Bob Dylan - Don't Look Back (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition)

Bob Dylan - Don't Look Back (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition) Review

Bob Dylan - Don't Look Back (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition) Feature

• Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back - 65 Tour Edition is the ultimate look at Bob Dylan's concert tour of England in the spring of 1965 - one of the most intimate profiles of an artist ever put to film. This definitive set includes the remasteredic film by D.A. Pennebaker, a brand-new, hour-long look at Dylan, and the original 1968 companion book to the film, all housed in an eye-catching, collecti

Both a classic documentary and a vital pop-cultural artifact, D.A. Pennebaker's portrait of Bob Dylan captures the seminal singer-songwriter on the cusp of his transformation from folk prophet to rock trendsetter. Shot during Dylan's 1965 British concert tour, Don't Look Back employs an edgy vérité style that was, and is, a snug fit with the artist's own consciously rough-hewn persona. Its handheld black-and-white images and often-gritty London backdrops suggest cinematic extensions of the archetypal monochrome portraits that graced Dylan's career-making early-'60s album jackets.

Pennebaker's access to the legendarily private troubadour enables us to witness Dylan's shifting moods as he performs, relaxes with his entourage (including then lover Joan Baez, road manager Bob Neuwirth, and poker-faced manager Albert Grossman), and jousts with other musicians (notably Animals alumnus Alan Price and Scottish folksinger Donovan), fans, and press. It's a measurement of the filmmaker's acuity that the conversations are often as gripping as Dylan's solo performances. Grossman's machinations with British promoters, Baez's hip serenity, a grizzled British journalist's surrender to the fact of Dylan's artistry, and the artist's own taunting dismissal of a clueless sycophant are all absorbing.

With the exception of the studio recording of "Subterranean Homesick Blues," the live performances (including five newly restored, complete audio tracks excised from the original film but included on the DVD version) are constrained by crude audio gear. Their urgency, however, is timeless, as is Pennebaker's film, a legitimate cornerstone for any serious rock video collection. --Sam Sutherland BOB DYLAN: DONT LOOK BACK--65 TOUR DELUXE EDITION is the ultimate look at Bob Dylan's concert tour of England in the spring of 1965--one of the most intimate profiles of an artist ever put to film. This definitive set includes the remastered classic film by D.A. Pennebaker, a brand-new, hour-long look at Dylan, and the original 168-page companion book to the film. More than just a concert film, DONT LOOK BACK is a window into the spirit of the 60s, and one of the poet-musicians whose words and songs defined it.

DISC 1: BOB DYLAN DONT LOOK BACK
This digitally-remastered version of the cinema verite classic follows Dylan on his extraordinary 1965 concert tour of England--his last as an acoustic performer. With unobtrusive equipment and rare access to Dylan, legendary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker achieved an unprecedented, fly-on-the-wall glimpse of one of music's most influential figures--and redefined filmmaking along the way.

DISC 2: BOB DYLAN 65 REVISITED
Forty years after the release of DONT LOOK BACK, D.A. Pennebaker has created this new work culled from over 20 hours of never-before-seen rare footage from his personal archive of film negatives. Raw and unassuming, '65 REVISITED provides a fresh perspective of the young Dylan on the road during his 1965 English tour.

BONUS - DONT LOOK BACK COMPANION BOOK & FLIPBOOK
Originally published in 1968, the 168-page companion book features a complete transcription of the film, over 200 photos, and a new forward by D.A. Pennebaker. The collectible Subterranean Homesick Blues flipbook provides a frame-by-frame look at the film's famed 'cue-card' sequence, considered by many to be the first contemporary music video.

DVD Features Include:
Five Additional Uncut Audio Tracks; Two Commentaries by D.A. Pennebaker and tour road manager Bob Neuwirth; Alternate Version of the Subterranean Homesick Blues Cue Card Sequence; Original Theatrical Trailer; D.A. Pennebaker Filmography; Bob Dylan Discography; Cast and Crew Biographies