Thoughts on the Dylan and Springsteen Bio-pics
Last night, my brother, his wife,and I saw the new Bruce Springsteen film, Springsteen: Deliver me from nowhere. Like Taiwanese intestine stew, a delicacy I enjoyed yesterday afternoon at a local Chinese restaurant, this movie is not for everyone. In fact,I ran into my sister-in-law and her hubby coming out of a showing as I was headed in. She refused to tell me how she liked it, which told me all I needed to know. This morning, she confirmed by text message: “I am not a fan of this movie. In my opinion it would have been better if it covered different times in his career, ups and downs. I guess he wanted to expose mental health but too long and depressing.” I think this will be the reaction of many Bruce fans, who go in hoping for a concert wrapped in an upbeat story.
Instead they will get the closely-intertwined tales of the Boss’s battle with depression and the artistic process that went into creating the 1982 album Nebraska. My brother recalls how surprised he was, when he bought “Nebraska” 43 years ago. The cuts were recorded by Springsteen as demos. Then, when he felt that the studio versions lost the souls of the songs, he insisted on releasing them as is, and without any fanfare whatsoever. Since by ‘82 he had five albums, including “Born to Run,” “Darkness at the Edge of Town,” and “The River” under his belt, I guess he had the clout to get his way. And against all the odds, the folky, gritty acoustic release eventually climbed to #3 on the rock chart.
Meanwhile, the bossman moved from his native New Jersey to LA and got professional help for himself. The book on which the movie was made tells that story in even greater detail. I found the film far from boring. Seeing a dramatization —-exceptionally well acted by the entire cast —-of the creative process and its roots in personal suffering intrigued me. Most bio-pics are formulaic and leave me cold.
To her credit, my sister-in-law “really loved” last year’s A Complete Unknown and has seen it three times. I loved it too. The disparity of her views of the two films —-which, as I predict, will be shared by many viewers, especially diehard Bruce fans —- intrigues me. The similarities seem striking to my eyes. In “Unknown” we get an in-depth look at Dylan’s early years, culminating in 1965’s seminal album Highway 61 Revisited. In “Springsteen” we enter the Boss’s life and career after his first five albums, when he is already a national celebrity. In “Unknown” we enter Dylan’s life when he, too, has already achieved national recognition…via such releases as Masters of War. As a matter of fact, Dylan had exactly five albums to his credit, when he released “Highway 61” in the late summer of ‘65.
In Dylan’s case, “Highway 61” broke with the folk tradition and alienated early friends and mentors, such as Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. He risked losing his faithful followers in the folk scene and the anti-war movement. Instead, he broke new ground and rose to a whole new level of fame and fortune. The making of “Highway 61”, though not as carefully documented in the film as the making of “Nebraska” in “Springsteen,” is equally interesting to me. And both of these great artists —-arguably the most important singer-songwriters of their (and, just incidentally, my) time—-diverged from their genre at a moment in their careers when common sense and all their admirers and advisers urged them to stick with what was selling.
Even Bruce’s break-up with his girlfriend draws an unintended parallel to Dylan’s departure from Baez’s loving arms…. something she (like the Boss’s girl) never got over. (Witness Diamonds and Rust in 1975.)
I’m looking forward to the day, hopefully not far off, when both films will be streaming and I can do a double feature reprise here at home. Meanwhile, I commend them both to your attention. Enjoy!
