Masked And Anonymous – undervalued film and album

A recent showing of Masked And Anonymous on late night TV was a reminder that the mixed critical response it had on release undervalued a little gem of art-house cinema. Despite a few longueurs, the film is compelling viewing. And you can’t take your eyes off the Main Man.

The viewing confirmed for me the judgments made in a review of the movie (see below) posted on www.musicforgrownups.co.uk, The Dylan Daily’s sister site, at the time of release.

Rediscovering the CD was a joy, too. Apart from the quartet of strong performances by Dylan’s luminous Campbell/Sexton band, it has several outstanding covers – the Italian rap version of Like A Rolling Stone (Come Una Pietra Scalciata) ranks in my top 10 Dylan retreads.




Masked And Anonymous - Dylan's most convincing movie

SGM writes:
Masked And Anonymous is an enjoyable movie, far more convincing than all of Dylan's other acting appearances on celluloid, notably Hearts of Fire. I'll be buying it on the day it gets DVD release.

Judging it against standard Hollywood blockbusters, you'd come away disappointed. No car chases, no hi-tech special effects, no dumbed-down script aimed at Beavis in Akron OH, no significant love interest, no happy ending.

But if you're a fan of good independent cinema - low budget, cerebral productions like the Europeans made after WW2, with a number of our US directors aping them in the 1970s - aimed at intelligent art house audiences, the chances are you'll love this film. Especially if you're a Dylan fan.

The script is well written, with a gravitas worthy of its main actor - I found myself on the edge of my seat, anxious not to miss a single word of dialogue. Every word counts. The themes broached in the movie are the big ones Dylan addresses in his music.

Acting is convincing - you get emotionally involved with the oddball characters. Goodman and The Dude are splendid, and you don't take your eyes off Bobbie whenever he's on camera.

Direction and editing is strong, with barely a wasted second of footage in over 100 minutes. The film skilfully evokes a dislocated, familiar-yet-exotic time and place. There are some lovely sight gags - the sight of "the Pope" eating a slice of pizza, just out of focus behind the main action, while networking with "Mahatma Ghandi", is particularly memorable. The soundtrack CD is top class; the film has Dylan and his regular band performing their CD tracks live, on a sound stage.

There's only one (admittedly vital) weakness preventing Masked And Anonymous achieving instant classic status - the essentially trivial milieu (preparations for a charity rock concert, thus show business) in which it's set.

Masked And Anonymous is a must-see for all Dylan fans. You will not be disappointed.