''No Direction Home: Bob Dylan'' is a 2005

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

that traces the life of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, and his impact on 20th-century American popular music and culture. The film focuses on the period between Dylan's arrival in New York in January 1961 and his "retirement" from touring following his motorcycle accident in July 1966. This period encapsulates Dylan's rise to fame as a folk singer and songwriter where he became the center of a cultural and musical upheaval, and continues through the electric controversy surrounding his move to a rock style of music. The title of the film is taken from the lyrics of Dylan's 1965 single " Like a Rolling Stone".

Production and content

The film was first broadcast on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

in both the United States (as part of the '' American Masters'' series on PBS) and the United Kingdom (as part of the ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

'' series on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

) on September 26–27, 2005. A DVD version of the film and accompanying

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' ...

('' The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack'') were released that same month. The project began to take shape in 1995 when Dylan's manager, Jeff Rosen, began scheduling interviews with Dylan's friends and associates. Among those interviewed were poet

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

and folk musician

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of M ...

, both of whom died before the film was completed. Dylan's old girlfriend

Suze Rotolo Susan Elizabeth Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 25, 2011),''The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'', 2006, pp. 592–594, Michael Gray, Continuum known as Suze Rotolo ( ), was an American artist, and the girlfriend of Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1964. ...

also granted a rare interview, and she later told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' that she was very pleased with the project's results. Dylan himself also sat for ten hours in a relaxed and open conversation with Rosen in 2000. Other interviews with those who knew him at the time include

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

, Liam Clancy,

Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song " Midnight at the Oasis" and has ...

, Peter Yarrow, John Cohen, singer

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Duri ...

, artist

Bob Neuwirth Robert John Neuwirth (June 20, 1939May 18, 2022) was an American folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and visual artist. He was noted for being the road manager and associate of Bob Dylan, as well as the co-writer of Janis Joplin's hit ...

, guitarist/organist Al Kooper, and promoters like Harold Leventhal. Tom Nelson. Interviews with record industry A&R reps, promoters and executives

Izzy Young Israel Goodman Young (March 26, 1928 – February 4, 2019), known as Izzy Young, was a noted figure in the world of folk music, both in America and Sweden. He was once the owner of the Folklore Center in Greenwich Village, New York, and from 1973 ...

, Mitch Miller, John Hammond, Artie Mogul. Filmmaker

D. A. Pennebaker Donn Alan Pennebaker (; July 15, 1925 – August 1, 2019) was an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of direct cinema. Performing arts and politics were his primary subjects. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci ...

. According to ''Rolling Stone'', an unnamed source close to the project claimed that Dylan had no involvement with the project apart from the interview, saying that " ylanhas no interest in this . . . Bob truly does not look back." However, work on the first installment of Dylan's autobiography, '' Chronicles: Volume One'', did overlap production of the project, though it is unclear how much, if any, influence ''Chronicles'' may have had on ''No Direction Home''. Though raw material was being gathered for the project, Rosen needed someone to edit and shape it into a quality motion picture, and celebrated filmmaker

was approached to direct the documentary planned from the project. Scorsese eventually agreed and came aboard in 2001. In the meantime, Dylan's offices gathered hundreds of hours of historical film footage dating from the time covered in ''No Direction Home''. These included a scratchy recording of Dylan's high school rock band, his 1965

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

for

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

, and newly discovered footage of the famous Manchester Free Trade Hall concert from May 17, 1966, when an angry fan called out "Judas!" just before Dylan and the Hawks performed "Like a Rolling Stone". Shot by D. A. Pennebaker, the onstage color footage was found in 2004 in a pile of water-damaged film recovered from Dylan's vault. The cover photo on the DVD package, by Barry Feinstein, shows Dylan standing in front of the

Aust Ferry Aust Ferry or Beachley Ferry was a ferry service that operated across the River Severn between Aust and Beachley, both in Gloucestershire, England. Before the Severn Bridge opened in 1966, it provided service for road traffic crossing between ...

terminal in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of ...

, England, in May 1966, shortly before the opening of the Severn Bridge which replaced the ferry.

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews from film critics, as review aggregate website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

reported that 88% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 14 reviews.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...

'' gave the film four out of a possible four stars, stating that it "creates a portrait that is deep, sympathetic, perceptive and yet finally leaves Dylan shrouded in mystery, which is where he properly lives".

Accolades

The film received a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

in April 2006 and a Columbia-duPont Award in January 2007, and Martin Scorsese received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in direction for best long-form video.

Legacy

The documentary, describing the 1960 New York folk scene, served as an inspiration to

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

for his part in the

Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

' related drama ''

Inside Llewyn Davis ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' () is a 2013 period black comedy musical drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1961, the film follows one week in the life of Llewyn Davis, played by Oscar Isaac in his breakt ...

'' (2013). Scorsese would make a second documentary on Dylan fourteen years later, '' Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese'' (2019), this time chronicling his 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue concert tour.

Soundtrack

Part I

* Bob Dylan (live) – " Like a Rolling Stone" * Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps *

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

* Bob Dylan – " Tambourine Man" * Bobby Vee *

John Jacob Niles John Jacob Niles (April 28, 1892 – March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers," Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 195 ...

* Odetta * The Clancy Brothers *

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspire ...

– John Henry's Hammer *Woody Guthrie – " They Laid Jesus Christ in His Grave" *Bob Dylan (live) – " Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" *

– "What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby" *Ken Jacobs – "Star Spangled Death" *

New Lost City Ramblers The New Lost City Ramblers, or NLCR, was an American contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the folk revival. Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tom Paley were its founding members. Tracy Schwarz replaced Paley ...

