Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for A Complete Stranger!
A complete stranger tells a fun story about folk singer-turned-rocker Bob Dylan, but the film changes many details about the musician, his relationships and his career. Bob Dylan is one of the most fascinating musicians of all time due to his enigmatic image and his profound impact on the folk and rock 'n' roll musical genres. Unsurprisingly, several films and documentaries have focused on the singer, including the 2024 musical biopic A Complete Unknown.
The film follows the life of Bob Dylan in the 1960s, uncovering the immense resistance he experienced when transitioning from acoustic to electric instruments. As shown in A Complete Unknown, this decision angered popular purists who saw him as a traitor. Although the central elements of the narrative correspond to the real story, the film fabricates, alters or omits important details about Bob Dylan's life.
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Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash met before the 1964 Newport Folk Festival
Dylan and Cash's first meeting at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival is a myth
The friendship between Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan is one of the few relationships in A complete stranger this offers a strong insight into Dylan's mind. They exchange letters until they finally meet in real life at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. This storyline is not a blatant change because this version is actually a common myth that fans believe. However, this was debunked by both Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash's son.
During his eulogy, which Rolling Stone published, Bob Dylan revealed that the friends first met in 1962 or 1963, which would mean they already knew each other personally before the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. This matches the story Johnny Cash's son told during a Reddit AMA .
At AMA (via Uproxx), John Carter Cash said that in the early 1960s, his father met Bob Dylan in a New York hotel room after exchanging letters for some time. Dylan allegedly ran into the bedroom and started jumping on the bed, saying: “I met Johnny Cash. I met Johnny Cash” – a hilarious and relatable response. Although it does not specify the year, it confirms that the first meeting was not at the festival.
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Bob Dylan Didn't Meet Joan Baez Before She Became Famous
Joan Baez was a best-selling musician at the time she met Bob Dylan
In A complete strangerJoan Baez and Bob Dylan are independent artists when they meet at an open mic night. Baez has an agent but has not yet been signed to a record label. The fact that they are both emerging artists is a uniting factor for the duo. However, this is far from reality. When Dylan and Baez met, the “Barefoot Madonna” was already an internationally famous folk singer.
According to Bethel Woods Arts CenterBaez's professional career began in 1959, when popular folk singer Bob Gibson invited her to sing with him at the Newport Folk Festival. She appeared on stage without shoes, which is why she got her nickname. After the performance, Vanguard Records and Capitol Records battled to sign the rising star, with Baez choosing the former. His 1960 self-titled album went gold and ended up spending 140 weeks in the Billboard Top 200. Between 1960 and 1964, all of Baez's albums became bestsellers, so she clearly had a leg up on Bob Dylan when she met him in 1961.
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Bob Dylan met Suze Rotolo when she was a teenager
Suze Rotolo was 17 and Bob Dylan was 20 when they met
Although they sometimes present Bob Dylan as an idiot, A complete stranger leaves out some of the more questionable details about the musician. In the film, Dylan meets a young woman named Sylvie Russo, who works for a social justice organization, and they begin a relationship. THE A complete stranger the character Sylvie Russo is based on Suze Rotolo, a Greenwich Village artist who was just 17 when she met 20-year-old Bob Dylan (via The New York Times). In his memoirs, Dylan described her as “the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen.”
Attitudes around a 20 year old and 17 year old dating and moving into an apartment together vary greatly from person to person based on cultural and social attitudes, so it was probably a better idea that A complete stranger it seemed to age the character. Elle Fanning doesn't look 17, so some viewers are less likely to feel uncomfortable.
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Peter, Paul and Mary helped make Bob Dylan famous
The Folk Trio helped the public hear Bob Dylan's music
When Bob Dylan starts trying to make a name for himself in A complete strangerhe gives his songs to Joan Baez, who helps popularize his music. That's not false, but it leaves out another folk group that had an equally big impact on Bob Dylan's story – Peter, Paul and Mary. The trio, formed in 1961, consisted of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers.
The wildly popular group covered “Blowin' in the Wind” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard pop chart, exposing Dylan's work to new audiences. They then performed the song at the March on Washington as well, increasing its reach. This was a significant deal, as Bob Dylan's version of the song did not chart. Ultimately, Dylan might not have seen the same kind of success as an artist if it weren't for the help of more established musicians like Joan Baez and Peter, Paul, and Mary.
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Bob Dylan married a woman shortly after breaking up with Joan Baez
Bob Dylan married Sara Lownds in November 1965
The separation between Bob Dylan and Joan Baez happened suddenly, and the consequences were incredibly complicated. Baez has discussed many times how heartbroken she felt about Dylan ending it. However, one thing rubbed salt into the wound – Bob Dylan's sudden and surprising marriage to Sara Lownds (née Shirley Marlin Noznisky).
