dromasca
Joined Dec 1999
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I avoid comparisons between films and books, even (or especially) when it comes to screen adaptations of more or less well-known books. Film and literature are arts that work 90% with different materials. In the case of the 2023 film by director Sam Esmail 'Leave the World Behind', the reference to the book is inevitable, but here too I will refrain from comparisons. I will just say that the fact that I read Rumaan Alam's (deservedly) successful novel of the same name, published in 2020, put me at a certain disadvantage. It is a fairly faithful adaptation, in spirit and even in details, and knowing the formidable idea of the book, some of the pleasure of surprise was stolen from me. Be assured that since most viewers have not read the book, - and even if they have - there are enough good reasons to choose to see watch this film. Especially nowadays.
Without going into too much detail, I will say that 'Leave the World Behind' proposes yet another version of the end of the world. Do we, as viewers, still have the strength for another one? Rumaan Alam's book appeared at the beginning of the pandemic and was one of the editorial successes of that strange period. The novel was adapted for the screen and the film was made during the pandemic. The release on screens and streaming viewings take place in years that some consider to be another form of the end of the world. The variations seem inexhaustible. The story of the Sandford family (parents with two teenage children) who choose to spend a weekend in a villa on Long Island far enough from the city to hope disconnect and close enough to see the silhouette of Manhattan on the horizon, can be interpreted as a parable. Strange phenomena begin to occur. A huge ship runs aground on the shore. Forest animals approach people's homes menacingly (the deer symbol is known from several European films). Internet connections drop, television stations broadcast emergency messages and then they disappear too. The appearance of a pair of strangers (daughter and father) who declare themselves the owners of the house complicates the situation and loads the atmosphere with the social and the racial tensions from the world that may have ceased to exist.
The narrative is interesting enough to maintain permanent interest and tension. The main problem of the film is the excessive verbosity of some dialogues, which diminishes the effectiveness of the cinematography. Sam Esmail is quite expressive visually and could have relied more on the cinematography. It is not necessary for a character like Clay Sandford to explicitly say 'I am useless without Internet and GSM' to understand that this is the situation. Fortunately, the actors are experienced and talented enough to express themselves also and better through gestures and silences. Julia Roberts creates one of her best roles, an almost negative role, in which she seems dry, unsympathetic and asocial until the moment her shell breaks. Ethan Hawke is also a great cast for his role. Mahershala Ali and Myha'la are fine in the roles of the pair of visitors - owners. Together, they live an adventure in which they involve the audience even against their will. The outside world falls apart, the routine pleasures and comforts of life disappear and the micro-universe of characters who try to find their cohesion to understand what is happening is in danger. A survival film can begin after the final scene.
Without going into too much detail, I will say that 'Leave the World Behind' proposes yet another version of the end of the world. Do we, as viewers, still have the strength for another one? Rumaan Alam's book appeared at the beginning of the pandemic and was one of the editorial successes of that strange period. The novel was adapted for the screen and the film was made during the pandemic. The release on screens and streaming viewings take place in years that some consider to be another form of the end of the world. The variations seem inexhaustible. The story of the Sandford family (parents with two teenage children) who choose to spend a weekend in a villa on Long Island far enough from the city to hope disconnect and close enough to see the silhouette of Manhattan on the horizon, can be interpreted as a parable. Strange phenomena begin to occur. A huge ship runs aground on the shore. Forest animals approach people's homes menacingly (the deer symbol is known from several European films). Internet connections drop, television stations broadcast emergency messages and then they disappear too. The appearance of a pair of strangers (daughter and father) who declare themselves the owners of the house complicates the situation and loads the atmosphere with the social and the racial tensions from the world that may have ceased to exist.
The narrative is interesting enough to maintain permanent interest and tension. The main problem of the film is the excessive verbosity of some dialogues, which diminishes the effectiveness of the cinematography. Sam Esmail is quite expressive visually and could have relied more on the cinematography. It is not necessary for a character like Clay Sandford to explicitly say 'I am useless without Internet and GSM' to understand that this is the situation. Fortunately, the actors are experienced and talented enough to express themselves also and better through gestures and silences. Julia Roberts creates one of her best roles, an almost negative role, in which she seems dry, unsympathetic and asocial until the moment her shell breaks. Ethan Hawke is also a great cast for his role. Mahershala Ali and Myha'la are fine in the roles of the pair of visitors - owners. Together, they live an adventure in which they involve the audience even against their will. The outside world falls apart, the routine pleasures and comforts of life disappear and the micro-universe of characters who try to find their cohesion to understand what is happening is in danger. A survival film can begin after the final scene.
