MOVIE REVIEW: Eat The Document (1972)

I am a Dylan fan. In fact, I am a mega Dylan fan, as many of you who read my blog will know. He has impacted my life more profoundly than any other famous person has, dead or alive. I became hooked on him a few years ago after listening to Another Side of Bob Dylan and Blonde on Blonde (which is still my favourite album of all time), but also after watching Martin Scorcesse's masterpiece documentary No Direction Home. From then on Dylan was like a drug. I'd listen to him every day at least once for about 3 years, read books on him, find obscure bootlegs and watch old interviews. I was and still am infatuated by the man. So naturally, I eventually got my hands on a rare DVD copy of Eat The Document and have watched it a handful of times since. I want to review this film objectively and try to avoid any biases I might have towards Dylan. I will start by saying that this is no Don't Look Back, although it does share the involvement of D.A Pennebaker and also the subject matter, a UK tour. But despite how similar they might be on paper, the difference is massive.

The film is a fly on the wall documentary on Bob Dylan's 1966 world tour with the Hawks (subsequently The Band). It uses footage shot by Pennebaker throughout the tour, although I believe most, if not all of the final cut was filmed on the UK leg of the tour in May. Pennebaker shot and originally edited the film in a comparable fashion to Don't Look Back from the previous year, but as the story goes Dylan was unhappy with Pennebaker's cut, citing it as too straight edged and similar to DLB. This prompted Dylan to re-edit the movie himself with the help of Howard Alk and Gordon Quinn. The resulting film is significantly more psychedelic and rough in its aesthetic. It's clear that Dylan and Alk wanted this to be much more of an experiment than Don't Look Back, but whether it actually comes off is up a separate debate.

The film opens with a shot of Dylan breaking down in drug-fuelled hysterics, setting up the random and ambiguous tone that is sustained the entire 50 minute run-time. Dylan and Alk's editing, although very haphazard and somewhat pretentious, actually works on many levels for me. This is probably because I am such a huge Dylan fan, but also because I know what this tour was like through researching it in much depth. The shaky camera work and choppy editing will annoy many, but I think it perfectly encapsulates this amphetamine-loaded period in Dylan's career. This tour was mayhem. Dylan was had famously 'gone electric' the previous year at Newport, sparking global outrage amongst folk music fans. This is part of what makes the '66 tour so unbelievably fascinating to me. Of course I love the music, but through watching this footage you can hear and see just how crazy it was that everybody was suddenly booing a once beloved American hero. I think Dylan wanted watchers of Eat The Document to get a sense of just how much had changed since Don't Look Back in 1965. Dylan was moving and changing at a pace that even The Beatles couldn't keep up with, and through this movie you feel that speed, that revolution.

I could talk for hours about the music Dylan was making at the time this was filmed, but I'll keep it brief and simply say that this was world-changing stuff. Dylan was pushing boundaries like no artist had or in my opinion, has since. The film features wild and mysterious performances of some of his finest songs. The energy is palpable, from both Dylan and the crowd who are visibly angered. The '66 shows are still my favourite live performances of all time, and Eat The Document displays a fair few of what Pennebaker filmed that May (others can be found in No Direction Home).

Another thing I like about the film is that it seems to allow us to view the world as Dylan would have been during that time, making observations of basic human activities. We get a number of close up shots of nothing more than people doing everyday things. It contains a lot of British iconography, like a scene where Bob is watching bagpipers and police in traditional dress performing some kind of stunt. Or a long take of people waiting outside the Royal Albert Hall. I like the fact we get observations and not just interpretations of the world. It gives the film much-needed breathing room in between all the hyperactive editing and intense performances. This observational type of film-making will confuse some, as it has no narrative, no footholds and no clear messages. It is basically a 50 minute stream of consciousness, much like both Dylan's music and writing at the time. Admittedly, this does limit it to being not much more than an amateur attempt at an experimental art house film, but that's all it needs to be. Bob is a musician, and its clear that his interest in film at this time was a side-project of sorts.

I think to compare this to Don't Look Back is only natural, but it is perhaps not warranted. I don't enjoy it quite as much because I feel that it doesn't give me as much interesting content or a coherent structure. For what it is though, Eat The Document is a fascinating fragment in time, laced in drugs, sex and rock n roll. The main issue is its accessibility. Of course, Dylan and Alk didn't care about making an accessible film, but it must be mentioned. This will probably only be of significant interest to hardcore Dylan fans like myself. It gives a rare glimpse into the tortured mind of a genius at the peak of his powers, and for that I admire it greatly.

Acting: N/A

Narrative: 45
Visuals/editing: 70
Music: 90

Overall: 68/100