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Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
 
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Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back

Bob Dylan , Albert Grossman , D.A. Pennebaker    Unrated   VHS Tape
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

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Amazon.com Essential Video

Both a classic documentary and a vital pop-cultural artifact, D.A. Pennebaker's portrait of Bob Dylan captures the seminal singer-songwriter on the cusp of his transformation from folk prophet to rock trendsetter. Shot during Dylan's 1965 British concert tour, Don't Look Back employs an edgy vérité style that was, and is, a snug fit with the artist's own consciously rough-hewn persona. Its handheld black-and-white images and often-gritty London backdrops suggest cinematic extensions of the archetypal monochrome portraits that graced Dylan's career-making early-'60s album jackets.

Pennebaker's access to the legendarily private troubadour enables us to witness Dylan's shifting moods as he performs, relaxes with his entourage (including then lover Joan Baez, road manager Bob Neuwirth, and poker-faced manager Albert Grossman), and jousts with other musicians (notably Animals alumnus Alan Price and Scottish folksinger Donovan), fans, and press. It's a measurement of the filmmaker's acuity that the conversations are often as gripping as Dylan's solo performances. Grossman's machinations with British promoters, Baez's hip serenity, a grizzled British journalist's surrender to the fact of Dylan's artistry, and the artist's own taunting dismissal of a clueless sycophant are all absorbing.

With the exception of the studio recording of "Subterranean Homesick Blues," the live performances (including five newly restored, complete audio tracks excised from the original film but included on the DVD version) are constrained by crude audio gear. Their urgency, however, is timeless, as is Pennebaker's film, a legitimate cornerstone for any serious rock video collection. --Sam Sutherland


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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Trying to be hip, and actually being hip in spite of it April 7 2004
Format:VHS Tape
There's no doubt this film was an influential piece of cinema verite for subsequent rockumentaries. With little ado, it follows Bob Dylan and his small entourage (including Joan Baez) around England on an acoustic concert tour in the spring of 1965, in delicious black-and-white (mostly with hand-held cameras.) Much of the time we are in cars and hotel rooms, with occasional footage of Bob onstage performing alone with his guitar and harmonica. On a certain level we get a gritty version of the carefree fun of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" - Bob and friends mostly hang around, seemingly without a care in the world, not appreciating how fleeting is this era of anyone's youth. At the same time, Dylan spends much of his time in pointless debates with journalists and others who are hanging around, keeping up a self-centered patter that I trust would embarrass an older man looking back on his cocky youth. It's argument for the sake of argument. His insouciant bravado has always been maddening; Bob shows little of his true self to the public in interviews and encounters, but then...he goes onstage, and those songs speak directly to our hearts, now as then. It's a weird contrast between the backstage kiss-off artist and the onstage genius. However, snatches of the real Dylan do slip through in this footage too. He seems wary and insecure around peers such as Donovan. Before going onstage at the Royal Albert Hall, the man who has just spent a long time telling a reporter that Time magazine is meaningless stops to carefully check himself in the mirror before going on. After the same concert, he seems genuinely upbeat and glad about the performance. In these and a few other glimpses, we see chinks in the armor of the self-conscious rebel, and behold, there is a human being beneath. No wonder the songs are so good. (The sound quality of the live performances isn't great in this film, but then it probably wasn't in real life in those days either.)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
One of the best rock doc's ever April 27 2011
By Stephen Bieth TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have owned this movie in just about every format and it's always a treat to watch. If you are into Bob Dylan you have to own this film. Shot on his 1965 English tour. Even though it was shot on 16mm film it still looks great on Blu Ray (but it does have black bars down the side of the screen). This version does come with the bonus one hour documentary that came with the deluxe DVD but it DOES NOT come with the packaging (ie. The two books). So if your like me you will be holding on to your old one as well. The only new thing on it is an interview with The director. The audio has been upgraded to DTS-HD 2 Chanel audio. but it does not make a huge difference to the sound. Content wise any serious music fan will need to own this. It is the most candid film you will ever see of Dylan and It has some great music. In most case just clips but you get a lot more on the bonus disc (which by the way is a DVD. So do not think this is a Blu Ray / DVD in the sense that you get the movie in both formats just the bonus documentary is the only thing on the DVD. So if you own the DVD Deluxe you might not want to buy this again ( but the Blu Ray does look great). But if you don't have this film at all drop the cash.it's totally worth it.
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Spending some time with Bob Dylan Oct 10 2008
By bernie TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
Many productions you are expecting music and all you get is \people talking about each other and occasionally mentioning the artist. Ties is a great documentary as instead of people talking about each other you get a candid look at the artists, on and off the stage.

I was surprise to see such a young Joan Baez and it was fun to listen to her and Bob singing Hank Williams' songs.

Just as I was about to be disappointed because other than "Subterranean Homesick Blues" I thought we would never get a full song until I realized that there were extras with full track extras:
"It Ain't Me Babe" May 10, 1965
"It's All Over Now"/ "Baby Blue" May 10, 1965
"Love Minus Zero/No Limit" May 9, 1965
"The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll" May 10, 1965
"To Ramona" May 4, 1964

I enjoyed the banter between Terry Ellis (science student) and Bob.
Then if you look quickly you will see Marianne Faithfull Soundtrack (writer: "Witches Song") in the movie "The Craft" (1996).

Now we must say good-by to Bob Dylan's last acoustic tour.

DON'T LOOK BACK

Bob Dylan - No Direction Home
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Most recent customer reviews
Vintage Bob...a classic
It would be impossible for me to say all I wanted about Bob Dylan in a short review, so I will just say I'm a huge fan. Don't Look Back is a classic, a must-have for Dylan fans. Read more
Published on Jun 27 2004
So good it hurts
This film gives the viewer a candid view of an incredibly talented, precocious, irreverent, and actually quite beautiful young Dylan revealed in wonderful concert and... Read more
Published on Jun 14 2004 by E. Karasik
Bob's an ass, but that's ok.
If that's who wrote the songs, then that's who's supposed to 'star' in the movie. {Roger Ebert had to check his archives to see if he orginally noticed what a jerk Dylan was,(he... Read more
Published on Mar 15 2004
A n essential DVD for any Dylan fan
I absolutely loved this DVD, especially since I had read about it a Dylan biography. Joan Baez, Albert Grossman, and Donovan make appearences. Read more
Published on Jan 17 2004 by Dave
Happy About a Green Door.
A previous reviewer wrote, "Often it's best for our heroes to stay away from the camera...[than] our illusions wouldn't be so vulnerable. Read more
Published on Dec 28 2003 by Nobody!
Don't Look Back
This documentary was both enlightening and entertaining. This DVD is a must see for any Dylan fan. Never before had I truly seen Dylan's ferocity and playfulness. Read more
Published on Aug 17 2003
It was such a long time ago
Of course I love Bob Dylan and I have most of his albums and I've even met him. His talent is limitless and far beyond everyone else's. Read more
Published on July 29 2003 by "quicken1"
Wonderful film that will turn you into a Dylan fan
I watched this film after just starting to get turned on to the music of Bob Dylan and was shocked at how good this was. Read more
Published on July 6 2003 by Cynthia L. Banks
nice to own but...
it's not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. The concert footage is brilliant but that makes up only a small part of this doco. Read more
Published on Jun 20 2003 by Steve Good
A Classic Documentary....AND at the same time, a home movie
This documentary was shot during Bob Dylan's tour of England in 1965. At this point, most fans of popular music only knew the name "Bob Dylan" because his music was being re-sung... Read more
Published on May 5 2003 by "shuster"
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