{"id":1949,"date":"2008-07-14T15:51:54","date_gmt":"2008-07-14T14:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=1949"},"modified":"2008-07-14T15:51:54","modified_gmt":"2008-07-14T14:51:54","slug":"dvd-pick-im-not-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2008\/07\/14\/dvd-pick-im-not-there\/","title":{"rendered":"DVD Pick: I’m Not There"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I’m Not There<\/a> <\/strong>was an audacious and brilliantly executed examination of the life and music of Bob Dylan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Writer-director Todd Haynes<\/a> inverted the usual music biopic formula by having six different actors play a version of the enigmatic singer-songwriter.<\/p>\n

Marcus Carl Franklin<\/a>, Ben Whishaw<\/a>, Christian Bale<\/a>, Cate Blanchett<\/a>, Richard Gere<\/a> and Heath Ledger<\/a> all play characters based on Dylan and the film is a patchwork of different stories based on chapters of his life.<\/p>\n

Franklin is the young guitar player, Wishaw the budding poet, Bale the folk icon (and later the born again Christian), Blanchett the iconic 60s rock star, Gere the actor on a Western and Ledger the disillusioned 70s celebrity.<\/p>\n

Although this approach might seem a little esoteric it has the effect of tapping right into the themes and brilliance of Dylan’s music, which is plastered all over the film.<\/p>\n

The performances are excellent with Blanchett in particular standing out as arguably the most famous version of Dylan – the jaded, chain smoking iconoclast familiar to viewers of D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most poignant section, given his untimely death in January<\/a>, is the section with Heath Ledger portraying the Blood on the Tracks<\/a>-era Dylan. He again demonstrates what a fine actor he could be given the right role.<\/p>\n

The soundtrack<\/a> is also similarly inventive, with the likes of Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, The Hold Steady and Antony & The Johnsons all contributing cover versions of Dylan songs. It also features a previously unreleased Dylan recording of the title track ‘I\u2019m Not There’.<\/p>\n

The DVD includes over one hour of special features, including a tribute to the late Ledger, a conversation with the director and a look at the making of the soundtrack.<\/p>\n

They include:<\/p>\n