''A Complete Unknown'' is a 2024 American
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
James Mangold
James Allen Mangold (born December 16, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the films '' Cop Land'' (1997), ''Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), '' Walk the Line'' (2005), '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (2007), '' The Wolverine'' (2013) and '' Logan' ...
, who co-wrote the screenplay with
Jay Cocks
John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College.[singer-songwriter
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted ...]
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 ...
. Loosely based on the 2015 book ''Dylan Goes Electric!'' by
Elijah Wald
Elijah Wald (born 1959) is an American folk blues guitarist and music historian. He is a 2002 Grammy Award winner for his liner notes to ''The Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Box: The Journey of Chris Strachwitz''.
Life
Wald was born in 1959 ...
, the film portrays Dylan through his earliest folk music success until the momentous
controversy over his use of electric instruments.
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Hal Chalamet (; ; born December 27, 1995) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three BAFTA Film Awards.
Chalamet began his career as a te ...
(who also produces) stars as Dylan, with
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised ...
,
Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film '' I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, i ...
,
Monica Barbaro
Monica Barbaro (born June 18, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her film roles in '' The Cathedral'' (2021), '' Top Gun: Maverick'' (2022), and ''At Midnight'' (2023). She has also appeared in leading roles in the television series ' ...
,
Boyd Holbrook
Robert Boyd Holbrook (born September 1, 1981) is an American actor. He has starred in the Netflix series ''Narcos'' (2015-2017) as DEA agent Steve Murphy and '' The Sandman'' (2022-) as the Corinthian, as well as in the History miniseries '' Ha ...
,
Dan Fogler
Daniel Kevin Fogler (born October 20, 1976) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He has appeared in films including '' Balls of Fury'', '' Good Luck Chuck'', '' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'', '' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of G ...
,
Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and is one of only nine actors ever to have won the ...
,
Eriko Hatsune
is a Japanese actress. Her career began in 1998, when she appeared in several television commercials.Nippon Cinema
ret ...
,
Big Bill Morganfield
William "Big Bill" Morganfield (born June 19, 1956) is an American blues singer and guitarist, who is the son of legendary McKinley Morganfield, also known as Muddy Waters.
Biography
Morganfield was born in Chicago, Illinois. He had little cont ...
,
Will Harrison, and
Scoot McNairy
John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy (born November 11, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in ''Monsters'', '' Argo'', ''Killing Them Softly'', ''12 Years a Slave'', '' Gone Girl'', and '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of J ...
in supporting roles. The film's title is derived from the chorus of Dylan's 1965 single "
Like a Rolling Stone
"Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 20, 1965, by Columbia Records. Its confrontational lyrics originated in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted fr ...
".
''A Complete Unknown'' premiered at the
Dolby Theatre
The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. ...
in
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 wor ...
on December 10, 2024, and was released in the United States by
Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century Stu ...
on December 25, 2024. The film has grossed $136.8 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics. It was named one of the top-10 films of 2024 by the
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Lead ...
and the
National Board of Review
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
, the latter of which also awarded Fanning
Best Supporting Actress.
The film earned eight nominations at the
97th Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
, including
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
,
Best Director,
Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to th ...
(Chalamet),
Best Supporting Actor (Norton), and
Best Supporting Actress (Barbaro). It also received three nominations at the
82nd Golden Globe Awards
The 82nd Golden Globe Awards was an annual awards ceremony for 2024 in film, excellence in film and 2024 in American television, American television productions of 2024. The winners were revealed during the live telecast, aired on CBS on Januar ...
(including
Best Motion Picture – Drama), four at the
31st Screen Actors Guild Awards (winning
Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to th ...
for Chalamet), and six at the
British Academy Film Awards (including
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...
).
Plot
In 1961,
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 ...
hitchhikes to New York City, seeking to meet his music idol,
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, American socialism and anti-fascism. He ...
, who is dying slowly from
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an uns ...
. Dylan meets Guthrie in the hospital along with his close friend
Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...
. Dylan performs
a song he wrote for Guthrie, impressing the two folk musicians. Pete invites Dylan to stay with his family, slowly introducing the newcomer into New York City's folk scene.
Following a performance by
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 ...
