Don’t Look Back - De Luxe 2DVD box surpasses the hype

Having documented the difficulties of buying the De Luxe version of Don’t Look Back 2DVD, and whining that, after several weeks of non-availability, it had become available in London, but was too pricey, I finally took possession.

What a marvellous product – surpassing the hype! Before release, The Dylan Daily predicted that “it looks like the product of the year”; in fact, it’s more than that – it’s one of the finest Dylan products of all, for five reasons:

* new second DVD, the Pennebaker documentary, with loads of new footage shot on the 1965 English tour, including a whole album’s worth of newly available live performances.

* audio extras – five songs - on the main disc.

* re-published 1968 paperback, incorporating full transcript and photos.

* revealing commentaries by Pennebaker and Neuwirth embedded on both discs.

* beautiful packaging – it’s the handsomest Dylan artefact yet.

I bought my copy of this cherished product via amazon.co.uk Marketplace dealer Record Village, for a mere £15.41, delivered. New, shrink-wrapped, plus fast delivery, from stock: after earlier disappointments with bigger online dealers, I’ll be putting more business their way.



Gerry Smith

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Earlier article on The Dylan Daily:


Don’t Look Back on DVD - biggest Dylan event of 2007 to date

The DVD re-release of Don’t Look Back, the classic fly-on-the-wall documentary, looks like being the biggest Dylan event of 2007 to date. Pre-orders on amazon.com have already put it inside the online retailer’s top 10,000 DVD titles.

The film tracks Dylan at his iconic, sneering, imperious peak (as well as his court of jesters) on the 1965 English tour. It has long been a must-have for aficionados.

There’ll be two new DVD versions of Don’t Look Back – a single disc release of the original film, remastered, plus a new 2DVD package:

Disc 1:
* Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
* Commentary by director D.A. Pennebaker and tour road manager Bob Neuwirth
* Five additional uncut audio tracks
* Alternate version of the Subterranean Homesick Blues cue-card sequence
* Original theatrical trailer
* Pennebaker filmography
* Bob Dylan discography
* Cast and crew biographies

Disc 2:
* Bob Dylan 65 Revisited – new documentary compiled by Pennebaker from over 20 hours of unseen footage
* Commentary by Pennebaker and road manager Bob Neuwirth
* book (168pp) including a complete transcript, over 200 photos, and a new foreword by Pennebaker
* Collectible Subterranean Homesick Blues flipbook

Don’t Look Back on DVD is due for release in N America on 27 February, so presumably in the UK on Mon 26 February or Mon 5 March.

It’s a must-buy, even for those like me who’ve had the VHS and original DVD versions for years – a well-conceived new product, with loads of added value in the new two-disc package.



Gerry Smith