A Complete Unknown (2024)
Genre: Biography / Drama
Duration: 141 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: James Mangold
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton and Elle Fanning
IMDb score:
7,3 (111.767)
Releasedate: 18 December 2024
A Complete Unknown plot
"The ballad of a true original."
“A Complete Unknown” is set in the influential New York music scene of the early 1960s. The film follows the meteoric rise of 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts. His songs and mystique become a worldwide sensation - culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock 'n' roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
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Actors and actresses
Bob Dylan
Pete Seeger
Sylvie Russo
Joan Baez
Woody Guthrie
Albert Grossman
Johnny Cash
Bob Neuwirth
Dave Van Ronk
Toshi Seeger
Reviews & comments
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14514 messages
- 4510 votes
Those 140 minutes flew by and I was entertained, but this was anything but a good film. The film has the same problem as many biopics: you get a part of someone's life and you mainly learn something about that life (although you always have to wait and see what is made up) and less about the person. Now I have to say that this film still tries a little bit but also doesn't go very deep, just like the whole film is neither fish nor fowl. Even potential conflicts are smoothed over or cut short. The whole relationship with Fanning and the cheating on Baez could lead to anything but suddenly the relationship is over. And that goes on throughout the whole film, up to and including the conflict about electric or acoustic (in itself quite interesting) at the end (which even includes some inappropriate slapstick).
It is also not Chalamet's fault that he keeps scratching the surface and he is constantly convincing in character and carries the film quite easily. Norton has a much more beautiful role with emotional impact. And someone like Fanning, a fine actress, just hangs around. And that is really due to the script: they want to tell too much. In the first hour you also see snippets of TV broadcasts (Cuba crisis, Kennedy) to create a picture of the times, but that all remains a bit of a sideshow.
Now this film lasts 140 minutes, normally enough time for a lot of story but almost 60 minutes is filled with music. On the one hand that means that there is much less time for film, on the other hand Dylan's music is also really good and I enjoyed it very much. Especially with that music. The decoration is also fine, the pacing is excellent and the sound ditto. The photography is solid but sufficient. 3.0*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrklm
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- 11374 messages
- 9897 votes
In 1961, the then completely unknown singer and songwriter Bob Dylan [Timothée Chalamet] visits his idol Woody Guthrie [Scoot McNairy] who suffers from Huntington's disease and is permanently hospitalized. In the presence of the beloved folk singer Pete Seeger [Edward Norton], Bob gives Guthrie an impressive serenade, which makes Seeger decide to help him launch his music career. Bob shares the stage with the then already famous Joan Baez [Monica Barbaro] and quickly becomes a great figure in the folk scene. But Bob detests the pigeonholing mentality and feels attracted to the rock sound of Johnny Cash [Boyd Holbrook], Buddy Holly, Little Richard and the British rock groups that were breaking through in the US at that time. Dylan is aptly described as "a mysterious minstrel" and that is the big problem. Chalamet, Norton and Barbaro deliver the many songs with conviction, but Mangold and co-writer Jay Cocks make no attempt to find out where Dylan's drive came from. As a portrait of the development of folk and rock in the 1960s it is successful, as a portrait of Dylan it is unfortunately rather superficial.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 31144 messages
- 5447 votes
A biopic about a famous person, played by a famous person is always looking for the danger zone. What do you want to tell from that life, are the facts correct, do you go for interpretation or rather a story from life with some Hollywood freedom. Bob Dylan is a musical legend and it is not the first biopic or documentary. Even though the man still remains a bit of a mystery that appeals to the imagination.
The film goes to the essence. The period between his discovery as a folk singer and his switch to electric playing. Dylan always looked ahead, that is no different now. You will rarely hear old songs at his live performances. And the most important thing about Dylan are his lyrics. And fortunately that is the focus in this film. Not only the lyrics, but also the impact that his music and lyrics had. The reason why he became so famous and stood out among other folk singers.
Timothée Chalamet plays a strong Dylan and can carry the film with conviction. It is a good thing that we know little about Dylan as a person and that you can therefore not go deeply into the character. Of course Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez are also present. The film works, the atmosphere is good, it is accessible (but can hopefully reach a large audience) and the decoration is top. Especially the attention to his texts and what the effect was is a great asset why this film works. In the film I'm Not There the choice was brilliantly made to have 6 actors play a side of Dylan, but A Complete Unknown shows so much more why Dylan was (and is) an icon.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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