, Pete introduces Dylan at an open microphone night attended by industry executives and manager
Albert Grossman
Albert Bernard Grossman (May 21, 1926 – January 25, 1986) was an American entrepreneur and manager in the American folk music and rock and roll scene. He was famous as the manager of many of the most popular and successful performers of folk and ...
. Dylan flirts with Baez and impresses the crowd, prompting Grossman to take him on as a client on the spot. Dylan begins work on
an album, but is forced by
his label to record mostly covers. The record's sales are poor, frustrating Dylan.
Dylan meets Sylvie Russo at a concert, charming her with his contrarian opinions and tales of working at a carnival. The two begin a relationship and he moves into her apartment. Before leaving on a lengthy school trip to Europe, Sylvie has an argument with Dylan. She is upset by his aloof nature and deliberate attempt to conceal his past from her. Despite this, she encourages him to push for recording his original music. While she is away, Dylan capitalizes on political and social unrest to build a following for his socially conscious songwriting. This draws Baez's attention, and the two begin an affair and artistic collaboration. Sylvie becomes suspicious in seeing Dylan's professional closeness with Baez, and by 1965, Dylan and Sylvie have separated.
Having achieved stardom but not artistic freedom, Dylan laments that he is beholden to the expectations of the industry and the folk music community. A long-awaited tour with Baez ends in disaster; an argument over Dylan's ego, along with Baez's demands that they play his popular songs instead of new material, leads to Dylan walking off stage midperformance.
Dylan's desire to break free of expectations drives him to experiment with electric guitar and rock instruments,
a controversial direction within the folk scene, who overwhelmingly prefer simple acoustic arrangements. Dylan pieces together his band and begins recording ''
Highway 61 Revisited
''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on every ...
.'' Dylan's new direction is especially worrisome for the
Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foc ...
planning committee, who have hired Dylan to headline the 1965 event, but fear he may debut his divisive new sound.
Dylan invites Sylvie along to the festival, hoping to rekindle his relationship with her in the process. She accepts, but upon watching a duet ("
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 ...
") between Baez and him, realizes she will never be comfortable in their relationship, becomes upset, and leaves. Dylan follows her, riding his Triumph to the dock from which she is leaving the island, but does not convince her to stay, and they say goodbye, sharing a last cigarette. The committee attempts to influence Dylan to not go electric, eventually resorting to an impassioned plea from Pete, who reminds Dylan that his own life's work is on the line. An intoxicated
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...
encourages Dylan to play the electric show, and Dylan goes through with his plan. The crowd's reaction is vitriolic, throwing both invective and physical objects at the band. The committee, including Pete, attempts to cut the sound, but is thwarted by Grossman and Pete's wife
Toshi. Dylan initially refuses a request from Pete and the festival organizers to perform a folk song as an encore, but relents when Cash offers him his acoustic guitar.
The next morning, on his way out from Newport, Baez catches Dylan and remarks that he "won", that he finally got the freedom from everyone else that he wanted. Dylan visits Guthrie one last time and listens to a record for
one of Woody's songs before leaving town on his motorcycle.
Cast
Production
Pre-production
In January 2020,
James Mangold
James Allen Mangold (born December 16, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the films '' Cop Land'' (1997), ''Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), '' Walk the Line'' (2005), '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (2007), '' The Wolverine'' (2013) and '' Logan' ...
was announced to be writing and directing a
biopic
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...
about Bob Dylan, specifically centered on the
controversy surrounding his switch to electric guitars, with
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Hal Chalamet (; ; born December 27, 1995) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three BAFTA Film Awards.
Chalamet began his career as a te ...
cast as Dylan. At this time, the film was referred to as ''Going Electric''.
By October, cinematographer
Phedon Papamichael
Phedon Papamichael, ASC ( el, Φαίδων Παπαμιχαήλ, ''Faidon Papamihail''; born 10 February 1962) is a Greek cinematographer and film director, known for his collaborations with directors James Mangold, Alexander Payne and Wim Wender ...
stated that the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
had put the project into doubt.
Nevertheless, Chalamet learned to play the guitar and harmonica, and spent time researching Dylan during the pandemic, visiting the former homes of Dylan in New York City and consulting director
Joel Coen
Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...
during this time.