*Bob Dylan – " Desolation Row" *

Brother John Sellers Brother John Sellers (May 27, 1924, Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States – March 27, 1999, Manhattan) was an American gospel and folk singer. Sellers played in gospel tent shows while young. He was discovered by Mahalia Jackson, who brought hi ...

* Peter La Farge * Cisco Houston *

* Liam Clancy *Bob Dylan (cover) – " Man of Constant Sorrow" *Bob Dylan – " Song to Woody" *

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internati ...

*Bob Dylan (cover) – "

Baby, Let Me Follow You Down "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" is a traditional folk song popularised in the late 1950s by blues guitarist Eric Von Schmidt. The song is best known from its appearance on Bob Dylan's debut album ''Bob Dylan''. Early years of the song The song was ...

" by Erich Von Schmidt *Bob Dylan (cover) – " House of the Rising Sun" *

*Bob Dylan – "

Let Me Die in My Footsteps "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in February 1962. The song was selected for the original sequence of Dylan's 1963 album '' The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'', but was replaced by "A Hard Rain's a-Gon ...

" *Bob Dylan – "

Blowin' in the Wind "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album '' The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions abou ...

" *Bob Dylan – "

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, recorded on November 14 that year, and released on the 1963 album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' and as the b-side of the ''Blowin' in the Wind'' single. The song was cov ...

" *Bob Dylan – "

A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is a song written by American musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962 and recorded later that year for his second album, ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' (1963). Its lyrical structure is modeled after ...

" *Bob Dylan – " Ballad of a Thin Man" *Bob Dylan – " Masters of War" *Bob Dylan – "

Oxford Town "Oxford Town" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in 1962. It was recorded in Columbia's Studio A on December 6, 1962, for his second album, ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan''. The song was composed in response to an open invita ...

" *

Florence Reece Florence Reece (April 12, 1900 – August 3, 1986) was an American social activist, poet, and folksong writer. She is best known for the song " Which Side Are You On?" which she originally wrote at the age of twelve while her father was out ...

– "

Which Side Are You On? "Which Side Are You On?" is a song written in 1931 by activist Florence Reece, who was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. Background In 1931, the miners and the mine owners in south ...

" *

The Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fr ...

– " Goodnight, Irene" *Pete Seeger – " If I Had a Hammer" *Bob Dylan – " With God on Our Side" *Bob Dylan – " When the Ship Comes In" *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

– "

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. The song remai ...

" * Howlin' Wolf *Bob Dylan – " Only a Pawn in Their Game" *Joan Baez & Bob Dylan (duet) – "With God on Our Side" *Joan Baez (cover) – "With God on Our Side" by Bob Dylan *Bob Dylan (from ''

Dont Look Back '' Look Back'' is a 1967 American documentary film directed by D. A. Pennebaker that covers Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in England. In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library ...

'') – " Subterranean Homesick Blues"

Part II

* Bob Dylan (live in London) – "

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan. It was originally recorded on August 2, 1965, and released on the album ''Highway 61 Revisited''. The song was later released on the compilation album '' Bob Dylan's Grea ...

" * Peter, Paul and Mary (cover) – "

" by Bob Dylan * Bob Dylan and Joan Baez (live at the

March on Washington The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic righ ...

) – " When the Ship Comes In" *Bob Dylan – "

" *Bob Dylan – " Chimes of Freedom Flashing" *Bob Dylan (Newport 1964) – " All I Really Want to Do" *

(cover) – "

" by Bob Dylan *Bob Dylan (Newport 1964) – " Mr. Tambourine Man" *Bob Dylan – "

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and first released on his 1965 album ''Bringing It All Back Home''. It was written in the summer of 1964, first performed live on October 10, 1964, and recorded on ...

" *Bob Dylan – " Gates of Eden" *Bob Dylan and Joan Baez (duet) – "

It Ain't Me Babe "It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the albu ...

" *Joan Baez (cover) – " With God on Our Side" by Bob Dylan *Bob Dylan (from documentary ''

'') – " Subterranean Homesick Blues" *Bob Dylan – " Ain't Gonna Work on Maggie's Farm" *Bob Dylan – "

Bob Dylan's 115th Dream "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his fifth album, ''Bringing It All Back Home''. In 2005, ''Mojo'' magazine rated the song as the 68th greatest Bob Dylan song. Themes The title alludes to an earlier Dylan song, "B ...

" *Bob Dylan – " Love Minus Zero/No Limit" *Joan Baez (live backstage) – " Percy's Song" *Joan Baez (live for the interviewer with acoustic guitar) – " Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" *Bob Dylan (studio version with Al Kooper on organ) – " Like a Rolling Stone" *Peter Paul & Mary *Bob Dylan (Live at Newport 1965, electric with the Bloomfield Blues Band) – " Maggie's Farm" *Bob Dylan (Live at Newport 1965, electric with the Bloomfield Blues Band) – "Like a Rolling Stone" *Bob Dylan (Acoustic encore – Live at Newport 1965) – " It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" *Bob Dylan – "

Highway 61 Revisited ''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on eve ...

" *Bob Dylan – " Ballad of a Thin Man" *Bob Dylan – " Desolation Row" *Bob Dylan – " It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" *Bob Dylan and the Band (live in London) – "

" *Bob Dylan and the Band (live in London) – "Tell Me, Momma" *Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan (backstage cover) – "Whiporwhill ( So Lonesome I Could Cry)" by Hank Williams *Bob Dylan – " Visions of Johanna" *Bob Dylan (live) – "Like a Rolling Stone"

Credits

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2005 films 2005 documentary films 2000s American films 2000s British films American Masters films BBC television documentaries Films about Bob Dylan Films directed by Martin Scorsese Films produced by Martin Scorsese Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video Peabody Award-winning broadcasts Rockumentaries