How This Compares to Bob Dylan's Real Life

Warning: This post contains spoilers for A Complete Stranger
Directed and co-written by James Mangold, A complete stranger
ends differently. Unlike other biopics about musicians, the Bob Dylan film focuses primarily on the acclaimed singer-songwriter's rise to fame in the 1960s, culminating in Dylan's performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. A complete strangerTimothée Chalamet's reviews were mostly positive, and the film, notably Timothée Chalamet's portrayal of Dylan, attracted awards attention. From his arrival in New York City in 1961 to playing sold-out shows, Dylan's rise as a folk star is well established in the film, alongside his friendly-turned-controversial relationship with Pete Seeger.

A complete stranger ends with Bob Dylan performing at the Newport Folk Festival. Unlike previous years, however, Dylan had an electric guitar and a blues band with him. This was met with consternation – by folk fans in the audience, who booed, and by Seeger, who tried to cut the cables. Dylan only played a few songs before leaving the stage, frustrated with the reception of his music. Afterwards, Dylan visits Woody Guthrie in the hospital, while Guthrie's song, “So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh,” plays in the background. Guthrie watches Dylan leave on his motorcycle.

Why the Crowd Booed Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival

Bob Dylan's performance is now legendary

In A complete strangerThe Newport Folk Festival was a turning point in Bob Dylan's career. Before that, the singer was mainly known for being a folk performer and his set was considered a watershed in the trajectory of his music. Considering that “folk” was in the name of the festival, the audience booed Dylan because he wasn't playing what was essentially promised. Dylan played an electric guitar, which alienated the folk purists in the crowd. Not everyone had the same reaction, however, with many people also cheering. But the crowd's boos stemmed from anger and frustration at Dylan's changing sound.

In reality, there were other reasons – besides outrage – for the crowd to boo Dylan at the festival. Others who attended the festival that year argued that some of the booing was due to poor sound quality.as the amplification of electrical sound reportedly made it difficult to hear the lyrics, and Dylan's set was short (via Denver Folk Center). The singer played just three songs that year before leaving, while other musicians' shows were much longer. Still, the general feeling of betrayal was, as the film suggests, the main reason for the public's discontent with Dylan.

What Happens After Bob Dylan's Mysterious Motorcycle Ride Explained

The motorcycle incident is not depicted on screen

A complete stranger it has a way of including some things that actually happened without necessarily expanding on them. For example, Chalamet's Bob Dylan is shown riding his motorcycle before the screen fades to black. It's a bit mysterious, but the timing is intentional, as in real life Dylan was in a motorcycle accident. The accident happened in the summer of 1966a year after their performance at the Newport Folk Festival. The accident occurred near Woodstock, New York and Dylan revealed that he broke some vertebrae in his neck.

The exact details of the incident are unclear, as Dylan did not go to the hospital. A complete strangerDylan's ending alludes to Dylan's motorcycle accident and is a meaningful way to conclude the film, considering the accident is as mysterious as Dylan himself. Crucially, is a prop for his career in the 60s, as the musician retreated from the public eye from then on and rarely made public appearances. Dylan would not tour again for another eight years after his motorcycle accident, although he never stopped recording new music.

Has Bob Dylan returned to perform at the Newport Folk Festival?

Bob Dylan has a very long absence

Yes, Bob Dylan Finally Returned to Perform at the Newport Folk Festival. However, following his controversial performance at the festival in 1965, Dylan would not return to the festival stage for another 37 years. In 2002, Dylan made his triumphant return, this time playing a much longer set – which lasted a few hours and included new songs and beloved classics. Interestingly, Dylan took the stage wearing a fake beard, a cowboy hat and a wig. The musician's 2002 return to the Newport Folk Festival wasn't supposed to be annual, and he still hasn't returned.

What happens to Joan Baez and Pete Seeger after the movie

Following the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Joan Baez would publish her first memoir in 1968. She continued releasing music, including five separate albums before 1970. Baez would close out the 1960s with an appearance at the 1969 Woodstock festival, playing a 13-song set. She met her future husband, David Harris, in 1967 and the two married in 1968 after just three months of dating. Baez welcomed their son, Gabriel, in December 1969. Although her romantic relationship with Bob Dylan was no longer working by the mid-1960s, they toured together into the 1970s.