Mangold had also met with Dylan several times about the film, and stated that he annotated the script while also providing notes to Chalamet.
The finished script was partly based on
Elijah Wald
Elijah Wald (born 1959) is an American folk blues guitarist and music historian. He is a 2002 Grammy Award winner for his liner notes to ''The Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Box: The Journey of Chris Strachwitz''.
Life
Wald was born in 1959 ...
's book ''Dylan Goes Electric!'' as well as on Mangold's talk with Dylan,
and Dylan himself also added lines and a scene to the film.
In an October 2023 interview, Chalamet stated he was working with the same team of vocal and movement coaches that worked with
Austin Butler
Austin Robert Butler (born August 17, 1991) is an American actor. He began his career on television, first in roles on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and later on teen dramas, including recurring parts on The CW's ''Life Unexpected'' (2010 ...
for his performance in ''
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
'' (2022).
In November 2022, Chalamet stated he was still attached to the film and actively preparing for it, the project having gained momentum again after stalling.
In February 2023, the film was officially titled ''A Complete Unknown'' and Mangold was to begin work on the project following his obligations to ''
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' is an upcoming American action adventure film starring Harrison Ford as archaeologist Indiana Jones in the fifth installment of the ''Indiana Jones'' film series, following '' Indiana Jones and the Ki ...
'' (2023).
Monica Barbaro
Monica Barbaro (born June 18, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her film roles in '' The Cathedral'' (2021), '' Top Gun: Maverick'' (2022), and ''At Midnight'' (2023). She has also appeared in leading roles in the television series ' ...
would enter final negotiations to portray Joan Baez in April.
In May,
Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film '' I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, i ...
was cast to play Sylvie Russo,
a character based on
Suze Rotolo
Susan Elizabeth Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 25, 2011),''The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'', 2006, pp. 592–594, Michael Gray, Continuum known as Suze Rotolo ( ), was an American artist, and the girlfriend of Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1964. ...
,
with Mangold announcing
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a British Aca ...
would be portraying Pete Seeger in the film.
Barbaro would also be confirmed for her role, beginning singing and guitar lessons to prepare.
Mangold stated in July that the film was not necessarily focused on being a Dylan biopic, but an
ensemble drama in the vein of
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
.
Boyd Holbrook
Robert Boyd Holbrook (born September 1, 1981) is an American actor. He has starred in the Netflix series ''Narcos'' (2015-2017) as DEA agent Steve Murphy and '' The Sandman'' (2022-) as the Corinthian, as well as in the History miniseries '' Ha ...
and
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
would also join the cast at that time, though Offerman was later replaced by Norbert Leo Butz.
In October,
P. J. Byrne
Paul Jeffrey Byrne (born December 15, 1974) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the Martin Scorsese film '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) and Bolin on Nickelodeon's animated s ...
was noted as being cast.
Holbrook appeared as Johnny Cash, whose life story had previously been told by Mangold in ''
Walk the Line
''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' Ma ...
'' (2005) with
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acad ...
in the role; Mangold admitted to casting Holbrook due to their past collaborations and feeling the film could reveal another side of Cash's life, as his previous biopic focused on his
origin story
In entertainment, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist, and it adds to the overall interest and complexity of a narrative, often giving reasons for their inten ...
. In January 2024,
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised ...
was revealed to portray the role of Seeger, replacing Cumberbatch, who left due to scheduling issues.
Additional casting was announced in March.
Filming
In April 2023, Mangold stated that
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
would likely begin in August 2023 in New York City and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
but filming was postponed in July due to the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) was on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Produce ...
.
By early 2024, filming was scheduled to begin in late March 2024, and was expected to occur throughout
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, with scenes set in New York City being filmed in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark, New Jersey, Newark. and
Hoboken
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...
.
Filming began on March 16.
Production wrapped by late June 2024.
Norton said that during the three months of principal photography, Chalamet was "relentless" in staying immersed in his role as Dylan, not having contact with friends or visitors on set.
