No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

Extraordinary ... Scorsese uses Dylan himself as the narrator of the film, which follows about six years of his career. From the stunning opening sequence of Dylan braying "Like a Rolling Stone" at a 1966 British concert, "No Direction Home" brings it all back home, showing this remarkable young man, wise and cunning beyond his years, impish, impudent, frequently high and impossibly brilliant. [26 Sep 2005, p.C1]

No Direction Home is a soul-stirring Scorsese masterwork. His The Last Waltz, which documented The Band's final concert, is generally considered the big screen's best-ever rock performance film. Now he's outdone himself with a lyrical, magical film rich in both context and subtext. [26 Sep 2005, p.1G]

Scorsese's [film] ... creates a portrait that is deep, sympathetic, perceptive and yet finally leaves Dylan shrouded in mystery, which is where he properly lives.

A lively, absorbing, often deeply moving account ... The result isn't a comprehensive compendium of factoids or deep dish -- there's precious little personal information related in the 207-minute running time -- but instead a tightly focused portrait of a young artist searching for his musical and professional identity and whose search happened to bring him to the very center of the American political and cultural zeitgeist. [26 Sep 2005, p.C1]

"No Direction Home" isn't moviemaking, it's mythmaking -- albeit of the highest order. It lacks the hurly-burly immediacy of D.A. Pennebaker's 1967 portrait of Dylan on the road, "Dont Look Back," or the Maysles brothers' documentary of the Rolling Stones 1969 tour, "Gimme Shelter." Instead, it settles for the easy conclusions that Dylan once routinely punctured. That said, it's still a fascinating valentine from one artist to another, the most detailed look yet at Dylan's transformation from acoustic folk singer to shades-wearing rocker. [25 Sep 2005, p.C9]

The resulting Scorsese film is just like its subject: often frustrating but always compelling. [25 Sep 2005, p.F1]

It yields no revelatory light to speak of on its subject.