Watch Dont Look Back
- NR
- 1967
- 1 hr 36 min
-
7.9 (10,111)
Don't Look Back is a documentary film from 1967 that captures the life and spirit of musician Bob Dylan during an important phase of his career. Directed by D. A. Pennebaker, the film follows Dylan's 1965 concert tour in the United Kingdom and includes interviews, concert footage, and scenes from the artist's personal life. The film begins with Dylan arriving in London for the start of his tour, surrounded by fans and reporters eager to talk to him. Throughout the documentary, we see footage of Dylan performing some of his most famous songs, including "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Maggie's Farm," and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." The concert footage is raw and powerful, showcasing Dylan's unique energy as a performer.
In addition to the concert footage, Don't Look Back also features interviews with Dylan and those close to him. We see him being interviewed by journalists who ask him about his music and his place in the industry. Dylan's answers are often cryptic and evasive, but they give us an insight into his creative process and the way he thinks about his work.
One of the most memorable scenes in the film features Dylan and his entourage staying in a hotel room, where they are visited by the poet Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg reads some of his poetry to Dylan, who seems uninterested and distracted. It's an awkward and uncomfortable moment, but it also speaks to the tension between different artistic movements in the mid-60s.
Throughout the documentary, we also see glimpses of Dylan's personal life, although these moments are few and far between. We see him with his then-girlfriend, Joan Baez, and we get a sense of the intense relationship between the two musicians. We also see Dylan writing and recording new songs, including "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," which is played over the film's closing credits.
One of the things that makes Don't Look Back so compelling is the way it captures the spirit of the mid-60s, a time of social and cultural upheaval. Dylan's music was a big part of that movement, and the film shows him as an artist who is both deeply engaged with the world around him and also somewhat removed from it. He's a poet and a troubadour, but he's also an enigma.
The film also serves as a document of a particular moment in Dylan's career. In 1965, he was already a star, but he was still young and hungry, still pushing himself to create new music and new ideas. His performances in the film are electric, and you can see why he was such an important figure in the music world.
Don't Look Back is a remarkable film, both as a document of a particular time and place and as a portrait of one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. It's a raw and unvarnished look at Dylan's life and work, and it captures the spirit of an era in a way that few other films have done. Whether you're a fan of Dylan's music or not, it's a must-see film for anyone interested in the cultural history of the 1960s.
Dont Look Back is a 1967 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.9 and a MetaScore of 84.