It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why “A Complete Unknown” is expected to scoop up its fair share of nominations for this year’s Oscars ceremony. Director James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic has a lot of ground to cover, retelling the birth and growth of Dylan’s career, which now spans over six decades. Starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, the film’s all-star cast and meticulous attention to the details of Dylan’s legacy lead it to success.
As a personal aside, Dylan was the artist who defined my 2024. After years of being curious about his lyricism but too put off by his voice to listen beyond “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” I finally dove deep into his 1960s discography in January 2024. He’s an acquired taste for sure, and it took a couple of albums for his style to click with me, but once it did, I was hooked. Needless to say, I went into “A Complete Unknown” as a Dylan fan.
“A Complete Unknown” chronicles the early years of Dylan’s career, beginning with his arrival in New York City in 1961 and leading up to his now-infamous performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where he “went electric,” abandoning his acoustic guitar for a full rock band. After his meteoric rise from nobody troubadour to folk hero, the film focuses on Dylan’s struggle with being the “voice of a generation” — a title he despised in real life. Dylan’s efforts to break free from being what other people want him to be lead him down an uncertain road, polarizing his audience but becoming a folk rock icon in the process.
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, ‘n’ how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, ‘n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
