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Martin Scorsese’sRolling Thunder Revuedocumentary chronicles Bob Dylan ’s 1975 tour of duty , but many of the side - narratives are ground in fiction and cinematic deception . The Netflix motion-picture show play out like a proper documentary ; however , the premiss is support by contrived tales .
In the 1967 documentaryDon’t Look Back , D.A. Pennebaker highlights Dylan ’s phylogeny from folk vocaliser to rock and peal virtuoso . Nearly 40 years afterwards , Scorsese released the documentaryNo Direction Home , a four - hour exploration of Dylan ’s former years in Minnesota and rise to fame in New York City ’s Greenwich Village .
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tramp Thunder Revueincludes elusive references to both film , with Dylan himself contributing to the magical misdirection . The most blatant lies inRolling Thunder Revuedon’t necessarily devaluate the real case that take place , though . Here ’s how Scorsese and co. weaved together false narratives .
The Méliès Intro Sets Everything Up
Scorsese reveals the card up his arm inRolling Thunder Revue ’s opening shot . Black and white footage shows a witching act , in which a man makes a charwoman disappear . This sets up the film ’s principal title graphic,“Conjuring The Rolling Thunder Revue . ” ease up the celluloid ’s 142 - instant runtime , viewers may well forget about the all important first minute once the tour sequence begin . The Netflix doc ’s scuttle footage date back to the other daylight of read film history , and references a recent Scorsese picture .
roll Thunder Revue’sintro features none other than Georges Méliès , a French visionary and film pioneer who produced fantastical films during the other 20th century , including the iconicLe Voyage dans la Lune(see above ) . In Scorsese ’s 2011 filmHugo , Ben Kingsley ’s Papa Georges is revealed to be an old version of Méliès . WhileHugomostly follow the exploits of two kids in 1931 Paris , the thaumaturgy of movie theatre is a major theme .
WithRolling Thunder Revue , Scorsese directly auspicate a magical element by paying homage to a major intake . Some multitude may see a simple reference to the past , while others may overlook the moment entirely . But what ’s crucial is that Scorsese let out his hand from the start inRolling Thunder Revue ’s first minute .
Stefan Van Dorp Didn’t Film The Rolling Thunder Revue Tour
InRolling Thunder Revue , early narrative exposition reveals that a German filmmaker named Stefan Van Dorp document the tour . During interview , he brag about personal accomplishments , and suggests that he inspired Dylan to fume like a European . Van Dorp ’s voice can be heard in legion tour scenes , and his on - photographic camera interviews show a man that feels a heightened good sense of self - importance . But Van Dorp is n’t a real person . He ’s a character limn by Martin von Haselberg , the married man of singer Bette Midler ( who seem in one of the film ’s night club sequences ) . In real animation , von Haselberg has two point credit rating to his name .
Van Dorp represents the pretentious indie director . During interviews , the character muse about his motivations for shoot the hitch , and put forward that " I made an indictment of popular culture . " Meanwhile , Dylan ’s on - camera interview hold up the faux storyline , most notably when he talk over the creative conflict between Van Dorp and the late role player - author - directorSam Shepard . On a deep level , the Van Dorp character appears to reference the real - life-time fight between Dylan and Shepard while writing the 1978 filmRenaldo and Clara , which was produced during the real Rolling Thunder Revue turn . Many of Scorsese ’s documentary topic collaborated with Dylan forRenaldo and Clara , so Van Dorp seems to substantiate their real - life creative tension .
Jim Gianopulos Is Not A Concert Promoter
Much like Van Dorp , a guess concert booster named Jim Gianopulos speaks about his involvement with the Rolling Thunder Revue tour . In fact , he even states that “ it was kind of my theme . ” Gianopulos spill about the specifics of unionize such a tour , using a matter - of - fact tonicity to imply that he love exactly what he ’s talking about throughout the doc . In veridical life , though , Gianopulos is the current CEO of Paramount Pictures .
InRolling Thunder Revue , Gianopulos speaks with an east coast accent , and his cadence is similar to that of Scorsese , a New York native . It ’s almost like Gianopulos is a tie-up - in for the director , which makes perfect signified given that Scorsese often makes cameo in his fable films , dating all the way back to classic likeMean Streets , Taxi Driver , andRaging Bull , to name a few . ForRolling Thunder Revue , Gianopulos essentially functions as a fantastical Scorsese cameo .
