If you’ve seen or read reviews of filmmaker James Mangold’s Bob Dylan goes electric film, “A Complete Unknown,” you know it features incredible performances by its entire cast: Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, Edward Norton as folk legend and Dylan mentor Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie.
And yeah, there will likely be Oscar nominations for most of them, including Chalamet, Norton, Fanning, and Barbaro. But even more impressive is the singing and performing, which the entire cast does live (Mangold has even talked about Chalamet pre-recorded all his singing first and had meant to lip-synch himself live during filming, but it wasn’t working; they weren’t feeling it, said fuck it, and just did it live).
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“To me, there was only one way to make this film — to cast actors that are profoundly talented, ambitious (and brave enough!) to inhabit the whole of the artists they would portray,” Mangold said in a statement. “And in order to inhabit that world, those artists had to be able to sing the songs; we were never out to replace the power, beauty and majesty of what exists, but rather, to celebrate it.”
Chalamet basically trained for five years on guitar because of all the postponements that delayed the movie—COVID, the writer’s and actor’s strike, etc.— so his technique and playing are superb, and it really shows in the film. Likewise, Barbaro’s voice is as stunning as Joan Baez, a whopping tour de force, so honestly, they should get nominations based on their singing and musicality alone.
Anywhoo, that’s a long way of saying while the “A Complete Unknown” soundtrack isn’t out physically until December 24, the same day the movie comes out, it’s available now digitally; you can hear most of it online on YouTube for free (check it out below) and a limited-edition vinyl hits on January 24 via Columbia records.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
New York, 1961. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide. Timothée Chalamet stars and sings as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, the electric true story behind the rise of one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history.
A Complete Unknown (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Tracklisting:
1. Highway 61 Revisited – Timothée Chalamet
2. Mr. Tambourine Man – Timothée Chalamet
3. I Was Young When I Left Home – Timothée Chalamet
4. Girl From The North Country – Timothée Chalamet & Monica Barbaro
5. Silver Dagger – Monica Barbaro
6. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall – Timothée Chalamet
7. Wimoweh (Mbube) – Edward Norton
8. House Of The Rising Sun – Monica Barbaro
9. Folsom Prison Blues – Boyd Holbrook
10. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Timothée Chalamet & Monica Barbaro
11. Masters Of War – Timothée Chalamet
12. Blowin’ In The Wind – Timothée Chalamet & Monica Barbaro
13. Subterranean Homesick Blues – Timothée Chalamet
14. Big River – Boyd Holbrook
15. The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Timothée Chalamet
16. When The Ship Comes In – Timothée Chalamet & Edward Norton
17. There But For Fortune – Monica Barbaro
18. It Ain’t Me, Babe – Timothée Chalamet & Monica Barbaro
19. Maggie’s Farm – Timothée Chalamet
20. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry – Timothée Chalamet
21. Like A Rolling Stone – Timothée Chalamet
22. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – Timothée Chalamet
23. Song To Woody – Timothée Chalamet
