Having one of the greatest film directors of all time engage with a titillating period from one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived is quite a remarkable premise. Such a meeting of great minds should bring about moving and influential art, musing on the highs and lows of a period they both share some connection with. Rolling Thunder Revue is not the first Martin Scorsese documentary to pick apart the career of Bob Dylan, but it may be his worst attempt. With such a vast array of documentaries on the freewheelin’ innovator, each new entry into this long list must offer something unique to keep itself alive. Rolling Thunder Revue notes the return of Dylan’s touring days, the various variety show moments that kept the concerts fresh, and the impact it had on the turbulent times of American society.
As promising a documentary it may be, Rolling Thunder Revue struggles at times to keep itself together. One false move and this one would fall apart entirely. Its capturing of the Rolling Thunder tour is undeniably strong. A plethora of footage from behind the scenes to work with, Scorsese has a titan of a task on his hands. Making heads or tails of so many narrative threads is his forte, though, and Scorsese gets to work as best he can. Some of these moments offer little in the way of rewarding content, but the brief interludes set out for Joan Baez and Allen Ginsberg do at least offer some real and honest conversation, it’s a shame there isn’t more of it.
its value comes from how long a time your fascination of the Rolling Thunder tour will survive. It takes a while to get to the real moments of interest, but when we do, Scorsese reminds us of the time he looks to piece together.
ROLLING THUNDER REVUE
Scorsese’s work here depends on concert footage readily available elsewhere and alibis from individuals who don’t exist. The amalgamation of real events with fictional characters makes for a jarring crossover. Gaping holes where simple facts should be present. Instead, we’re offered footage of the time, interviews with the big names at the heart of it all and concert performances. Remove the concert footage and stock photos and you’re left with a series of reflective memoirs that are either incorrect, inaccurate, or just plain boring. Only brief moments offer anything of real, fluid meaning, and they’re never found within modern-day interviews.
Criterion do an expectedly good job of remastering the footage. A chunk of extras will keep the hardcore Dylan fans among us in for the long haul, with some restored footage of never-before-seen performances. A little light on extras elsewhere, but that may be due to the length of the feature, or using up all the titbits of promise on the superior Don’t Look Back release, a documentary half as long and twice as engaging. That isn’t to write Rolling Thunder Revue off as a piece not worthy of your time, it certainly is to some degree, but its value comes from how long a time your fascination of the Rolling Thunder tour will survive. It takes a while to get to the real moments of interest, but when we do, Scorsese reminds us of the time he looks to piece together.
Attempting to capture the spirit of the mid-1970s, Scorsese crafts a love letter to the work of Dylan, light on real content and heavy on found footage that displays the award-winning songwriter’s long-lost performances. He gets tangled up in the blues, the downtime between the concerts and the interviews clog up much of the running time with tangents and turgid pacing that does nothing for the narrative or the viewer. So much content, and with few reasons behind the arguments and conclusions Scorsese sets out to find. Flimsy at the best of times, even its subject doesn’t remember the Rolling Thunder days, dismissing them as being nothing of note. He may have a point.
ROLLING THUNDER REVUE IS OUT ON CRITERION COLLECTION BLU-RAY
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Thank you for reading Ewan’s Review of Rolling Thunder Revue
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