I’M NOT THERE
Director: Todd Haynes Stars: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, David Cross, Kris Kristofferson
Reviewed by GREG KING
Something of an enigma, Bob Dylan is regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern pop music, who has changed styles and reinvented himself throughout a career spanning five decades without losing his relevance. With films like Poison, Far From Heaven and Safe, etc, Todd Haynes has become something of the darling of the independent scene, willing to take risks and go against convention by making films that may have something intelligent to say even if they lack broad appeal. His biopic of Dylan though is something of an elusive, self-indulgent, beguiling and unconventional affair both in its structure and its approach. And, noticeably, the name Dylan is never used throughout the film.
Haynes takes a surrealistic approach to the film, with shifts between time frames, and scenes shot either in black and white or colour. I’m Not There is more of an impressionistic look at the many phases of Dylan’s life and career rather than a straightforward biography, with six different actors playing Dylan. Supposedly each one represents a different perspective on the singer, although this aspect of the film is likely to be appreciated by those with some knowledge of the life and times of the reclusive singer.
Christian Bale (who previously worked with Haynes on the glam rock musical The Velvet Goldmine) plays Jack Rollins, a folk singer who finds religion. Newcomer Marcus Carl Franklin plays a young Afro-American who calls himself Woody Guthrie (Dylan’s inspiration) in a pointed reference to Dylan’s early years in which his songs were inspired by the folk legend. Heath Ledger plays an actor playing Rollins on screen, while Charlotte Gainsboroug plays his long-suffering wife, a reference to his troubled private life and his disastrous relationships with women.
The most effective of the six different Dylan-like figures is Cate Blanchett, who plays Jude Quinn, a rebellious folk singer who eschews his roots to go electric, much to the displeasure of his fans, and who embarks on a lengthy tour of England. Blanchett is superb in her role, capturing the singer’s abrasive personality. Blanchett’s transgendered performance is nothing short of spellbinding, and fittingly enough she gets most of the screen time.
Less satisfying are those segments featuring Ben Whishaw (from Perfume), who appears briefly throughout as a philosophy-quoting poet named Rimbaud, and Richard Gere, who plays a wisened old Billy the Kid looking for direction and his roots in one of the more elegiac episodes.
The film features plenty of Dylan’s music, which adds to the pleasure. However, fans looking for a more definitive insight and perspective on the enigmatic Bob Dylan and his musical legacy would do better to seek out Martin Scorsese’s excellent documentary No Direction Home.
*1/2
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
I’m Not There is a very ambitious project. It states that it is based on the life and times of Bob Dylan.
Todd Haynes has directed only a few films, but all of them somewhat offbeat, independent features including Safe, Savage Grace, Far From Heaven.
In constructing this film about the life and times of Dylan, he chooses six actors to portray the core of the singer’s career and life. These include Marcus Carl-Franklin, a young African-American boy, as the youngest of the actors. He calls himself Woody Guthrie to give the link between Guthrie’s songs and Bob Dylan’s folk songs in the late 50s early 60s. It is a very strong performance. After that comes Ben Whishaw - who is seen throughout the film, in a black and white interview style. The criticism is of the young Dylan and of his whole life, especially his protest activities.
Christian Bale follows as the protest singer of the 1960s, the friend of Joan Baez (fictionalised and performed by Julianne Moore), who upsets people by his drinking, his un-thought-through answers at press conferences and awards. These are followed by apologies. However, there is a lot of criticism of Dylan and his protest songs and his songs of the earlier 60s. Later, Bale portrays a religious experience by Dylan and his conversion to a Pentecostal church. The next actor is Heath Ledger who portrays the singer in his acting career as well as his marriage. Charlotte Gainsbourg is the French wife, artist, mother of their children. It is in this period that the Vietnam War is strikingly presented, frequently as the characters watch television reportage.
The next character is Richard Gere portraying Billy the Kid, the character similar to that Bob Dylan portrayed in Sam Peckinpah’s 1973, Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. Billy the Kid was played in that film by Kris Kristofferson, who does the overall narrative for this film.
The film is interesting in its presentation of Dylan by Cate Blanchett who won the actress award at Venice 2007. The androgynous Dylan is well portrayed by this actress, who does a strong impersonation as well carry the later part of the film. She portrays the Dylan who is under attack by audiences and fans, especially in his changing to electronic music which is seen as a betrayal.
Throughout the whole film there is a wide selection of Dylan’s songs so that the film becomes an anthology of his music, sung in particular social settings, in the context of American politics and protest of the 20th century.