''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. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

and starring Bob Dylan, Sara Dylan 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 mo ...

. Written by Dylan and

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

, 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 The Rolling Thunder Revue was a 1975–76 concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan with numerous musicians and collaborators. The purpose of the tour was to allow Dylan, who was a major recording artist and concert performer, to play ...

tour, the film features appearances and performances by

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...

, Ronee Blakley, T-Bone Burnett,

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

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 Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of th ...

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

Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American rock and roll singer, 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, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

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, Anne Waldman, and Harry Dean Stanton. ''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'', 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, Harry Dean Stanton, Helena Kallianiotes, and Ronee Blakley. Many of the artists performing with the

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 a Black American middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for Murder (United States law), murder, until released following a petition of Habeas corpus in the ...

, the subject of Dylan's song "

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

". 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

, 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, 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 aggregator, 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 ...

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

Cast

as Renaldo * Sara Dylan as Clara *

as Woman in White *

as Bob Dylan * Ronee Blakley as Mrs. Dylan * Jack Elliott as Longheno de Castro * Harry Dean Stanton as Lafkezio * Bob Neuwirth 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 * Helena Kallianiotes as herself * Rubin "Hurricane" Carter as himself * Scarlet Rivera as herself *

as himself * David Blue as himself *

as herself *

Rob Stoner Robert Rothstein (born April 20, 1948), known professionally as Rob Stoner, is an American singer and multi-instrumentalist known for his role as the musical director for three Bob Dylan tours and his contributions to hit albums, including Bob Dy ...

as himself *

Steven Soles Steven Soles is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. Known also as J. Steven Soles, he was asked by Bob Dylan to join the band for his 1975–1976 "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour, he appeared on Dylan's album "Desire" and h ...

as himself *

as Security Guard * Anne Waldman as Sister of Mercy * T-Bone Burnett 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 (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

as Guest Artist *

as himself

Soundtrack

* " When I Paint My Masterpiece" 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" performed by Bob Dylan, Studio Instrumental Rentals, NYC, October 1975 * "

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

" 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" 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 studio album, '' The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' (1963). Its lyrical structure is based ...

" 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" 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 al ...

" 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 Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Danne ...

, 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" 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 "The House of the Rising Sun" is an American traditional folk music, folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children t ...

" 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 "Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger McGuinn), and David Crosby. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Musically influenced by sitar playe ...

" 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" 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 Films about Bob Dylan Films directed by Bob Dylan