'Becoming Led Zeppelin', the film released in 2025 by Irish filmmaker Bernard MacMahon, an expert in documentary films about music and musicians, seems to have been made for people like me. I am an absolute fan of Led Zeppelin, which I have been following since their first album, released 57 years ago. For me, they are, along with very few other musicians, in Olympus. MacMahon's documentary follows the biographies of the four members of the original band until their meeting and consolidation in Led Zeppelin, focusing on the year 1969 in which their explosive appearance in the charts occurred and in which they composed and recorded 'Led Zeppelin II', one of the best albums in the history of rock. Now, this documentary comes to compensate for what I (and others at the time) did not know about them. Better late than never.
Like members of many other bands that were at the core of the British pop revolution, Jimmy, Robert, John Paul and John were children of the Second World War. Born during the conflict into not very wealthy British families, they grew up among the ruins of the war and the difficult reconstruction of a militarily victorious but economically exhausted Britain, which saw its Empire falling apart. They each chose, independently, careers as musicians and almost the entire decade of the '60s passed before they met and formed first The Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' follows their personal trajectories up to their meeting and then to glory, through filmed images and interviews with the three members who are still alive (and making music together!) to this day and with audio excerpts from a previously unreleased interview recorded with John Bonham before his death in 1980. Everything is wrapped in music - the music of the era that influenced their formation and especially their music.
'Becoming Led Zeppelin' is an excellent documentary-interview that pays respect to these four great musicians. Maybe too much respect. Viewers learn many details behind the scenes of the group's formation, and the details of their creative process are fascinating. Fans will be delighted. But even they will not be able to help but notice that difficult and delicate topics have been avoided. John's death and the drugs that played a role in his tragic fate, mainly. I really liked the way the atmosphere of those years was portrayed, the creating of the sound in the recording studios, the filmed concerts through which the four musicians conquered the audiences, first the American one and then the one at home, in Britain. They also had the chance to be one of the most filmed groups in history. A more aggressive interview would have opened up some memories that are not the easiest to share. But it would probably have been the material of an even better documentary.
Like members of many other bands that were at the core of the British pop revolution, Jimmy, Robert, John Paul and John were children of the Second World War. Born during the conflict into not very wealthy British families, they grew up among the ruins of the war and the difficult reconstruction of a militarily victorious but economically exhausted Britain, which saw its Empire falling apart. They each chose, independently, careers as musicians and almost the entire decade of the '60s passed before they met and formed first The Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' follows their personal trajectories up to their meeting and then to glory, through filmed images and interviews with the three members who are still alive (and making music together!) to this day and with audio excerpts from a previously unreleased interview recorded with John Bonham before his death in 1980. Everything is wrapped in music - the music of the era that influenced their formation and especially their music.
'Becoming Led Zeppelin' is an excellent documentary-interview that pays respect to these four great musicians. Maybe too much respect. Viewers learn many details behind the scenes of the group's formation, and the details of their creative process are fascinating. Fans will be delighted. But even they will not be able to help but notice that difficult and delicate topics have been avoided. John's death and the drugs that played a role in his tragic fate, mainly. I really liked the way the atmosphere of those years was portrayed, the creating of the sound in the recording studios, the filmed concerts through which the four musicians conquered the audiences, first the American one and then the one at home, in Britain. They also had the chance to be one of the most filmed groups in history. A more aggressive interview would have opened up some memories that are not the easiest to share. But it would probably have been the material of an even better documentary.
Bob Dylan's biography, person and music are a source of inspiration for interesting films. There have already been quite a few, from one of the best music documentaries ever made to experimental biographies and musical films. 'A Complete Unknown' (2024), directed by James Mangold, adds to a series of biographies of famous musicians that have come out on the screens in recent years and to a trend that is characterized by the fact that producers and filmmakers do not hesitate to approach the lives and music of singers who are still alive and active. Almost all of these films have divided the opinions of cinema lovers and fans of the respective musicians. This will undoubtedly be the case with 'A Complete Unknown'. I really liked the musical part and the way the first few years of Dylan's career are approached, the years before the change of direction that would lead him to artistic independence. Regarding the cinematic performance, there are many things that I liked and a few that I liked less. I left the movie happy, especially because of the music, but for me it's not the best film about Dylan I've seen.
'A Complete Unknown' is a formidable experience for lovers of folk and pop music, and especially for those of my age (yes, 70+) for whom Bob Dylan was a symbol of freedom but also of the protest of a generation that we felt was ours even on the other side of the Iron Curtain. I recognized most of the songs from the first chords and followed the journey of the 19-year-old who, in January 1961, arrived 'completely unknown' in New York, began his career under the influence of Woodie Guthrie and with the support of Joan Baez, became a star of folk and protest music and continued to search for new ways of expression. This part constitutes an very good musical docu-drama. The atmosphere of clubs and music festivals is excellently reconstructed. The most emotional moments are those based on music: Bob Dylan meeting his idol, Woodie Guthrie, and singing to him in the hospital where he was interned stricken with illness; Dylan and Baez meeting and recognizing each other's talent; the studio recordings; the jazz festivals including the controversial moment at Newport that marked Dylan's break from 'pure' acoustic folk music. With the exception of a few original sequences inserted and of the end credits, all of Dylan and Baez's music is sung by Timothée Chalamet (who spent years preparing for this role) and Monica Barbaro. I don't know who deserves the credit for the actors' vocal coaching, but all due respect for their efforts and achievement.
