A Complete Unknown (2024)
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A fictionalized account of Bob Dylan's early career and his controversial transition to electric instruments.
The story
In 1961, Bob Dylan hitchhikes to New York City to meet his music idol, Woody Guthrie, who is dying of Huntington's disease. Dylan meets Guthrie in the hospital with the folk singer and activist Pete Seeger. After performing a song for them, Dylan is introduced to New York City's folk scene. He catches the attention of music manager Albert Grossman and begins recording music. Amidst the social unrest of the early 1960s, Dylan's career begins to gain traction, leading to a complex navigation of artistic integrity and the expectations of the music industry.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1965, beginning with his arrival in New York City to meet the dying Woody Guthrie. After being introduced to the folk scene by Pete Seeger and performing for manager Albert Grossman, Dylan begins to gain fame while struggling with his label's demands for traditional folk music. He enters a relationship with Sylvie Russo, but the two eventually part ways during a period of personal and professional growth. Amidst the cultural upheaval of the early 1960s, Dylan's music gains traction, leading to a collaboration and affair with Joan Baez. The narrative culminates at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan makes the controversial decision to perform with an electric band. Despite backlash from the folk establishment, he embraces his new sound. The film ends with Dylan finding his artistic freedom, followed by a montage of his later achievements, including his Nobel Prize for Literature.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 141
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Mangold
- Writers
- James Mangold · screenplay; Jay Cocks · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Timothée Chalamet · Bob Dylan; Edward Norton · Pete Seeger; Elle Fanning · Sylvie Russo; Monica Barbaro · Joan Baez; Boyd Holbrook · Johnny Cash; Scoot McNairy · not specified
- Genres
- biographical; drama
- Themes
- artistic integrity; fame; cultural shift
- Tone and mood
- serious; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- biopic; musical; historical
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews and was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 59; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 93% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- Best Supporting Actress · National Board of Review · Win
- Production trivia
- Timothée Chalamet learned to play the guitar and harmonica and spent time researching Dylan during the pandemic.; The film's production was influenced by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.; The film's soundtrack included 16 hours of unreleased Dylan recordings.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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