Don't Look Back, DVD of 1965

I found this DVD in my local Hollywood Video store, not under music but Special Interest. If only they moved it to the Music section, more people would rent it. I only found it by accident! Until then, I didn't even know they had a special interest section. By contrast, as a music fan, I scan the Music section like a hawk.

It is a documentary of his 1965 tour of England. It's shot in Black and White, 90% documentary and 10% music performance. Bob Dylan only came to New York in 1961. In ENgland, he's still in his early twenties and looks it. The persona shown is exactly the one described by himself in his autobiography, Chronicles, Volume 1. It is a characterization of someone who is very sure of himself, but lacking a supply of life experiences to draw wisdom and maturity from.

I found the DVD to be an interesting picture of England and the folk music scene in in 1965. The "Beatnik" influence is still around. We see Bob and a few people standing around him snapping their fingers melodramically to the sound of someone playing jazz piano. This is post Beatles, mind you. Donovan is a big star over there, and they talk about him alot. The interest in American music by people from other countries and cultures fascinates me.

I was most impressed by sequences of Bob Dylan trying to write songs, or at least transpose them from handwritten to typed pages, in the midst of a hotel room full of people kibitzing, playing guitars, and soaking up the aura. It showed Bob's single minded dedication and persistence in his craft. We should all be so driven.

Objectively, its a dull film, but for true Dylan fans, it is a must see. Go see it!