Chalamet was often referred to as "Bob" on set by Mangold and was listed as "Bob Dylan" on the set
call sheet
Daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for the schedule supervised by the assistant director and crafted by the 2nd assistant director, using the director's shot list, the production schedule and other logistics considerations. It is issued to the ...
.
Chalamet abstained from cell phone use allowing him to fully engage in the character without modern distraction.
Music
According to producer
Fred Berger, Chalamet sang 40 Dylan songs in the film while also playing guitars and
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...
s. All performances were recorded live while filming; Barbaro, Norton, and Holbrook sang and played their own instruments.
Sound engineer
Tod Maitland revealed that recording was done with period-appropriate microphones and instruments and without the use of
earpiece
In-ear monitors (IEMs) are devices used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music or to hear a personal mix of vocals and stage instrumentation for live performance or recording studio mixing. They are also used by telev ...
s.
Recording for the film occurred at
The Village and
Sunset Sound
Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spri ...
in Los Angeles.
The music production team had access to almost 16 hours of unreleased Dylan recordings and old
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
notes, which included lists of vintage microphones the artist used. The team collaborated with
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gibso ...
, which lent them archival guitars and made recreations, including two custom
J-50
Scarlet, also named J50, was a juvenile female member of the endangered Southern Resident Orca group in Puget Sound, Washington. She was born near South Pender Island, British Columbia around Christmas Day, 2014. In late June, 2018, Scarlet appear ...
's.
The
soundtrack album for ''A Complete Unknown'' was released on December 20, 2024, through
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. It is scheduled for release on physical formats in 2025; a vinyl edition featuring 16 tracks was released on January 24, while the CD with 23 tracks is scheduled for February 28.
Two songs from the soundtrack were released on December 4, 2024: "
Like a Rolling Stone
"Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 20, 1965, by Columbia Records. Its confrontational lyrics originated in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted fr ...
" by Chalamet and "
Girl from the North Country
"Girl from the North Country" (occasionally known as "Girl ''of'' the North Country") is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City in April 1963, and released the following month as the second tra ...
" by Chalamet and Barbaro. "
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 afte ...
" has been confirmed as a track on the album, which also includes performances from Norton and Holbrook.
The album's track listing also includes "Highway 61 Revisited", "
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album ''Bringing It All Back Home''. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been include ...
", "I Was Young When I Left Home", "
Subterranean Homesick Blues
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded on January 14, 1965, and released as a single by Columbia Records, catalogue number 43242, on March 8. It was the lead track on the album ''Bringing It All Back Home'', released some ...
", and "
The Times They Are a-Changin'.
The film additionally features a performance of "
Song to Woody
"Song to Woody" was written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and released on his debut album, '' Bob Dylan,'' in 1962. The song conveys Dylan's appreciation of American folk legend Woody Guthrie. The song is one of two original compositi ...
".
Biographical accuracy
''A Complete Unknown'' is a fictionalized account of Bob Dylan's life covering the period from the time of his arrival in New York in 1961 to the 1965
Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foc ...
. The timeline of events have been compressed or altered, events amalgamated or invented, and individuals known to have been important to Dylan in this period including his future wife
Sara Lownds
Sara may refer to:
Arts, media and entertainment Film and television
* ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui
* ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda
* ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...
have been omitted, while some characters are inventions.
Dylan himself was revealed to have added at least one unspecified "totally inaccurate" scene into the film.
A major character is introduced as Sylvie Russo, but is actually based on
Suze Rotolo
Susan Elizabeth Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 25, 2011),''The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'', 2006, pp. 592–594, Michael Gray, Continuum known as Suze Rotolo ( ), was an American artist, and the girlfriend of Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1964. ...
as Dylan requested that the film not use her real identity. Angie Martoccio of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' described the Russo character as "Rotolo in all but name." A number of scenes with her are not based on facts, for example Rotolo did not attend the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as she had already long broken up with Dylan.
Similarly, a number of scenes depicting Dylan's relationship with Joan Baez are not factual; for example their relationship did not begin during the 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the Unite ...
, but a year later. They also broke up just before the 1965 Newport Festival.
