Since St. Nicholas Day (December 6th), the first two songs from the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” have been available to hear: “Girl From The North Country” and “Like A Rolling Stone”. Sung by Timothée Chalamet. Not an easy task, according to fans of the songwriter and all Dylanologists.
The practice seems to have paid off
Chalamet and Barbaro (as Joan Baez) sing a duet version of the 1963 Dylan classic “Girl From The North Country”. You can hear Chalamet’s meticulous preparation for his role. Among other things, he practiced on the harmonica for five years – perhaps more than Dylan himself. He also worked hard to match the songwriter’s vocal timbre.
“Incredible,” says the comments. “Timothée and Monica are not only stunning, they also have really beautiful voices,” says one user about the performance, which can only be experienced in sound and not yet in picture. “Can’t wait for this movie to come out,” wrote another. Until then, fans will have to be patient. “A Complete Unknown” doesn’t open in German cinemas until February 27, 2025.
“Stop making biopics about people who are still alive”
The reissued version of “Like A Rolling Stone” is a pure solo number by Timothée Chalamet. The response so far has largely been acknowledgment. “The phrasing is good. Good job Timmy,” someone wrote. “This is really a great cover. “It’s hard to sing like Bob,” reads another comment.
But when it comes to the quality of the template for Chalamet’s interpretation, many people don’t always agree. “Doing a Bob Dylan impersonation is just singing badly,” someone claims. There is also fundamental criticism in the comments column on YouTube: “Cringe,” writes one user. And further: “Stop making biopics about people who are still alive.”
Thumbs up for Chalamet – even from Dylan
The real Bob Dylan, who has been a big fan of text messages for some time, spoke up on Wednesday (December 4th). He seems quite satisfied with the historical reappraisal, which is coming to US cinemas just in time for Christmas. “There’s a film about me that’s coming out soon and it’s called ‘A Complete Unknown’ (what a title!),” Dylan writes on his X channel and provides a little additional information.
“Timothée Chalamet stars in it and is a brilliant actor. So I’m sure he’ll portray me completely believably. Or a younger me. Or another me. The film is based on Elijah Wald’s ‘Dylan Goes Electric’. A book that was published in 2015. It’s a fantastic retelling of the events of the early 1960s that led to the Newport fiasco. After you see the movie, you should read the book.”
The score for “A Complete Unknown)” will also be released in Germany for Christmas – on December 25th. A limited vinyl version will also hit record stores at the end of January 2025.