ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

HOW CAN one film possibly do justice to the many-splendored life and career of Bob Dylan? Todd Haynes accepts the measure of his task by turning I’m Not There into a witty, multi-faceted reflection on Dylan and his celebrity in which the star is played by six different actors, including Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere and eleven year-old black actor Marcus Carl Franklin.

Naturally, none of the characters is actually called Bob Dylan but they all represent some aspect of his life, fame or musical progression. It may sound confusing and pretentious but actually this is a constantly fascinating collage that may be the most astute portrait of the notoriously elusive Dylan we are likely to see.

The film’s focus is on the formative years and first flush of fame that Dylan experienced in the 1960s as he emerged from the protest movements of the period as the new voice of the burgeoning folk scene.

The film adopts different styles and textures as it alights on Ben Whishaw as Arthur Rimbaud responding to a press conference or Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn moving through Dylan’s electric period towards the infamous Albert Hall concert.

Then there is Richard Gere as the reclusive Billy, a representative of Dylan’s acting in Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid but also an acknowledgement of his links to figures like Woody Guthrie.

If you know a lot about Bob Dylan then I’m Not There is likely to mean so much more to you. Even someone with a casual interest in Dylan can savour this inspired, audacious journey into the unknowable essence of such an iconic figure.

Director: Todd Haynes
Stars: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Julianne Moore
Screenwriter: Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman
Certificate: 15
Running time: 135 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2007