Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese review – a freewheeling treasure trove with masked intentions

Several minutes into Rolling Thunder Revue, Martin Scorsese’s documentary about Bob Dylan’s now legendary tour of the same name, the 78-year-old, Nobel Prize-winning musician appears on screen, framed in a neat close-up. Looking characteristically unhappy at being interviewed, he’s asked to put the tour into words. Stumbling for an answer, he settles on: “I’m trying to get to the core of what this Rolling Thunder thing is all about. And I don’t have a clue. Because it’s about nothing.”

Extending this description to Scorsese’s film, he appears to be both right and wrong. In one sense, Rolling Thunder is very much a straight documentary about Dylan’s 1975 US/Canada tour, following the release of his seminal album Blood on the Tracks. With a gypsy spirit, Dylan gathered up a rotating troupe of musicians, artists, and promoters and hit the road, the idea being to play shows in smaller towns that wouldn’t usually get a look in. Scorsese’s approach is to assemble intimate, vérité-style footage of said tour, intercut with new interviews with those who were there, including Joan Baez, and restored footage from the concerts. Dylan himself is on top-form in these moments. Face painted white, he delivers iconic songs such as “Just Like a Woman” and “Hurricane” with an apocalyptic intensity.

You could be forgiven for taking the whole thing at face value. But if there’s one thing this “documentary” reaffirms across the length of its 142 minute runtime, it’s that we each live behind masks. Peel back the layers and it’s obvious what we’re seeing here is less factual account and more playful art piece. Scorsese’s tendency to drop in footage from old movies hints at this intention. At his most mischievous, he inserts a clip of Dylan and Baez from an obscure feature but presents it as real life. Interviewees – such as one Stefan van Dorp – might not have actually been there. Many anecdotes are without evidence.

If this all sounds overtly meta, it doesn’t come across that way unless you go looking. The concert scenes, regardless of the framing device, speak for themselves. They are raw and passionate and brilliant. Those searching for a deeper insight into Dylan won’t find much to chew on, however. He remains as elusive as ever and – despite his presence as an interview subject – there’s a good chance he’s completely in on the joke. As the credits roll, and we see the cast listed as “Players,” it’s made clear Scorsese never meant Rolling Thunder Revue as gospel. True to Dylan, though, the mysteries only serve to make the film all that more fascinating to deconstruct.

★★★★☆

By: Tom Barnard

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