No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan DVD

Spawning both politically charged folk ballads that came to embody the very spirit of the turbulent 1960s "The Times They are a-Changin" and sprawling stream-of-consciou sness litanies that irrevocably changed the face of rock music "Like a Rolling Stone" the years between 1961-1966 were inarguably the most artistically fertile for legendary singersongwriter Bob Dylan. Director Martin Scorsese--who had previously worked with Dylan on the Band's farewell concert film THE LAST WALTZ 1978--crafts an unprecedented exploration of the musician's creative process during this crucial five-year period with the historical PBS documentary event NO DIRECTION HOME. Part of PBS's AMERICAN MASTERS series the film is the first ever film biography of the enigmatic near-reclusive Dylan who grants Scorsese his first full-length interview in 20 years for a startlingly intimate and endlessly revealing portrait of a true American icon. Bookended by his early days in the legendary Greenwich Village folk scene and the 1966 motorcycle accident that nearly claimed his life Dylan's exclusive interview is supplemented with a wealth of archival footage that includes personal home movies from his childhood in Minnesota; unreleased interviews with colleagues Allen Ginsberg Pete Seeger Joan Baez and Maria Muldaur; and rare live performances of classics like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." In addition the Bob Dylan Archives opens its extensive film tape and stills collection for never-before-seen concert and television appearances including the infamous "electric" set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and outtakes from D.A. Pennebaker's acclaimed 1967 documentary DON'T LOOK BACK. The result is a richly visual counterpart to Dylan's bestselling memoir CHRONICLES: VOLUME 1 that stands as a cinematic testament to the life and work of one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century.