Lotta water under the bridge, lotta other stuff too

I finally got around to watching Scorcese's No Direction Home, and I was not disappointed. Bob Dylan is a fascinating subject. The other great documentary, Pennebaker's Don't Look Back is a favourite of mine. While much of this new documentary understandably revolves around Dylan going electric, the film also traces Dylan's roots: from growing up in the Iron Belt of northen Minnesota, his discovery of country, rock and folk music, his first trip to New York. There are a number of interviews with folk singers, active in the Greenwich Village folk scene, who give their perspectives on the young Bob Dylan. The best thing about Scorcese's film is the scope: the interviews, the performance footage not only of Dylan, but other musicans. You get a real sense of the New York folk movement.

Of course, the footage of Dylan performing is the absolute highlight of the film, especially the much mythologised electric performances at the Newport and England. It is surreal to watch Dylan and what will become "The Band" play classic Bob Dylan songs to a chorus of boos and catcalls (like "Judas") from the audience. The Newport footage is punctuated with interviews with other folk musicians who were there, including Pete Seger, who apparently had an axe and was going to cut the mic cables and later locked himself in a car. So much for peace, love, and harmony, eh Pete?