Bob Dylan Wasn’t Inspired By KISS And Didn’t Date Sharon Stone
InRolling Thunder Revue ’s tour footage , Dylan wear make-up during the majority of the operation scenes . Aesthetically , this complements the circus - comparable nature of the tour of duty , as Dylan and admirer perform in smaller venues for a more intimate experience . For the Netflix doc , Scorsese connect Dylan ’s make-up with pop culture , as he magically incorporates two fictional subplots involve the lot KISS and actress Sharon Stone .
wander Thunder Revuespotlights the real - life violinist Scarlet Rivera , who supposedly dated KISS frontman Gene Simmons and take Dylan to a show in Queens . When discourse the concert in question and KISS ' famous look , Dylan states that “ I kind of register that away somewhere . ” However , osculate never performed in Queens during this prison term . Dylan ’s look paint from the Rolling Thunder Revue tour was inspired by the 1945 filmChildren of Paradise(Les Enfants du Paradis ) , and the documentaryRolling Thunder Revueis , in fact , a collection of outtake from Dylan ’s filmRenaldo and Clara .
As for Stone , she recalls attending a Dylan concert as an 18 - year - old , and forming a human relationship with the iconic instrumentalist when he comment about her KISS t - shirt . Stone also recalls the moment when she discovered that the call “ Just Like a Woman ” was n’t write specifically about her knowledgeable experience with Dylan , but rather indite years earlier . The actress ’ recollections are seamlessly incorporate intoRolling Thunder Revue , but none of them are honest . They ’re used to amplify the magical element .
Jack Tanner Isn’t A Real Politician
Scorsese injects a political narration intoRolling Thunder Revue , apparently for a commentary about American culture during the mid ‘ 70s . U.S. Representative Jack Tanner remembers attending a Dylan concert in Buffalo , and connect the experience to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter . Once again , Scorsese utilise movie history for a wizardly eddy inRolling Thunder Revue , as Tanner is actually the main character from Robert Altman ’s 1988 mockumentaryTanner ’ 88 . Actor Michael Murphy reprises his role inRolling Thunder Revue .
Given that Murphy , the actor , is n’t necessarily a household name , Scorsese can easily portray Tanner as an authoritative figure . With other fictional characters , Scorsese create connections to the music industriousness and papa civilization , so the inclusion of Tanner allow for an supererogatory layer of faux narrative deepness . Tanner represents a nod to the past ; a meta character who essentially blink at the audience while boosting the fantastical turn .
Bob Dylan’s Tales Are Part Of The Magic
InRolling Thunder Revue , Dylan speaks honestly about certain memories , all the while delivering a deadpan comedic performance when discussing the fictional characters . Early on , he states that the documentary itself is likely " about nothing " since the spell is just " something that happened 40 years ago . ” Over the years , Dylan has splendidly challenge journalist who apply convenient labels to make sense of his work and pop out culture relevancy , evidenced in both the aforementionedDon’t Look BackandNo Direction Home . InRolling Thunder Revue , Dylan once again fires back , but in a more insidious way . As he observe early on , “ life is about creating yourself , and creating thing . ”
When Dylan reflects on the tour of duty ’s aesthetics , there ’s a contact of snarky , deadpan humour when he notes that“We did n’t have enough masks on that tour . ” He later on talk about the tension between Shepard and the fancied Van Dorp , which is clearly a blanket for references to the creative endeavorRenaldo and Clara . Approximately one hour intoRolling Thunder Revue , Dylan discusses the late Allen Ginsberg , most notably the poet ’s dancing endowment and musical ambition . If one hear close , some of Dylan ’s words seem to be lyrically scripted , if only to reward the bequest of his late friend : Whitman said , “ I am large , I contain multitudes . ” / We still remember those personal line of credit today / Today ’s poet do n’t make into the public consciousness that way .
roll Thunder Revue ’s interviews are largely project , but the main people mostly play it straight . By the end , the fictional Van Dorp states “ I ’m the one who made this . I ’m the film producer here . “Rolling smack Revueincludes bewitching concert footage that long - time Dylan buff will appreciate , and the fake side - narrative allow everybody involved to have a small fun , all in the name of picture palace and magic .
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