As for Pete Seeger, the folk singer released the album God bless the grassdedicated exclusively to environmental activismin 1966. Seeger also released anti-war songs such as “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” and participated in the 1969 Vietnam Moratorium March to protest the Vietnam War. With his wife in 1966, Seeger founded the nonprofit Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to preserve and clean the Hudson River. After Dylan went electric at the 1965 Newport Film Festival, the friendship between him and Seeger soured. Seeger wrote an apologetic note to Dylan in 1990 to explain his position.

Who Elle Fanning's Sylvie Rosso Is Based On and Why Her Name Is Different, Explained

In A complete strangerElle Fanning plays Sylvie Rosso, Bob Dylan's girlfriend in the 1960s. Although Sylvie as a character is fictional, she is based on Dylan's real-life girlfriend Suze Rotolowhich appeared on Dylan's 1963 album, The Free Bob Dylan. Dylan and Rotolo dated for years, from 1961 to 1964, and she is considered a major influence on his music at the time. Suze's name was changed for the musical biopic because Dylan himself requested it (via Rolling Stone).

In his memoir, Rotolo wrote that it became difficult to deal with the pressure of being in Dylan's life and everything that went along with it. She was so tied to Dylan's musical career that it was difficult to separate herself from her. Rotolo wanted to be known as someone outside of Dylan and wrote that she was not just a “string on Dylan's guitar.”

What a complete stranger leaves out about Bob Dylan's life

Because Mangold's film focuses on Dylan's life and career during the first half of the 1960s, he leaves out much about the musician's life. Even some of the events depicted A complete stranger are made with a touch of creative freedom and alterations. That is, however, the biopic leaves out information about Dylan's childhood and family. We know almost nothing about the singer's life before he arrived in New York, other than his birth name, which Sylvie discovers.

It also leaves out Suze Rotolo's sister Carla, who didn't like Dylan, as well as the tension Dylan had with Rotolo's family and Rotolo's miscarriage, and Dylan being interested in Baez's sister before the musical duo became romantic. Interestingly, A complete stranger removes Sara Lownds, Dylan's first wife, from the film fully. By 1965, Lownds and Dylan were not only married, but expecting their first child together. The film suggests that Sylvie (Suze) attended the 1965 Newport Folk Festival with Dylan, but they had broken up a year earlier.

A complete stranger adds things that may not have happened or didn't happen the way they were portrayed on screen, like Johnny Cash at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival or Dylan and Baez's argument on stage before the former left (which supposedly never happened). The film changes the circumstances of Dylan's first meeting with Seeger and Guthrie - it was not at the hospital where Guthrie was a patient - leaving out the friend who accompanied Dylan to New York. Even someone shouting “Judas!” in Dylan during the Newport Folk Festival took place at a different event in England.

Why James Mangold's Biopic Only Focuses on Bob Dylan's 1960s Career

Bob Dylan was one of the best-known voices of his generation and was no more a prominent figure than in the 1960s, when his music had a significant impact – from protest songs to his move into rock. Dylan's early career and life in the public eye - as is the case with most popular artists - is one of his best remembered. The fact that the '60s brought Dylan's career dynamic amid social change, protests, and anti-war movements was probably what impressed Mangold.

A complete stranger Being loosely based on Elijah Wald's book, which highlights the Newport Folk Festival and Dylan Going Electric, is a draw for the film's focus. Dylan's 1965 performance is a legendary night and Mangold used it to heighten the tension. Focusing on just one decade of Dylan's life, A complete stranger was able to enhance the musician's success and relationships that shaped his early years. It was a period when the singer was really finding his voice, making it an engaging focal point and entry into Dylan's world.

The true meaning of a complete unknown's ending

A complete stranger follows the musician through various stages of being unknown. At first, he is literally a “complete unknown,” but that changes as he begins performing at folk venues, at festivals, and with Joan Baez. However, at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Dylan's transition from unknown to well-known was complete, as his foray into rock had a huge impact on the advancement of the genre. His fame was already growing, but Dylan's decision to explore more than just folk music solidified him as a musical legend. The ending showed its effect on the audience, maintaining a sense of mystery.