I've always liked the way that Bob Dylan has played with the "messiah" label that has been affixed to him since the early Sixties. Take, for instance, the song "Jokerman." Is it about Bob, or is it about Jesus? Most likely, it's about their relationship to each other. How about "Shelter from the Storm," with it's illustrations of innocence "repaid with scorn," and garments divided amongst scoundrels in a hilltop town? Then there's Dylan's relentless itinerancy, his enigmatic moralising (listen to "Ring them Bells") and the weight of his Jewish ancestry combined with a born-again Christian zeal. It's no wonder that he's been saddled with messianic names and expectations (although, to be fair, he has also been called "Judas," a slur which he brushed off with a sneering "I don't believe you. You're a liar," and an exhortation for the band to play the next song "fucking loud.").
The difference is, of course, that Dylan knows he's not even a prophetic seer, let alone Jesus Christ (this might be a shock to some diehard Dylanologists) - just listen to "It Ain't Me Babe." But that hasn't stopped him from having a little fun with the comparisons, most recently in the delightfully messy movie "Masked and Anonymous." Dylan plays Jack Fate, a once legendary folk singer who's sprung from jail in his autumn years to play a benefit concert for some undisclosed cause. It's a weird, new America in which Fate emerges, fraught with violence and revolution-in-the-air. He immediately finds himself surrounded by beggars, hangers-on, critics and detractors, some who hope that he'll bring some peace, some who use him for their own selfish ambitions.
Anyways, I hope some of you see it; I'd be curious to hear what you think. Be prepared though, this ain't your typical Hollywood fare, despite the bigtime cast (Val Kilmer, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Angela Bassett, Luke Wilson, Cheech Marin, Ed Harris, Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange). The film feels more like a visual version of "Blonde on Blonde," or "Highway 61 Revisited"; it's oddly paced, verbose and arcane, and populated with characters straight from "Desolation Row."
The difference is, of course, that Dylan knows he's not even a prophetic seer, let alone Jesus Christ (this might be a shock to some diehard Dylanologists) - just listen to "It Ain't Me Babe." But that hasn't stopped him from having a little fun with the comparisons, most recently in the delightfully messy movie "Masked and Anonymous." Dylan plays Jack Fate, a once legendary folk singer who's sprung from jail in his autumn years to play a benefit concert for some undisclosed cause. It's a weird, new America in which Fate emerges, fraught with violence and revolution-in-the-air. He immediately finds himself surrounded by beggars, hangers-on, critics and detractors, some who hope that he'll bring some peace, some who use him for their own selfish ambitions.
Anyways, I hope some of you see it; I'd be curious to hear what you think. Be prepared though, this ain't your typical Hollywood fare, despite the bigtime cast (Val Kilmer, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Angela Bassett, Luke Wilson, Cheech Marin, Ed Harris, Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange). The film feels more like a visual version of "Blonde on Blonde," or "Highway 61 Revisited"; it's oddly paced, verbose and arcane, and populated with characters straight from "Desolation Row."