DVD review from That Guy Named David:

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (A)

Everyone should have a period in their lives when they really get into the music of Bob Dylan. I think my love of Dylan's music began when I was 21-23 years old and a hell of a lot more idealistic than I am today. Today, when I listen to "Freewheelin" and other early albums, I still get goosebumps and revert to the thoughts that I had when I was much younger and used to debate with friends the issues prevalent in his music and still relevant today (being a young associate in a law firm tends to numb my senses when it comes to issues that actually matter in this world). Anyway, No Direction Home is a documentary about Dylan's life, directed by Martin Scorsese, that touches every aspect of his career and gives never before seen insight into the history and power of Dylan's music. The documentary traces a young Robert Zimmerman growing up in rural Minnesota and does an incredible job of detailing his inspirations and eventual transformation into the voice of the anti-war movement in the 60's. While the interviews with Joan Baez, Allen Ginsburg, and other figures of that generation are captivating, the weaving of Dylan's performances and the reaction of the populace to them is what drives this documentary. For example, Scorsese does not sugarcoat the reaction Dylan received from his early base after he went electric at Newport (in fact, a performance of Dylan getting heckled for being a "sell-out" is sprinkled through the documentary). I also was struck by the interviews with Dylan wherein he continually points out that he was not really a political being but more of a writer just jotting down what he thought and observed during that time and putting simple melodies with the lyrics. Whatever was the origin or motivation for his music simply worked, and Scorsese does a heck of a job putting it all together in a striking documentary of one of the most influential writers/artists in American music history.