Early in the film, Dylan is shown to have first met
Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...
and
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, American socialism and anti-fascism. He ...
in a hospital in New York. This did not happen;
Dylan first met Guthrie in New Jersey (but did later visit Guthrie many times at the hospital), and Seeger first met Dylan in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
.
Dylan also did not appear in Pete Seeger's TV show,
and the bluesman Jesse Moffette is an invention. It is true that
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...
and Dylan were long time pen pals, although Cash was not present at the 1965 festival as depicted in the film, but he did give Dylan his guitar the previous year. The climactic scene of his
controversial permanance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where someone shouted "Judas!" actually came from a
concert in Manchester, England in 1966.
The scene where Seeger considered using an ax to cut the cables is a recognition of a legend and not actual fact.
The director Mangold said that the film is "not a Wikipedia entry" and that he did not "feel a fealty to a documentary level of facts".
Mangold also said that "It's not really a Bob Dylan biopic. It’s a kind of ensemble piece about this moment in time in the early ’60s in New York … and this wanderer who comes in from Minnesota with a fresh name and a fresh outlook on life
ndbecomes a star."
Release
The film premiered at the
Dolby Theatre
The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. ...
in Hollywood on December 10, 2024. It was released by
Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century Stu ...
in the United States on December 25, 2024, and was then released in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
on January 17, 2025. During its first weekend in UK and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the film would top the box office. The film would also have a limited
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graem ...
engagement beginning January 3, 2025.
It was featured in the Limelight section of the
54th International Film Festival Rotterdam
54 may refer to:
* 54 (number)
* one of the years 54 BC, AD 54, 1954, 2054
* ''54'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Wu Ming
* Studio 54, a New York City nightclub from 1977 until 1981
* ''54'' (film), a 1998 American drama film about the club
* '' ...
to be screened in February 2025.
The film had its theatrical preview in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
on January 15, 2025. It was released in the rest of France on January 29, 2025.
Marketing
To promote the film,
Levi's
Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, ...
announced a capsule collection inspired by Dylan, who often wore the brand's garments during the period reflected in the film. Costume designer
Arianne Phillips
Arianne Phillips (born April 26, 1963) is an American costume designer. Phillips was recognized for her work on the Broadway musical ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', starring Neil Patrick Harris, earning her a Tony award nomination for Best Cos ...
worked with design director Paul O'Neill on the research, and sourcing of Levi's pieces, to recreate the original outfits worn by Dylan. The guitar company Gibson, from which Dylan sourced most of his instruments, also announced a collection inspired by guitars placed in the movie.
Reception
Box office
, ''A Complete Unknown'' has grossed $75 million in the United States and Canada, and $61.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $136.8 million.
In the United States and Canada, ''A Complete Unknown'' was released alongside ''
Nosferatu
''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ( ...
'', ''
Babygirl
''Babygirl'' is a 2024 American erotic thriller film written, directed, and co-produced by Halina Reijn. It stars Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, and Antonio Banderas.
The film debuted on August 30, 2024, at the 81st Venice ...
'', and ''
The Fire Inside
''The Fire Inside'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. The album was released in mid 1991 on the record label, Capitol. It was Seger's first album of entirely new music since ''Like a Rock'' in 1986. Though ...
'', and was projected to gross around $15 million from 2,835 theaters in its five-day opening weekend.
The film made $7.2 million on its
first day (including $1.4 million from
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipati ...
previews), and then $4.4 million on its second. It went on to debut to a total of $23.2 million over the five days (including $11.7 million in its three-day opening weekend), beating projections and finishing in sixth.
In its second weekend, the film made $8.2 million, bringing its box office total to $41.8 million to surpass ''
The Menu'' as the highest-grossing Searchlight title domestically after
Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. The film made a respective $5.1 million, $3.7 million, and $3.1 million in its third, fourth, and fifth weekends.
Critical response
Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by
PostTrak
PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios.
History
The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...
gave it a 93% overall positive score, with 76% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.
In a review for ''
RogerEbert.com
''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...
'', Brian Tallerico awarded the film 3-1/2 out of 4 stars. He praised the "solid performances, unshowy direction, and organic editing".
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''.