The pair began having an affair in 1964, when Dylan was still with Baez and possibly Rotolo (depending on when in the year Lownds reunited with Dylan). Dylan's tour manager, Victor Maymundes, alleges that Dylan said he married Lownds instead of Baez because “Sara will be home when I want her to be home, she will be there when I want her to be, she will do it when I want her to. Joan won't be there when I want her. She won't do it when I want“(through Far Out Magazine).
This is another case where details that could have made Dylan look bad didn't come up. A complete strangerwhich lends credence to the claim that the film is more of a hagiography than a biopic.
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Pete Seeger Had No Problem With Bob Dylan’s “Going Electric”
Seeger has repeatedly stated that he had no problem with Dylan playing electric guitar in Newport
Another example of A complete stranger telling the popular version of the story, even if it's not entirely accurate, is Pete Seeger's reaction to Bob Dylan playing an electric set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The myth goes that Seeger was so furious that Dylan was using electric instruments that he had threw a tantrum backstage and tried to hit the power cables with an axe. However, Seeger wrote a postcard to Dylan sometime in the 1990s, clarifying what really happened (via Far Out Magazine). This is what he said:
“Bob! Someone just told me that you also think I didn't like the fact that you went electric in 1965. I've denied it so many times. I was furious about the distorted sound – no one could understand the words to 'Maggie's Farm.' – and I ran up to the people controlling the public address system. 'No, that's how they want it,' they said. 'If I had an axe, I'd cut the cable,' and I think that's what was quoted. My big My mistake was not challenging the few fools who booed from the stage. I should have said, 'Howlin Wolf goes electric, why can't Bob?' Anyway, keep going. Best regards, Pete.
Ultimately, there are a few reasons why James Mangold may have included the mythologized version of events. The most likely answer is that he thought Seeger's exaggerated response better captured the story from Bob Dylan's perspective. Alternatively, he could have shown Pete Seeger getting nervous and trying to stop the music because it added more tension and drama to the film's climax. In both cases, the backstage commotion gives Dylan's choice to play electric music a greater impact on A complete stranger.
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Bob Dylan didn’t come up with the police whistle idea for “Highway 61 Revisited”
Al Kooper provided the police whistle for the recording
During an exclusive Q&A session on December 18, 2024, with the director and cast of A complete strangerfor which a Screen Rant member was present, Mangold said he wanted to move away from the enigmatic image of Bob Dylan. However, A complete stranger Comments pointed out that this was unsuccessful. One of the few moments where Dylan's personality is most noticeable is when he is recording “Highway 61 Revisited”.
At the beginning of the film, Dylan had already purchased a police whistle and decided to use it during the song, showing his foolishness. However, in real life, it wasn't Dylan who had the idea of using a police whistle. According to Rolling StoneAl Kooper used to wear a police whistle around his neck for use in drug situations. He suggested that Bob Dylan play the whistle instead of the harmonica.
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The “Judas” moment happened during a 1966 show
An audience member shouted “Judas” before Dylan’s performance of “Like A Rolling Stone”
At the end of A complete strangeran audience member yells “Judas” at Bob Dylan during the intro to “Like a Rolling Stone” because he is playing electric instead of acoustic. In response, he says, “I don’t believe you.” Then he turns to his band and says, “Play it loud.” This corresponds almost beat for beat to the true moment in rock 'n' roll history. After the real-life audience chanted Judas, Dylan responded, “I don't believe you. You are a liar. Play it loud.”
Other than the removal of profanity, there is just one major difference between the film and the real incident. The Judas moment came almost a year after the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when Bob Dylan was playing in Manchester. Ultimately, this change makes sense from a narrative perspective because the question and response are iconic. It almost wouldn’t feel right to have a Bob Dylan movie without the “Judas” situation.
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Bob Dylan didn't talk to Johnny Cash at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival
Johnny Cash did not attend the 1965 Newport Folk Festival
One of the most significant moments A complete stranger occurs when Bob Dylan meets Johnny Cash while considering whether to play electric or acoustic. He wants to present his new style, but the festival board encourages him to make acoustic folk music. Cash gives him a vote of confidence, saying he wants to hear the song Dylan wants to play. This moment shows the unconditional support of the friendship and helps Dylan feel confident in his decision.
Despite its narrative significance, this interaction never happened in real life because Johnny Cash was not at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The scene may have been created because Mangold wanted to show that Cash supported Dylan's music, which was true. The country singer wrote a letter to the editor of Broadside magazine telling everyone to stop complaining about Bob Dylan's music and let him sing the music he likes (via Far Out Magazine). Taking this into consideration, the scene in A complete stranger it feels emotionally true, even if it is factually inaccurate.