collector's Edition):
Unapologetically audacious, I'm Not There is more post-modern puzzle than by-the-numbers biopic. A title card sets the scene: "Inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan." Yet the film features no figure by that name. Instead, writer/director Todd Haynes presents six characters, each incarnating different stages in the artist's career. Perfume's Ben Whishaw, a black-clad poet, serves as a slippery sort of narrator. The action begins with the wanderings of an 11-year-old black runaway named "Woody Guthrie" (Marcus Carl Franklin)--his raucous duet with Richie Havens on "Tombstone Blues" is a highlight--and ends with a silver-haired Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) watching the Old West die before his eyes. In the interim, there's the folk singer-turned-preacher (Christian Bale), the actor (Heath Ledger), and the rock star (Cate Blanchett, who has Don't Look Back Dylan down to a science). The chronology is purposefully non-linear, and editor Jay Rabinowitz cuts rapidly, Jean-Luc Godard-style, between cinéma vérité black-and-white and saturated color, Richard Lester-like slapstick and Fellini-inspired surrealism (Ed Lachman served as cinematographer).
What makes the picture fun for Dylan fans--and potentially frustrating for neophytes--is that every album and movie bears an alternate title. Ledger's Robbie, for instance, stars in "Grain of Sand," actually a reference to the Pete Seeger song. As in Haynes' glam rock reverie Velvet Goldmine, the trickery involves the entire cast. While Julianne Moore plays former lover Alice, a dead ringer for Joan Baez; Michelle Williams embodies elusive scenester Coco, i.e. Edie Sedgwick. If I'm Not There is less affecting than Control, the year's other big music film, it rewards repeat viewings like few biographical features. The soundtrack mixes originals with covers, like Jim James's heartfelt "Goin' to Acapulco." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
I'm Not There (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Reviews:
facinating portrait 
2009-10-17 - A INTERESTING, QUIRKY PORTRAIT OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTIST. it seems odd in a way to know it's been almost 50 years that i have been listening to dylan's work. heard him live at the rothbury festival 2009 just this year. i give many stars for an excellent entertainment experience.
Five Stars for Cate Blanchett
2009-07-03 - Let me tell you about the way she looked, the way she acted and the color of her hair: Cate Blanchett makes an exceptional Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There." Todd Haynes' movie probably offers more to satisfy (or infuriate) a true Dylan fan than to an average video viewer such as me. It's definitely an "interesting" movie -- but not quite interesting enough to keep the old eyelids from growing heavy and the head from bobbing if viewed close to bedtime. Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin all play Dylan-inspired characters. More than a traditional biopic, the movie is a highly original way of looking at the various stages of a single creative life: how a performer can create and then abandon certain styles and personas, the relationship between the artist and the "characters" he either plays or chronicles -- and equally important, the way the artist's fans respond to the choices he (or she) makes. It's "interesting" throughout. But when Cate Blanchett shows up, the Dylan pic goes electric.
Not Conventional But I Still Loved It
2009-06-21 - I love this film. It's a difficult film to grasp if you have a preconceived idea of what a biopic should be like, but I love the concept and I thought the actors did a great job. The music is great, of course and Cate's Jude Quinn is an amazing performance. The Richard Gere segment was the only weak part of the film in that it was too long and difficult to understand but in general I had no trouble "getting" the ideas driving the how the film unfolds.
When the film first came out at least one reviewer said only a die-hard Dylan fan could truly appreciate it. That review is wrong. When I saw this film I knew almost nothing about Dylan. Sure, I knew he was a legend and I knew a handful of his songs but that was it. This film made me want to see what the real Dylan was like (I started by watching excerpts from the 1965 press conference in San Francisco) and now I'm a huge fan. I have been leisurely exploring albums, documentaries, books, etc. about and by Dylan for the last six months and I'm having such a wonderful time! There is no doubt that this exploration will go on for the rest of my life. I feel like I'm sitting at a giant banquet savoring each marvelous dish.
I'm 43 years old and while I'm late to the party and haven't followed Dylan like many lifelong fans can claim, that doesn't make my enthusiasm or the time I put into learning about Dylan any less important. This film was the start of it all for me, but I don't think there are many people who would have a reaction like I'm having. I do hope you will see this film and keep an open mind.
Brilliant... and Inspired 
2009-06-19 - A film as wily and elusive as Dylan himself. Disjointed, deconstructed, and dispersed, it nonetheless paints as accurate a picture as we will ever get of the man.
fun but not for people who want cause and effect
2009-05-30 - there are threads that connect the multiple versions of Dylan here. but if you're the kind of person who wants a movie to make sense, just move on. If you're in the mood for a movie that is great to look at, filled with some good (and some bad) covers, and has some great acting (thankfully Christian Bale doesn't speak too much).
Basically, this is a movie that's not for everyone. And it doesn't make you stupid if you don't enjoy it. But I will say this -- you don't need to know much about Dylan to like it. My wife knows some of his music, but nothing of his biography and she really enjoyed it.
