In Martin Scorsese's first character documentary, he met Bob Dylan, a cultural icon who stood on the cusp of the era in the 1960s. At more than 200 minutes, the film is much longer than an ordinary documentary, but the content presented is limited to the 25 years or so between Bob Dylan's childhood and his brief resignation after a car accident in 1966. More than 200 minutes is not long, because Bob Dylan has so much to show and study.
Like Dylan said, the past doesn't matter, it's what you think and do now that matters. The best part is the movie itself, everything is in the movie.
·Revolt
The story begins with the old Dylan's oral home-seeking journey, and naturally unfolds the hometown where Dylan grew up as a child, a boring and mediocre mining town in Minnesota, where Dylan himself wants to fight against anything that can't help, has no goal and direction. . Any young man would naturally have to flee such a place, let alone an artist like Dylan, who was awakened by two girls in his own poetry. Boredom and banality seem more difficult for artists to accept.
The instinct to rebel has run through Dylan's entire life. From leaving his home town, to refusing to be the voice of the pro-democracy movement, to picking up the electric guitar, embracing rock music, which was still a niche at the time, and even the Nobel Prize for Literature (which didn't happen when the film was finished), Dylan even Didn't go to receive the award in person.
Seeing fans cursing Dylan with all kinds of offensive words, I can't help but smile. The rebellion and anti-authority represented by rock music have not been widely accepted. The preferences and tastes of the public are really unpredictable, and no one can tell the moment. What is the mainstream, and what new things will come to the forefront in the future.
·Ambition
"The great artists I've seen, the performers I'm reminded of and emulated, they all have one thing in common, their eyes. Their eyes seem to say, 'I know something you don't.' I want to be A performer like that." - Bob Dylan
When Dylan arrived in Greenwich Village, New York, to join the folk singer's circle, he was still an obscure young man, absorbing the qualities of a great singer like a sponge.
In just a few months, Dylan has mastered extremely high guitar playing skills, no one knows how he did it, everyone can only blame the most mysterious legend in the music industry, at a crossroads and the devil did it Traded something precious (longevity in general, not Dylan) for superb guitar playing skills. Of course Dylan wouldn't say it himself, it was his secret, something only he knew.
Signing with Columbia, publishing records, and collaborating with well-known producers, Dylan's ambitions for real-world success are exposed. Dylan's control over interpersonal relationships and interests is absolutely top-notch. Of course, these are not abilities that Dylan is proud of. Only stepping into a blank world that others have never set foot in and using his own language to create his own voice is what Dylan pursues as a poet, artist and singer-songwriter.
·thinking
It may be the relationship of that era, or it may be that some people are destined to walk in front of the crowd.
"Blowin' In The Wind", which has been sung to this day, was written by Dylan when he was only 21 years old. It cannot explain why such a young man has such amazing talent and creativity. At least, young Dylan's insight into the world around him and Deep thinking, definitely not to be underestimated.
Dylan in his early 20s gained endless fame, money, influence and stood at the top of the world. It was a miracle of that era and a small-scale general situation in the music industry. Music has this ability, so most of the boys in the United States who are still in school want to be rock stars. The four boys of the Beatles also stood on the same level as Dylan at the same age, even more pressing Dylan. At one point, when Dylan was questioned by reporters, he couldn't help but ask, "How dare you ask me such a question, do you dare to ask the Beatles?" As a teacher who influenced the direction of the Beatles' lyrics creation, Dylan himself I'd be a little bit uneasy about the Beatles taking over America.
In the film, the poet Alan Ginsburg mentioned that he saw the Beatles for the first time because of Dylan's relationship. At a certain moment in that room, he suddenly realized that this group of young people standing on the top of the world, Full of uncertainty about yourself and what you express. The old Dylan also said that the artist cannot allow himself to be in a state of completion, but should always accept change and change with it. Decades later, I see that there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty inside the old Dylan.
When asked by reporters whether the album cover had any special meaning, Dylan said it was just an arbitrary choice. Dylan, who once stood in the square with Martin Luther King Jr. to convey his voice to the world, and Dylan, who stood at the top of the world, faced the chaos and disorder of the times and the world, perhaps he can better realize that there are too few things that he can change. Little, after all, the individual is just a drop of water in the ocean of the times. He wants everyone to be accepted simply as a singer-songwriter, and doesn't want to carry too many identities and responsibilities. Maybe, as he said, politics is not important and he doesn't value it.
· Young Dylan
When some interviewers looked back on Dylan's experiences when he was young, some said that Dylan stole more than 20 rare records, and some said that he had borrowed more than 400 records and did not return them. Jonbaez complained that Dylan did not invite her later. Performing together on stage, he just wants to monopolize the entire stage by himself. These should all have happened, and it is also a rare evidence that the symbol of Dylan is still a person.
One of my favorite and funniest scenes is when Dylan sits in the car and bickers with the vicious little fan outside the car window near the end of the film, just not signing autographs. Before being treated as an idol, he should first be treated politely as a person.
In addition, Dylan's use of some drugs is not mentioned in the film. In that era, creators relied on drugs to enter some mysterious realm and obtain inspiration, which seemed to be a common situation. Of course, as a public documentary, this is also out of place.
Finally, regarding the name of the movie, I think it can be seen from the name of Lao Ma's thinking and summary of the symbol of Dylan: Dylan is not a person, the earth is not his home, and this life is his life on the road.
As a music fan, movie fan, and fan, I am very grateful to Dylan and Lao Ma for creating such wonderful and thought-provoking works of art. While I can enjoy and comfort me, their own thinking and choices are also for my own life. Some useful references are provided.
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