I'm Not There (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Rating R Formats DVD Genre drama Starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchette, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw Directed by Todd Haynes Publisher Endgame Entertainment, Killer Films, The Weinstein Company External Links I'm Not There Website

I'm Not There is perceived in three different ways by people who fall in two groups. The first group is people who celebrate Bob Dylan's music along with the iconography, myth, and lore surrounding the man that would be Bob Dylan. The second group is people who have either not heard or don't care about anything Dylan.

The perceptions of this film then follow that people who don't care about Dylan or have never heard a Dylan song will not really care for this movie. But, who hasn't heard a Dylan song?

Bob Dylan is as much a part of our cultural make up as Star Wars, Apple Pies, and The Civil War. His music is so ubiquitous that everyone's heard it, and at the very least respect must be paid to the cultural and musical significance.

Another perception is by people who like Dylan's music, know some history about him, but won't really care for this movie. The people in this group are probably the largest group; people who have heard Dylan, but don't know about the motorcycle accident, the love affairs, and the gospel music.

The third perception is from the people that love all things Dylan and get tangled up in the minutia that is Dylan-mania. Obviously, for people who fall into that view this movie should be an absolute masterpiece.

The real challenge that writer/director Todd Haynes faces in I'm Not There is making a film that will appeal to all groups and all perceptions. Luckily, he is totally successful in this charge. The film is loaded with Dylan lore, symbolism, and references but not to the point where it becomes inaccessible.

If you are looking for the standard biopic, like Ray or Walk the Line then you will be disappointed in this movie. This film is an expressionist take on someone's life, much like Steven Shainberg's imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus.

Todd Haynes goes much further in his view of Bob Dylan, focusing on the many different persona's that have defined Bob Dylan throughout his career. He does this by casting six different actors to play different sides of Bob Dylan.

All six performances are incredible, but the stand out is Cate Blanchett's performance of Jude. Her story takes place in a very specific time in Dylan's life, in the mid 60's when he just made the switch to electric and was receiving more media scrutiny than ever.

Marcus Carl Franklin plays Dylan as an eleven-year old African American riding the rails through the heartland during the 1950's. That might seem like an odd decision, but that's where the genius of this film lies.

Not only has Dylan changed so many times but also he has embraced and encouraged fake stories and legend about his past. When he first arrived 'on the scene' he would tell stories that he had come from riding the rails through Americana.

No one will ever know where the truth begins and the persona ends with him, and that's part of the fun of him as a character and an artist. This film explores the idea of persona, by threading six distinct versions of the same man into a single narrative.

The film is an amazing accomplishment of storytelling and an expressionistic approach to a subject that everyone knows.

The DVD is jam packed with special features including a commentary track with Todd Haynes, deleted scenes, outtakes, screen tests, a feature on making the soundtrack, and a series of Q & A's with Todd Haynes.

The special features are informative, entertaining, and incredibly in depth. This is one of those DVDs where the special features alone are worth the price.

For Dylan fanatics or those just looking for an interesting movie with great music, stunning imagery, and exquisite storytelling I'm Not There delivers all those. There are very few biopics that take this much creative license with such success.