My contemporary argues that I'm Not There--certainly one of the best films of 2007--is the best biopic. I beg to differ.
Martin Scorsese's vastly underrated The Aviator and David Lean's classic Lawrence of Arabia are both better biopics than the admittedly awesome I'm Not There. What sets I'm Not There apart from other run-of-the-mill bullshit like Ray, Walk the Line, and Capote is exactly what stops it from being in the same league as The Aviator and Lawrence of Arabia. Haynes' goal seems to be to rip apart the conventions of the genre and build it back up again with six different actors representing different stages of Dylan's career, his personality, and his myth. This technique is far from a gimmick, allowing the viewer to understand Dylan as an impression rather than a single figure. However, both The Aviator and Lawrence of Arabia capture the impression of their subjects (largely due to, especially in the case of Lawrence of Arabia , perfect film craft) yet also allow the viewer to relate and simultaneously despise their subjects. In I'm Not There the emotional attachment a viewer makes to any number of the six representations of Dylan is made specifically to that characterized representation, not Dylan himself. Both Scorsese and Lean operate within the typical dramatic arc sans the bullshit Hollywood ending. In the last shot of The Aviator we see Howard Hughes falling back into his world of madness and despair, a far cry from Ray Charles awkwardly crying in the Georgia Capital, or even a shot of the real Dylan blasting his harmonica at the end of I'm Not There. Both Scorsese and Lean bring a much desired edge to their films that is simply not found in any other biopic.
I must say though, the sequence in I'm Not There where Jim James is in white face and singing Goin' to Acapulco is one of the single greatest film moments in 2007.
Top 8 Film Moments of 2007:
8. Death of the dog in I am Legend.
7. Call it.
6. The death of the mother in 28 Weeks Later.
5. Goin' to Acapulco in I'm Not There.
4. Opening credit poll dance in Planet Terror.
3. I. Drink. Your. Milkshake.
2. The funeral in The Darjeeling Limited.
1. Where did Anton Chigurh go? in No Country For Old Men.
EDIT! David's addendum to best moments of '07.
10. Viggo's fight in the bathhouse in Eastern Promises.
9. I've abandoned my boy!
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4 comments:
Touche James, I should have been more clear. When I said I'm Not There is the best biopic, I was still speaking from the historical perspective (and sorry historians, but it places first in that regard for its disregard in pleasing you all).
I completely agree with the point about audience emotion attachment in I'm Not There (see my review for more).
Nice Moments list too!
Addendum: if I may, allow me to round out your list to a full 10.
10. Viggo's fight in the bathhouse.
9. I've Abandoned my Son!
I completely forgot about the fight in the bath house in Eastern Promises. That should definitely be higher up my list.
Oh yeah, Raging Bull too. That's a good picture.
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