Et cetera : What We're Watching: A Complete Unknown

This weekend I saw the new Bob Dylan biopic 'A Complete Unknown,' and to paraphrase a line in the film, it quite nearly knocked me to the ground. I loved it so much I saw it twice, and also enjoyed the live music performed at the Palace on Saturday in between shows.

The film is directed by James Mangold and is based on the book 'Dylan Goes Electric' by Elijah Wald. It spans the first several years of Dylan's musical career, culminating in the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, a festival which celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2024.

I loved Mangold's 'Walk the Line,' but I loved this film in an entirely new way. I've always been a Johnny Cash fan, but after seeing this film I can say I'm a Bob Dylan fan. Timothee Chalamet kills it as Bob Dylan, and Edward Norton gives an incredible performance as Pete Seeger. I read a Variety magazine interview with Norton, and he said it best. 'I think people should just go see it and get lost in it.'

~Kelly Henkle, Library Director