No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

Martin Scorsese's documentary covers the life of Bob Dylan from his youth through 1966. At nearly four hours in length, it has plenty of time to cover the highlights of his career and bring some insight into the man, but it never really does. There are some revealing and interesting interviews with other folk musicians of the time and even some with Dylan himself. He had already become a legend between the ages of 20 and 25. There is some great archival footage and of course great music, but walking away from it, I don't feel like I really know much more about Dylan than when I began, excepts for some biographical details, and the differing points of view from the other interviewees. Actually, this makes a good companion piece to D.A. Pennebaker's Dylan documentary, Don't Look Back in which Dylan comes across as immature and antagonistic, whereas in this film he comes across more human and rounded. He is proclaimed the voice of his generation, yet to him it was never about the message. I just wish this film would let us get to know him better.