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 biopic about Bob Dylan's life, six actors portray Bob Dylan, each interpreting his life stories and musical experiences from different eras. The film tells of Bob 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, motorcycle accident, and later retreat from public view, focusing in recent years not on recording albums but on touring, exemplified by "The Never Ending Tour" and more. In an unofficial biography of Bob Dylan written by British author Howard Sounes, much of it centers on Dylan's childhood and family life. The book provides further insights into his work, particularly with his wife Sara (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg). Additionally, Howard Sounes reveals a secret affair of the legendary rock singer, with one of his backup singers from 1986 that was kept under wraps. Each segment of the story highlights a facet of Dylan’s vibrant and changeable personality, with the film adopting different styles to convey each story, matched with distinct themes: Woody (played by Marcus Carl Franklin), an 11-year-old Black boy always on the run; Robbie (played by Ben Whishaw), a charming songwriter perpetually on the road; Jude (played by Cate Blanchett), a young androgynous rock superstar; John/Jack (played by Christian Bale), a folk idol rediscovering himself and exploring gospel music; Billy (played by Richard Gere), the notorious outlaw, a living miracle but growing older. Behind the Scenes: 【Six Actors Portraying Bob Dylan】 Can you imagine how many actors it takes to portray Bob Dylan on screen? Todd Haynes answers this question with his new film, "I'm Not There" — six. This is a "biopic as envisioned by the director,” which bizarrely employs six actors to portray different aspects of Bob Dylan, including Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, and even actress Cate Blanchett. The young Dylan is portrayed by Black actor Marcus Carl Franklin; Australian star Heath Ledger, nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Brokeback Mountain," depicts the musician Dylan, while British actor Ben Whishaw (from "Perfume" 2006) represents Dylan’s obsession with 19th-century French poet Rimbaud. Christian Bale plays Dylan during two distinctly different periods in the film: the period of musical advocacy with works like "The Times They Are a-Changin'" and his religious conversion phase exploring gospel music. Richard Gere’s portrayal of Dylan embodies what director Todd Haynes describes as a “Western hippie” flavor, intermingling fictional characters from Dylan's songs and symbolizing the period when he vanished from the public eye. Haynes states, “We put Dylan back in his own troubles while also going further than his real life.” Bob Dylan's most controversial period was in the mid-1960s when his transition from folk to electric rock drew rebuke from some audiences. This stage of Dylan is portrayed by Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett, whose handling of this black-and-white sequence evokes strong realism reminiscent of Federico Fellini's famous "8½" from 1963. 【A Different Kind of Music Biopic】 Although recent musical biopics like "Ray" (2004) and "Walk the Line" (2005) have reinvigorated the genre, "I'm Not There" distinctly breaks all conventional molds, aiming to create a more poetic visual interpretation of its themes. Director and co-writer Todd Haynes (who directed "Velvet Goldmine" and "Far from Heaven") expressed that, much like utilizing different actors to embody different aspects, he aims to exhibit a series of illustrations through varying tones and styles. He sought to create a film “that stands somewhat apart from traditional biopics,” emphasizing the massive changes in concepts, style, genre, and characteristics. The film connects Dylan's life chronologically in an almost summary manner, showcasing his whimsical philosophical views as he becomes one of the most avant-garde and mysterious artists of his era. “For years, Bob Dylan has always rejected the roles he previously played. He constantly moves forward while undermining himself. My idea is to have different actors play the same person, using differences to interpret this ever-roaming individual.” Haynes previously stated to Entertainment Weekly, “The film draws material from his life; the six Bob Dylans will stand together to tell us who Bob Dylan really is.” Notably, Bob Dylan composed and co-starred in Sam Peckinpah's film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973). Dylan sent his greetings to the film's creators, although he did not personally participate in the production or the original score. Supporting roles in the film feature British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg ("21 Grams") and actress Julianne Moore, who starred as the female lead in Haynes' "Far from Heaven," while actress Michelle Williams, who played a supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain," portrays model Coco Rivington. Haynes himself is one of the film's screenwriters, and the production received assistance from Bob Dylan himself. Filming began in July 2006 in Montreal, Canada. 【From the Basement Tapes】 Director Todd Haynes previously directed the film "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" in 1987, using Barbie dolls to interpret the life of the Carpenters, and in another film "Velvet Goldmine" (1998) paid tribute to the glam rock era, achieving great success with Ewan McGregor. The film's title comes from a lesser-known love song by Bob Dylan, featured in "The Basement Tapes," an avant-garde self-released album that came out in the late 1960s. The essence suggests his intention to leave the girl he loves and go on his own. The lyrics state, “I was always indecisive in the face of temptation, and now temptation no longer follows me, but I’m not there, I’m gone.” According to Todd Haynes, this song will also appear in the film, performed by Sonic Youth. Haynes describes Dylan's original album as “having an imperfect record, feeling very raw and natural, yet still magnificent. It’s a sad, enigmatic song that fully immerses when he sings it. Even some of his lyrics are somewhat disjointed, which adds a tragic mysteriousness to the whole work.” The film strictly requires musicians to possess artistic integrity rather than haphazardly creating some fleeting pop material. Music supervisor Randall Poster noted he spent two years editing the works included, discarding a large number of unqualified musicians: “We needed exceptional musicians to record their works, leveraging their unique styles instead of mere imitation. But they only know how to play Dylan’s songs.” Trivia: · Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota. Regardless of whether it is appropriate to revisit the life of a healthy 66-year-old man, Bob Dylan has now become a target for biographical filmmakers. A few years ago, Martin Scorsese produced the documentary "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" (2005), which recounted Bob Dylan's life using four hours of real historical material. · The closing track played at the end of the film is Sonic Youth’s cover of Dylan's classic song “I’m Not There,” featured in one of Bob Dylan's underground record series. · Before "I'm Not There" officially premiered, a short clip from the film was leaked online, showing Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan encountering poet Allen Ginsberg on the road. · On July 26, 2007, the 64th Venice Film Festival organizers announced a list of 22 films from various countries competing for the festival’s main section, which included Todd Haynes' film about the poet-singer and folk-rock master Bob Dylan, "I'm Not There." · The film was originally titled "I’m Not There: A Movie based on Many Speculations about 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 album is expected to be released on November 21 this year, and not all of the original tracks will be used in the film, prompting the producers to hope to add two more albums of soundtracks. · Todd Haynes’ previous films have directly dealt with homosexual themes, including the Oscar-nominated "Far from Heaven" (2002), the Teddy Award-winning "Poison" (1991) at the Berlin Film Festival, and the Best Artistic Contribution Award-winning "Velvet Goldmine" (1998) at the Cannes Film Festival.