Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back

D.A. Pennebaker's original Don't Look Back, which has been available on DVD for several years, remains an entertaining if somewhat self-conscious look at Bob Dylan as he travels around England on his final all-acoustic tour in 1965. Capturing him jousting with the press (he fields their often-inane questions with obfuscation and whimsy), interacting with then-paramour Joan Baez, and performing at several venues, this is essential viewing for Dylan fans and documentary lovers as well (Pennebaker's film has been acclaimed as arguably the best rock documentary ever produced, even though "rock" has precious little to do with it). This two-disc set includes both the original film and a new documentary entitled Bob Dylan 65 Revisited featuring more than an hour's worth of previously unseen footage. Normally, bonus footage is more of a warning than an invitation—if the outtakes are so hot, why didn't they make the original cut?—but here we see another side of Dylan—a more genuine, likable side at that. In the somewhat rambling commentary supplied by Pennebaker and Dylan road manager and pal Bob Neuwirth, the director suggests that Dylan was "acting" in much of the original 1967 release, but in the new film he seems friendlier, much more accommodating to his fans, and a good deal less willfully enigmatic. Best of all is the inclusion of some unreleased Dylan solo performances: we catch him fooling around with "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" and "I'll Keep It with Mine" on the piano, and there's concert footage of "It Ain't Me, Babe," "If You Gotta Go," "To Ramona," and other songs. The ample bonus material includes five audio-only numbers, a book containing photos and a complete transcript of the film, and an entertaining frame-by-frame flipbook of the famous "Subterranean Homesick Blues" cue card sequence. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Dec. 1, 2015—Criterion, 96 min., not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1967's Don't Look Back features a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by director D.A. Pennebaker and tour manager Bob Neuwirth, Pennebaker's 2006 outtakes documentary “65 Revisited” (65 min.), a new conversation between Pennebaker and Neuwirth (34 min.), additional audio performances (29 min.), an “It Starts with Music” segment on Pennebaker (29 min.), “Snapshots from the Tour” with never-before-seen outtakes (26 min.), Pennebaker's short films Daybreak Express (1957), Baby (1954), and Lamber & Co. (1964) (25 min. total), a 2010 conversation between Pennebaker and music critic Greil Marcus (20 min.), an interview with Patti Smith (14 min.), the 2000 audio excerpt “Dylan on Don't Look Back” (4 min.), an alternate take of “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (2 min.), a trailer, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic and poet Robert Polito. Bottom line: a landmark documentary shines in this new Criterion edition.]