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Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown has gained positive feedback from critics like David Fear from Rolling Stone but like many other biopics some facts and key elements have been left out or shifted for creative liberties. The film is based on the book Dylan Goes Electric! which has its source on Dylan’s controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival which showcases his mercurial personality. Bob Dylan has been very influential and worked directly in tandem with director James Mangold adding some fabrications into story to further his mystique.
A Complete Unknown takes inspiration from the 2015 book by Elijah Wald titled Dylan Goes Electric! which shows Bob Dylan’s switch from acoustic to electric performances at Newport Folk Festival. The book gives deep background on Bob Dylan’s pivotal 1965 Newport Folk Festival appearance when Bob Dylan shocked audiences with electric guitar and an amplified band in stark opposition to his prior politically driven acoustic folk performances. Wald’s book goes deep into why this moment caused such shock among all fans with many details about event before after effects of changing Dylan’s image for music .
Bob Dylan's 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back directed by D. A. Pennebaker provides another view of that era, an intimate portrayal during the very time A Complete Unknown depicts. This movie shows the period when A Complete Unknown takes place and can be found streaming on Max and Hulu platforms. The Criterion collection also distributes the documentary on Blu-ray or DVD providing fans several ways to view the film showcasing Bob Dylan's personality during his iconic 1965 tour.
Martin Scorsese known for directing numerous movies focusing on music such as The Last Waltz (about The Band which was Dylan’s backing band during his electric era ) made two documentaries covering Bob Dylan. No Direction Home released in 2005 focuses on Dylan’s era same as in A Complete Unknown and they both pull title names from song “ Like a Rolling Stone ". The other is the Netflix streaming movie called Rolling Thunder Revue which Scorsese made in 2019. No Direction Home cannot be accessed through typical streaming services however can be found on Quello Concerts with an accessible free trial to subscribers along with a free standing trial.
The 1967 film titled Festival takes viewers on a trip through time using the Newport Folk Festivals during 1963 and 1966 giving insight on Bob Dylan’s 1965 show and it's deep impact on fans . Festival showcases performances of multiple musicians that were in the movie such as Pete Seeger along with Joan Baez showing their own individual sets in the documentary. The Criterion collection also distributes this film so more people can learn about the iconic performances which further shows many artists who performed during Dylan's time.
Todd Haynes directs the 2007 film I’m Not There offering a unique non-traditional experimental telling Bob Dylan's life showcasing six different actors each acting out a character from the different parts of Bob Dylan’s musical career. I'm Not There stars Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger as characters inspired by Dylan's work with multiple streaming options offered such as on Prime Kanopy or Pluto demonstrating creative approaches to story-telling of one man's varied life experiences. I’m Not There allows audiences a creative view to understanding complex facets of his unique musical identity.
A Complete Unknown highlights some fabrications due to creative decisions from Bob Dylan to add interesting narratives to already well-documented events that may continue to shape Dylan’s mythical persona that his musical life has built across all the past years that he’s been active as musical artist .