I'm Not There

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I'm Not There

Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" is a movie depicting Bob Dylan with many different faces; the man as he truly was, the man he believed he was, the man the way people saw him, the man in the way he wishes to be perceived.

Bob Dylan in all his various forms are played by an array of spectacular film veterans including Richard Gere as the outlaw side of Dylan in the form of Billy the Kid and Cate Blanchett as Dylan in the the hight of his career, hated by most of his previous fans for "selling out" and not sure what to believe in anymore. These are just two examples of a remarkable cast.

As a (what some would call) "die-hard" Bob Dylan fan, I went in to this movie not knowing what to expect. On one hand, I was ecstatic that such a film had been in fact made to honor the man for what he was. On the other hand i was fearful that, like the Beatles in "Across the Universe", Bob Dylan and his music would be misrepresented in a flurry of psychedelic lights and bad covers. My fears were almost immediately taken away in the first 2 minutes of the film with a stunningly accurate performance in black/white by British actor Ben Whishaw as Bob Dylan in questioning.

Haynes' style really amazed me, not letting the audience member settle into one area of Dylan's life for too long before taking him straight into another. The use of different film really helped convey the difference between each individual piece of his story, switching from grainy overexposed shots to cool black and white ones. The writing was both innovative and expressed the man very clearly and powerfully.

At its core, "Im Not There" is every Bob Dylan fan's dream. All they have to do is be patient and willing to open their mind to an interesting take on such an amazing life.

4 out of 5 stars
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[punches him in the face, grabs him and points his gun right at his throat] I never said anything about the FBI. She's my partner, ese. And if anything happens to her, I will find you and I will kill you. I won't think twice. Come here, look in my eyes. [pushes barrel of the gun into his mouth and cocks it] Look at my face. If anything happens to her, I will kill you. This is between you and me, and nobody sees, nobody knows.



I'm a long time Dylan fan too, and I enjoyed I'm Not There a lot too. Cate Blanchett's take on Dylan was awesome. Excellent film, even the guy who came with me ( who professed while we were in the queue waiting that he couldn't recall a singe Dylan song ) admired it.



ooo that's a toughie. top 10 (not in order)
1. Subterranean Homesick Blues
2. I Want You
3. Like a Rolling Stone
4. The Times They are A-Changin'
5. Highway 61 Revisited
6. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
7. Billy 4 (the best of a the Billy the Kid Themes in my opinion)
8. Positively 4th Street
9. Mr. Tambourine Man
10. Political World



In no order these would be my faves

One Too Many Mornings

Forever Young

Don't Think Twice It's Alright

Tangled Up in Blue

You're Gonne Make Me Lonesome When You Go

Talkin' World War III Blues

Bob Dylan's Dream

North Country Blues

Honey. Just Allow Me One More Chance

Girl From the North Country



Mighty Quinn
One more cup of Coffee
All Along the Watchtower
Masters of War
Hurricane

Are some of my favs...but it's damn hard to pick favs from his awesome body of work!
And it is with great shame I must admit I have yet to watch this movie...great review though Spirit!



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
"With God on Our Side" is one of my fave Dylan songs. It will never age or become irrelevant.



Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.

- Bob Dylan, 1963
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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page



Mighty Quinn
One more cup of Coffee
All Along the Watchtower
Masters of War
Hurricane

Are some of my favs...but it's damn hard to pick favs from his awesome body of work!
True that man! what an amazing artist. hard for me to pick a top 10.

And it is with great shame I must admit I have yet to watch this movie...great review though Spirit!
Well go see it and thanks!



Thanks for the review, i loved this movie I am a big Dylan Fan I saw him a few years ago here in my little town of Wollongong, Australia he had just come out of rehab, i him, nice to see him in such a small venue
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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha



Wow. that sounds amazing! i have this roughly recorded most likely bootlegged tape that my father recorded of him while he was watching him in a tiny coffee house before he got famous and Dylan is talking to the ppl and he gives the goofiest *huk Huh!* laugh ever! it was pre-cool Dylan. i love it.