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Timothee Chalamet tackles his most audacious performance yet, playing legendary folk musician Bob Dylan at the crux of his controversial rock music era. This is the 1st teaser for A Complete Unknown.
The brief, but atmospheric, trailer is narrated by 50s folk music icon Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) telling the story of how he once met a young folk singer named Bob Dylan (Chalamet). Dylan serenades an audience to “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”, as the trailer intersperses images of Dylan’s life including his courtship of artist Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), his infamous motorcycle accident, and his controversial change to rock music.
A Complete Unknown (2024) – source: Searchlight Pictures
The trailer ends by flashing back to a younger Dylan, playing the 1st draft of the song to an awestruck Seeger, heralding the humble beginnings to one of America’s most influential musicians.
The purpose of this brief teaser was largely to highlight lead star Chalamet’s impressive transformation into the legendary singer. And by golly, did it deliver. From his curly hair to his trademark soulful rasp, A Complete Unknown’s creative team has pulled no punches in recreating Dylan’s life.
On the heels of Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman & Elvis, there’s been a recent trend of musical biopics portraying their subjects as larger-than-life icons, analogous to superheroes. Director James Mangold, a master of mining quiet moments in a blockbuster world, has consciously chosen a homier approach that perfectly captures Bob Dylan’s origin as a small-town Americana folk hero.
The film’s decision to focus on Dylan’s eventual musical foray into mass-market rock suggests a focus on the American culture’s societal shift and Dylan’s part in it, already a unique take on the increasingly formulaic genre. While A Complete Unknown doesn’t offer a feast for the eyes like many of its spectacle-focused peers, the 1st teaser laid the groundwork to get a whole new generation falling in love with an American national treasure.
Directed by James Mangold, A Complete Unknown will release theatrically in the US this December. The movie stars Timothee Chalamet in the lead role.
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