I'm Not There

This film (drama)Also known asI'm Not There，is aUSA, Germany, CanadaProducerwomen sex，At2007Released in year 。The dialogue language isEnglish，Current Douban rating7.9(For reference only)。

In this biographical film about Bob Dylan's life, six actors portray Bob Dylan, each interpreting different aspects of his life story and musical experiences across various eras. The film depicts Dylan's early struggles as a folk singer, his emergence as a hero and intellectual in the American folk scene of the early 1960s, his controversial rock transformation, his motorcycle accident, and his later retreat from public view, focusing on concert tours rather than recording albums, such as the "Never Ending Tour," etc. In an unofficial autobiography of Bob Dylan written by British author Howard Sounes, much revolves around Dylan's childhood and family life. The book provides further insights into his work, especially regarding his wife Sara (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg). Additionally, Howard Sounes reveals a secret romance of the veteran rock singer, detailing an unknown marriage with one of his backing singers that began in 1986. Each segment portrays a different facet of Dylan's lively and changeable personality, and the film employs various stylistic approaches to match different themes: Woody (Marcus Carl Franklin), an 11-year-old African American boy who is always running; Robbie (Ben Whishaw), a charming singer-songwriter who is always on the road; Jude (Cate Blanchett), a young androgynous rock star; John/Jack (Christian Bale), a folk icon rediscovering himself and preaching the gospel; Billy (Richard Gere), a famous outlaw, a living miracle but gradually aging. Behind the scenes: 【Six Actors Portraying Bob Dylan】 Can you imagine how many actors it takes to portray Bob Dylan on screen? Todd Haynes provides the answer with his new film "I'm Not There"—six. This is a "biopic as imagined by the director" that bizarrely employs six actors to play six different facets of Dylan, including Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, and even actress Cate Blanchett. Young Dylan is played by African American Marcus Carl Franklin, while Australian star Heath Ledger, nominated for an Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain," portrays the musician Dylan. British actor Ben Whishaw ("Perfume" 2006) embodies Dylan as he obsessively follows the 19th-century French poet Rimbaud. Christian Bale plays Dylan in two distinct periods in the film—during the music advocacy period, known for songs like "The Times They Are a-Changin'," and the phase when the singer converts to religion, exploring gospel music. The Dylan represented by Richard Gere has a "Western hippie" flavor, as described by director Todd Haynes, blending fictional characters from Dylan's songs and symbolizing the period he vanished from public view. Haynes states, "We return Dylan to his own troubles while also moving beyond his real-life experiences." Dylan's mid-1960s phase is particularly controversial, marked by his shift from folk to electronic rock, which faced condemnation from some listeners. This phase of Dylan is portrayed by Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett, with the black-and-white treatment evoking a strong sense of realism reminiscent of Federico Fellini's famous film "8½" from 1963. 【A Different Kind of Musical Biopic】 Though recent musical biopics like "Ray" (2004) and "Walk the Line" (2005) revived the genre, "I'm Not There" clearly breaks all conventions of reality, aiming for a more poetic visual narrative. Director and co-writer Todd Haynes (who has directed "Velvet Goldmine" and "Far from Heaven") expresses a desire to create a film "somewhat different from traditional biopics," stating, "This is not a straightforward retelling of Dylan's life; we want to highlight the enormous changes in concepts, style, genre, and character." The film uses an almost abstract method to chronologically connect Dylan's life, depicting him as the most avant-garde and mysterious artist of his time, guided by a free-spirited philosophy. "For years, Bob Dylan has consistently rejected the roles he has played in the past. He keeps moving forward and denying himself. My idea was to use different actors to play the same person, interpreting this ever-evolving individual through differences," Haynes told Entertainment Weekly. "The film draws from his life, and the six Bob Dylans come together to tell us who Bob Dylan is." Notably, Bob Dylan has composed and co-starred in Sam Peckinpah's film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973). Dylan extended his greetings to the film's creators but did not personally participate in its production or soundtrack process. Supporting roles in the film include British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg ("21 Grams") and Julianne Moore, who starred in Todd Haynes' "Far from Heaven," while Michelle Williams, who played a supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain," portrays model Coco Riveleton. Haynes himself is one of the film's screenwriters, and production of the film was aided by Bob Dylan's own support. Filming began in July 2006 in Montreal, Canada. 【From the Basement Tapes】 Director Todd Haynes previously directed "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" (1987), which used Barbie dolls to illustrate the life of the Carpenters, and in another film "Velvet Goldmine" (1998), he paid tribute to the glam rock era and showcased Ewan McGregor. The film's title comes from one of Bob Dylan's lesser-known love songs from "The Basement Tapes," an extremely experimental self-released album from the late 1960s. The song's essence revolves around his intention to leave the girl he loves and set out on his own. The lyrics express, "I’ve always hesitated in the face of temptation. Now temptation no longer follows me, but I'm not there; I have gone." According to Todd Haynes, this song will also appear in the film, performed by Sonic Youth. Haynes reflected on Dylan's original album, saying, "He has an imperfect record that feels very raw and natural, yet it’s still magnificent. It's a melancholic, mysteriously enigmatic song, completely immersed in the atmosphere of the lyrics when he sings. Even in some of his lyrics, the disjointedness adds to the tragic mystery of the entire work." The film strictly requires that musicians possess artistic integrity rather than merely producing hastily created fleeting pop hits. Music supervisor Randall Poster noted that he spent two years editing the collected works, during which he eliminated a significant amount of unqualified music: "We need exceptional musicians to record their works, drawing upon their unique styles rather than solely imitating. Yet they only knew how to play Dylan's songs." Trivia: · Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota. Regardless of whether it's appropriate to reflect on life for a healthy 66-year-old man, Bob Dylan has become a target for directors keen on biographical subjects. A few years ago, Martin Scorsese produced the documentary "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" (2005), which recounted Dylan's life using four hours of real archival footage. · The closing song featured at the end of the film is a cover of Dylan's classic "I'm Not There," performed by Sonic Youth and originating from one of Dylan's underground record series. · Before the film officially premiered, a short clip leaked online, depicting Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Bob Dylan encountering poet Allen Ginsberg on the road. · On July 26, 2007, the organizers of the 64th Venice Film Festival announced the list of 22 films from various countries participating in the competition, including Todd Haynes’ film "I'm Not There," which chronicles the life and music of the poet-singer and folk-rock master Bob Dylan. · The film’s original title was "I'm Not There, A Film About the Many Speculations of Dylan." · The original soundtrack for "I'm Not There" features over 30 singers and musicians creating new versions of Bob Dylan's music. The soundtrack is expected to be released on November 21 this year, though not all compositions ultimately made it into the film, which has led the producers to hope for an additional two soundtrack albums. · Todd Haynes, a gay filmmaker, has several previous works that directly address LGBTQ themes, including "Far from Heaven" (2002), nominated for four Oscars, "Poison" (1991), which won the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival for LGBTQ-themed films, and "Velvet Goldmine" (1998), which received the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the Cannes Film Festival.