I would have loved to say that the other biographical aspects are equally well addressed, but that's not quite the case. Bob Dylan is still a mystery to this day when it comes to his personal life. Paradoxically, although he is under the spotlight and is constantly hunted by admirers and journalists for over six decades, he has managed to hide many of the details of his personal life and the motivations of his 'difficult' character. I don't think director James Mangold and actor Timothée Chalamet had or intended to handle the audience a key to the character. From the film we are left with the feeling of Dylan's obsession with music, of the permanent search for artistic paths - something natural at the beginning, but uninterrupted even after his consecration -, of an immeasurable ambition and an awareness of self-worth and of the refusal of beaten paths and imposed authorities. In the end, the result is still an icon, that of the enigmatic Dylan with sunglasses day and night, in a vain attempt to escape sensational notoriety and to protect his private and artistic space. The way he manages his relationships with the two women in his life during this period - Joan Baez and the artist Sylvie Russo (a fictional character based on a real relationship) - is, in my opinion, the weakest part of the script. Monica Barbaro failed to make me forget Joan Baez to the same extent that Timothée Chalamet became Dylan for me on screen. The connection between them seems passionless and thus, even the breakup has no drama. I want to mention another remarkable acting creation - that of Edward Norton in the role of folk musician Pete Seeger, one of Dylan's mentors at the beginning of his career.
The first thing I did when I got home after the film was to look for the original recordings and listen to them again for the hundredth or thousandth time. However, I am convinced that other, younger viewers, who will hear them for the first time, will do the same. This would be the greatest success of 'A Complete Unknown'.
'A Complete Unknown' is a formidable experience for lovers of folk and pop music, and especially for those of my age (yes, 70+) for whom Bob Dylan was a symbol of freedom but also of the protest of a generation that we felt was ours even on the other side of the Iron Curtain. I recognized most of the songs from the first chords and followed the journey of the 19-year-old who, in January 1961, arrived 'completely unknown' in New York, began his career under the influence of Woodie Guthrie and with the support of Joan Baez, became a star of folk and protest music and continued to search for new ways of expression. This part constitutes an very good musical docu-drama. The atmosphere of clubs and music festivals is excellently reconstructed. The most emotional moments are those based on music: Bob Dylan meeting his idol, Woodie Guthrie, and singing to him in the hospital where he was interned stricken with illness; Dylan and Baez meeting and recognizing each other's talent; the studio recordings; the jazz festivals including the controversial moment at Newport that marked Dylan's break from 'pure' acoustic folk music. With the exception of a few original sequences inserted and of the end credits, all of Dylan and Baez's music is sung by Timothée Chalamet (who spent years preparing for this role) and Monica Barbaro. I don't know who deserves the credit for the actors' vocal coaching, but all due respect for their efforts and achievement.
I would have loved to say that the other biographical aspects are equally well addressed, but that's not quite the case. Bob Dylan is still a mystery to this day when it comes to his personal life. Paradoxically, although he is under the spotlight and is constantly hunted by admirers and journalists for over six decades, he has managed to hide many of the details of his personal life and the motivations of his 'difficult' character. I don't think director James Mangold and actor Timothée Chalamet had or intended to handle the audience a key to the character. From the film we are left with the feeling of Dylan's obsession with music, of the permanent search for artistic paths - something natural at the beginning, but uninterrupted even after his consecration -, of an immeasurable ambition and an awareness of self-worth and of the refusal of beaten paths and imposed authorities. In the end, the result is still an icon, that of the enigmatic Dylan with sunglasses day and night, in a vain attempt to escape sensational notoriety and to protect his private and artistic space. The way he manages his relationships with the two women in his life during this period - Joan Baez and the artist Sylvie Russo (a fictional character based on a real relationship) - is, in my opinion, the weakest part of the script. Monica Barbaro failed to make me forget Joan Baez to the same extent that Timothée Chalamet became Dylan for me on screen. The connection between them seems passionless and thus, even the breakup has no drama. I want to mention another remarkable acting creation - that of Edward Norton in the role of folk musician Pete Seeger, one of Dylan's mentors at the beginning of his career.
The first thing I did when I got home after the film was to look for the original recordings and listen to them again for the hundredth or thousandth time. However, I am convinced that other, younger viewers, who will hear them for the first time, will do the same. This would be the greatest success of 'A Complete Unknown'.