''Renaldo and Clara'' is a 1978 American film directed by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and starring Bob Dylan,

Sara Dylan Sara Dylan (born Shirley Marlin Noznisky; October 28, 1939) is an American former actress and model who was the first wife of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In 1959, Noznisky was wed to magazine photographer Hans Lownds, during which time she was ...

and

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

. Written by Dylan and

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

, the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, and dramatic fictional vignettes reflective of Dylan's song lyrics and life. Filmed in the fall of 1975 prior to and during Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour, the film features appearances and performances by Ronee Blakley,

T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in fil ...

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...

Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

, Arlen Roth, Sam Shepard, and

Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...

. ''Renaldo and Clara'' was released in its original four-hour form on January 25, 1978 in the United States. Its limited release in theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, and other cities was discontinued after a few weeks following widespread negative reviews.

Production

''Renaldo and Clara'' was influenced by the French film ''

Les Enfants du Paradis ''Children of Paradise'' (original French title: ''Les Enfants du Paradis'') is a two-part French romantic drama film by Marcel Carné, produced under war conditions in 1943, 1944, and early 1945 in both Vichy France and Occupied France. Set ...

'', and was written by Dylan. Most of the performers are musicians or members of Dylan's inner circle; the only professional actors in the cast are Sam Shepard,

Helena Kallianiotes Helena Kallianiotes (born March 24, 1938) is a Greek-American film actress. In 1973, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her role as Jackie Burdette in ''Kansas City Bomber''. Career o ...

, and Ronee Blakley. Many of the artists performing with the Rolling Thunder Revue are featured in the film, which also includes clips of concert performances and footage of

Rubin Carter Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (May 6, 1937 – April 20, 2014) was an American-Canadian middleweight boxer, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for murder, until released following a petition of habeas corpus after almost 20 years in prison. In ...

, the subject of Dylan's song "

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...

". The film also features an appearance from the musician, David Blue, who gives some insight into the 1960s New York City folk music scene while playing a game of

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

. The machine was a Big Valley, built by Bally in 1970. The film also contains the last known footage of

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

, who is shown preparing to take the stage at Folk City in October 1975; he committed suicide six months later.

Reception

Upon its theatrical release in 1978, ''Renaldo and Clara'' received poor reviews, and, after opening in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, its initial limited theatrical run was discontinued after a few weeks. The film was also shown in a film theatre in Hampstead, London, in a film theatre in Rialto, Dublin and in the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May 1979. Later in 1978, Dylan allowed a two-hour edit of the film to be distributed. The shortened version focused more on the concert footage and omitted many of the dramatic scenes. After a small number of showings of the original version on European television, Dylan withdrew the film from distribution. It was shown in two parts 7–8 July 1980 on German television ZDF; on Finnish television 28 August 1982; 26 December 1983 (Boxing Day) on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The 4-hour version was also shown 29 May 2011 at the Glasgow Film Theatre.

Legacy

Copies, made from recordings of the television broadcast, circulate among collectors. The only parts of the project to be released widely since its withdrawal are the excerpts found on the bonus DVD accompanying the initial release of Dylan's '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue'' and in footage that was repurposed for the 2019 pseudo-documentary '' Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese''. Footage from the film also appeared in the music video of Dylan's 1991 song " Series of Dreams". As of 2021, the film has a

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

score of 38% based on eight critic reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10.

Cast

as Renaldo *

as Clara *

as Woman in White *

as Bob Dylan * Ronee Blakley as Mrs. Dylan * Jack Elliott as Longheno de Castro *

as Lafkezio *

Bob Neuwirth Robert John Neuwirth (June 20, 1939May 18, 2022) was an American folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and visual artist. He was noted for being the road manager and associate of Bob Dylan, as well as the co-writer of Janis Joplin's hit ...

as The Masked Tortilla *

as The Father *

David Mansfield David Mansfield (born September 13, 1956) is an American musician and composer. Mansfield was raised in Leonia, New Jersey. His father, Newton Mansfield was a first violinist in the New York Philharmonic. David played guitar, pedal steel guita ...

as The Son *

as Herself * Rubin "Hurricane" Carter as Himself * Scarlet Rivera as Herself *

as Himself * David Blue as Himself *

as Herself *

Rob Stoner Robert David Rothstein (April 20, 1948, Manhattan, New York, United States), better known as Rob Stoner, is an American multi-instrumental musician. Early life His father, Arthur Rothstein, (July 17, 1915 in New York City – November 11, 1985 i ...

as Himself * Steven Soles as Himself *

as Security Guard *

Anne Waldman Anne Waldman (born April 2, 1945) is an American poet. Since the 1960s, Waldman has been an active member of the Outrider experimental poetry community as a writer, performer, collaborator, professor, editor, scholar, and cultural/political activ ...

