Watch Don't Look Back For Free

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Excellent, a Must See

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Filmed in 1965, this documentary follows Dylan and his entourage on his British tour. There are some concert scenes that give a feel for his performance persona. There are scenes of his manager and British agents making deals for him to appear at various venues. But most of the film concerns Dylan backstage.Shot in black and white, the film shows Dylan to be very mercurial. He is at times charming, communicative and seemingly open about his feelings. Other times--in fact most of the time--he is confrontational, condescending and self-contradictory. He is about 24 years old and these scenes remind me of discussions I had when I was that age with other college students. His arguments are circular, as if he enjoys arguing more than he enjoys communicating. He embraces the poet's privilege of not explaining the meaning of his lyrics (which is fine). One gets the feeling that he is tired of dealing with the media and others who want to pick his brain. Why did he give them audience, then? On the other hand, he is generous with fans who have no questions for him, merely seeking his presence or a glimpse of the man.While some of his songs do seem somewhat shallow, others are undeniably deep with meaning about issues that are very timely. Regardless, his songs often have a hypnotic effect, with their sing-song cadences. This film might raise more questions than it answers, but it is fun to watch. The presence of Joan Baez is a plus. Her voice was always special. We don't see much of her, but enough to see her react to teasing and to make silly faces in return.Dylan's songs feel mostly declarative. They are assertions and observations. They usually don't extract the emotional responses of, say, Joni Mitchell, who invites listeners to her inner world. Dylan asks his listeners to regard the outside world with him.

9/6/17. If you like Bob Dylan you will love this. If you don't know who Bob Dylan is you should watch this. This documentary provides a behind- the-scenes look at this iconic balladeer. He was the voice for a whole generation - the Baby Boomers. But, his songs and lyrics still resonate today.

Although Dylan, on the whole, still scares me somewhat, and I can't still quite get into his music, I do like D.A. Pennebaker quite a lot, and decided to finally see this. Much like my favorite "concert" film of all time, Depeche Mode 101, Pennebaker doesn't really focus on the music (in this case, Dylan was on tour of England at the time), but focuses on the inner-workings of the tour, and most importantly, on the man himself. Dylan doesn't hold back, and seems comfortable with the camera in front of him as he goes with the day to day operations of being Bob Dylan. There are some nuggets here, Dylan's feelings about Donovan, Dylan gets into a loud argument with an unidentified person about throwing a glass off the hotel balcony. And you also get to see a lot of Joan Baez. Ack. lol. What I dug about this is the whole 60'sness of it all, look at the kids arriving to the concert in their shirts and ties! Such well mannered blokes! Fun film that I wouldn't mind seeing again,

Too bad this dreadful documentary didn't show a lot more of young Joan Baez and a lot less of Bob Dylan. Baez casually and unselfconsciously sings a couple of songs, relaxed, strumming her own guitar and reminding us of what a miraculous voice she had as a youngster. Bob Dylan, the star of the film, reminds us -- unfortunately -- that while he is a brilliant writer of songs and music, he had a voice like chalk on a black board and a manner that was thoroughly obnoxious. While he may have been joshing several of his interlocutors, the conversations had a distinctly unpleasant and confrontational tone and displayed Dylan at his absolute worst as a human being. One can forgive him his youth but his exaggerated opinion of himself and his hostility toward people just trying to do their jobs are disagreeable in all respects. Since Dylan's manager was involved in producing the film and it clearly had Dylan's blessing, it's evident that they were oblivious to the impression it leaves of Dylan as a callow youth with no interest in anyone other than himself and his crew of friends and supporters.