If you have nothing planned for this Wednesday, head over to the Avon Cinema and take in the new Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” with Timothée Chalamet acting and singing.
In 1961, unknown 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York City with his guitar. He forges relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking performance that reverberates worldwide.
For us, this is local history. The Dylan goes electric story was huge and garnered a fair amount of publicity for the nascent Newport Folk Festival. (One wonders: How might this movie be influencing plans for next summer?)
This movie is probably review-proof, but here’s one from Slate.
[Update: Held over to January 23.]
Running time: 2 hours 21 minutes. Rated R. Photo from Searchlight.
Opens December 25, Avon Cinema, 26o Thayer Street, (directions)
**********************************************
Don’t go crazy looking for familiar locations; filming took place in Cape May, New Jersey. Below are screen grabs from a local videographer, Wildwood Video Archive. (This gentleman seems to think the ’65 festival was famous because Dylan introduced a new song.)
I can’t find any info on the Viking Motel and it’s exact relationship to the current Viking Hotel.
Chalamet on motorcycle. Those street lights seem way too quaint for Newport in the ’60s. Maybe I’m wrong.
***************************
And keep in mind that none of this took place anywhere near Fort Adams. In 1965 the festival moved from Freebody Park in town, to a field which would become known as Festival Field, where it remained till 1971. After some time off, the festival returned to Newport in 1985 and has been held at Fort Adams ever since.