as Sister of Mercy *

as The Inner Voice * Larry Sloman as Newspaper Man *

as Rodeo * Howie Wyeth as Himself * Arlen Roth as Himself *

as Mandolin Player *

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " W ...

as Guest Artist *

as Himself

Soundtrack

* "

When I Paint My Masterpiece "When I Paint My Masterpiece" is a 1971 song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released by The Band, who recorded the song for their album '' Cahoots'', released on September 15, 1971. Background Dylan himself first recorded the song at New Y ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, War Memorial Coliseum, Plymouth, MA, October 31, 1975 * "Mississippi Blues" performed by Bob Dylan, Gas Station, Augusta, ME, November 25, 1975 * "

Kaw-Liga "Kaw-Liga" ( ) is a country music song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose. Background "Kaw-Liga" is one of just a handful of songs that Williams wrote with Fred Rose, who produced his records and published his songs through his company A ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Montreal Forum, December 4, 1975 * " Ballad in Plain D" performed by Gordon Lightfoot, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "

In the Pines "In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back ...

" performed by Ronnie Hawkins * "

A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is a song written by American musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962 and recorded later that year for his second album, ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' (1963). Its lyrical structure is modeled after ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Montreal Forum, December 4, 1975 * " Nurse's Song" performed by Allen Ginsberg, Gerdes Folk City, NYC, October 23, 1975 * "

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the '' People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * " I Want You" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "Need a New Sun Rising" performed by Ronee Blakley * "Mama's Lament" performed by Mama Maria Frasca, Dreamaway Lounge, Becket, MA, November 7, 1975 * "God and Mama" performed by Mama Maria Frasca, Dreamaway Lounge, Becket, MA, November 7, 1975 * "Salt Pork, West Virginia" performed by Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Seacrest Motel, Falmouth, MA October 29, 1975 * "

Mule Skinner Blues "Blue Yodel no. 8, Mule Skinner Blues" (a.k.a. "Muleskinner Blues", and "Muleskinner's Blues") is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers. The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, a ...

" performed by Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Seacrest Motel, Falmouth, MA October 29, 1975 * "What Will You Do When Jesus Comes" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "Little Moses" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "

It Ain't Me Babe "It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the albu ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 20, 1975 * "

Knockin' on Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Clinton Correctional Facility, Clinton, NJ, December 7, 1975 * "

" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * " She Belongs to Me" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "Catfish" performed by Rob Stoner * " It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" performed by Bob Dylan, Boston Music Hall, November 21, 1975 (evening show) * "Longheno de Castro" performed by Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Gerdes Folk City, NYC, October 23, 1975 * "

Diamonds & Rust ''Diamonds & Rust'' is the sixteenth studio album (and eighteenth overall) by American singer-songwriter Joan Baez, released in 1975. The album covered songs written or played by Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, The Allman Brothers, Jackson Browne and ...

" performed by Joan Baez * " If You See Her, Say Hello" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "Romance in Durango" performed by Bob Dylan, Montreal Forum, December 4, 1975 * "

One Too Many Mornings "One Too Many Mornings" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. The chords and vocal melody are in some places very similar to the song " The Times They Are A-Changin'". "One Too Many ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * " The House of the Rising Sun" performed by Bob Dylan and Rob Stoner, Hotel Room, Quebec, November 28, 1975 * "One More Cup of Coffee" performed by Bob Dylan, Montreal Forum, December 4, 1975 * " Eight Miles High" performed by Roger McGuinn * " Chestnut Mare" performed by Roger McGuinn * "Sara" performed by Bob Dylan, Montreal Forum, December 4, 1975 * " The Water Is Wide" performed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT, November 11, 1975 * "Patty’s Gone to Laredo" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * " Suzanne" performed by Joan Baez * "Never Let Me Go" performed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, Montreal Forum, December 4, 1975 * " Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "

Tangled Up in Blue "Tangled Up in Blue" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the opening track on his 15th studio album ''Blood on the Tracks'' (1975). The song was written by Dylan and produced by David Zimmerman, Dylan's brot ...

" performed by Bob Dylan, Boston Music Hall, November 21, 1975 (evening show) * "Just Like a Woman" performed by Bob Dylan, Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 20, 1975 * "

" performed by Bob Dylan, Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 20, 1975 * "In the Morning" performed by Hal Frazier, Seacrest Motel, Falmouth, MA, October 29, 1975

References

External links

* * *
''Renaldo and Clara'': a synopsis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renaldo And Clara 1970s American films 1970s English-language films 1978 films American avant-garde and experimental films Fictional couples Films about Bob Dylan Films directed by Bob Dylan