Early life and education
Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...
of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' similarly praised the performances and gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, calling Chalamet "hypnotic" as Dylan. Writing for ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'',
Kyle Smith also applauded Chalamet's ability to capture different facets of Dylan's personality, including the songwriter's "supercilious air" and his creative genius. Smith especially liked the duet of the song "
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 ...
" between
Monica Barbaro
Monica Barbaro (born June 18, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her film roles in '' The Cathedral'' (2021), '' Top Gun: Maverick'' (2022), and ''At Midnight'' (2023). She has also appeared in leading roles in the television series ' ...
(as
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 ...
) and Chalamet, describing it "as spectacular". Filmmakers
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sca ...
,
William Goldenberg
William Goldenberg (born November 2, 1959) is an American film editor. He has more than twenty film and television credits since 1992. He won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the film '' Argo'' (2012), and has been nominated for '' The ...
, and
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first received widespread recognition through his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collabo ...
also praised the film.
In a mixed review, John Nugent of ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. While he praised the performances, Nugent disliked that the movie "plays it safe" and "struggles to find something fresh to say". A negative review from
Richard Brody
Richard Brody (born 1958) is an American film critic who has written for ''The New Yorker'' since 1999.
Education
Brody grew up in Roslyn, New York, and attended Princeton University, receiving a B.A. in comparative literature in 1980. He fir ...
of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'' viewed the movie as a hollow representation of Dylan's career, writing: "The movie offers answers that range from empty to artificial, leaving out the practicalities and manipulating dates and names in order to center the drama on a small number of personalities". In another negative review for ''
The Forward
''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...
'', Seth Rogovoy expresses dislike for the film as a "conventional Hollywood biopic", criticizing the direction as a "mainstream route", "offering a superficial, simplified gloss on this remarkable story", as well as criticizing the historical inaccuracy and contrasting the film's approach with documentary films such as ''
Dont Look Back
'' Look Back'' is a 1967 American documentary film directed by D. A. Pennebaker that covers Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in England.
In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library o ...
'' in capturing Dylan's persona.
Accolades
Notes
See also
* ''
No Direction Home
''No Direction Home: Bob Dylan'' is a 2005 documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th-century American popular music and culture. The film focuses on the period between Dylan's arrival in New ...
'', a 2005 documentary film about Bob Dylan, his emergence in the Greenwich Village folk scene, and his transition to electric music, directed by
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
.
* ''
I'm Not There
''I'm Not There'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, and co-written by Haynes and Oren Moverman. It is an unconventional biographical film inspired by the life and music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors depi ...
'', a 2007 experimental biopic inspired by the life of Bob Dylan, directed by
Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...
.
* ''
Inside Llewyn Davis
''Inside Llewyn Davis'' () is a 2013 period black comedy musical drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1961, the film follows one week in the life of Llewyn Davis, played by Oscar Isaac in his breakt ...
'', a 2013
Coen brothers
Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...
film inspired by
Dave Van Ronk
David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Mac ...
's memoir, ''The Mayor of MacDougal Street''. The film follows a fictional week in the life of a struggling New York City folk singer in 1961, leading up to Dylan's historic debut at
The Gaslight Cafe
The Gaslight Cafe was a coffeehouse in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Also known as The Village Gaslight, it opened in 1958 and became notable as a venue for folk music and other musical acts.Al AronowitzThe Gaslight, ...
.
References
External links
*
Official Screenplay
{{DEFAULTSORT:Complete Unknown, A
2024 films
2024 biographical drama films
2024 musical films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
2020s historical drama films
2020s musical drama films
American biographical drama films
American historical drama films
American musical drama films
American rock music films
Biographical films about musicians
Cultural depictions of Bob Dylan
Cultural depictions of Johnny Cash
Cultural depictions of Woody Guthrie
English-language biographical drama films
English-language historical drama films
English-language musical drama films
Films about Bob Dylan
Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Films based on non-fiction books
Films directed by James Mangold
Films produced by James Mangold
Films set in 1961
Films set in 1965
Films set in New York City
Films set in Rhode Island
Films set in the 1960s
Films shot in New Jersey
Films shot in New York City
Films with screenplays by James Mangold
Films with screenplays by Jay Cocks
IMAX films
Searchlight Pictures films