I'm Not There and the Six Bob Dylans

I'm Not There and the Six Bob Dylans
The Oscar nominations this year include Cate Blanchett for what is sure to be one of the defining roles of her career. Playing a young Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett is just one of six actors who play the part of Bob Dylan in the award-winning movie I'm Not There. The movie's title came from an unreleased outtake of the same name that has now been released as part of the movie soundtrack. To play up the many idioms and eras of Bob Dylan's life, the diverse actors attempt to put several views of Dylan's life together in one cohesive work. And, judging by the many awards and accolades, the movies has largely succeeded.

In addition to a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There won three awards at the Venice Film Festival, and awards from the Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York Film Critics societies. Most of the awards have been for Cate Blanchett's performance, for which she has already won The Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe. The other actors playing various aspects of Bob Dylan are: Marcus Carl Franklin, Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere. Young and old, black and white, they all fit into the story of Bob Dylan's accomplished life.

In addition to the various actors playing the same role, there are also various, diverse settings that make up the same movie. Each version of Dylan was shot in a different style of setting, and each is shot with a slightly different look. There are color scenes, black and white and documentary-style 16 mm. The various filming styles, settings and actors all add up to one complete story, however. The nuances of the many different facets of Dylan's life are represented well.

What is arguably the main point of the film, however, are the many Dylan "myths" and personas that he's taken on over the years. Long before Madonna started reinventing herself, Bob Dylan was changing and evolving before the eyes of his millions of fans. Dylan fans know him as many different things throughout the past four decades. Luckily, each of them is represented in I'm Not There.


Take a look at the I'm Not There Soundtrack for 34 songs from the movie.




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