Movie Analysis Essay on Don't Look Back

Introduction

Media is one of the modern ways of conveying ideas, cultures, and deep-seated feelings to an audience. One of the forms of media is movies and documentaries. The first is usually for entertainment, while the latter provides in-depth knowledge of specific areas of study. They are ranging from science to literature to media. The paper aims to carry out a summary of the movie; Don’t Look Back (Bob Dylan).

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Scope/Overview (Content, Structure)

The documentary is about Bob Dylan’s concert tour of England in 1965 and is directed by D. A. Penne baker. It concerns Bob Dylan, one of the most excellent folk-rock musicians in US music history. The documentary covers the whole experience of a young Bob Dylan,24, who portrays an on-stage personality that delicately balances on the precipice between confident, almost arrogant, and charming.

Highlights range from; Dylan’s Criticism of London’s Times Magazine arts and science to a final performance of a select few songs by Dylan at the Royal Albert Hall on May 10th. By the time the concert was ending, Bob’s fling with Joan Baez had seemingly run its course and ended in both love-birds going their separate ways.

Central Arguement/Importance

The central theme presented in the documentary is the appreciation of origins and the history of folk-rock music, a popular genre of Music in the United States. It also presents a ‘coming of age’ theme in that legend like Bob Dylan gave rise to the famous artists and bands of today, such as; Metallica and Maroon 5, even though they branch out when it comes to respective genres.

It also presents cultural exchange, i.e., an American artist singing in front of an English crowd. This would be an entertainment to those who love this form of Music and the likes of; Paul McCartney, Kenny Chesney, Michael Bolton, Pink Floyd, among others. Nevertheless, another theme is that it presents in a 22-song run, the tumultuous life and experiences of Bob Dylan.

Relevance to Class

Knowing the history and the coming of age story is essential in any topic. For example, when doing military studies or strategy, it is vital to have an understanding of Historical figures associated with such; Alexander the Great, Miyamoto Musashi, Sun Tzu, among others. In the same way, in order to excel in a music class, one must fully understand how Music came to be.

For example, looking at the Biblical times when King Saul of Israel used Music coming from David’s Harp to drive out unclean spirits. Bob Dylan’s Don’t Look Back presents how folk-rock and other genres (soft rock, heavy metal) evolved from the 60s up to now. If a student intends to pursue such a career, they will have done their homework and known the dynamics of an ever-shifting field of Music.

Tools by Filmmaker for Idea Presentation

The primary tool is performance. The whole documentary is about a concert, which means there will be a stage on which artists showcase their talent. The performance(s) features songs by; Donovan, Albert Grossman, Joan Baez, and Alan Price. Some of the songs by Bob Dylan, e.g., Only a pawn in their game and Talking World War III Blues, respectively talk about; the exploitation of the ‘have nots’ by the ‘haves.’ It is an apparent economic state since wealth and factors of production are held by a few while the rest struggle. The poor are pawns in the chess game that is capitalism, and the rich will not hesitate to exploit them for their gain.

Role of Music

The music portrays different roles. Socially it presents the distinctions in cultures. Bob Dylan criticizes the art and science in England’s Time Magazine. Quite possibly a case of Culture shock on the part of Bob, and his slights are met with an adverse reaction from the English Magazine’s Correspondent. Economically, as a reiteration, the song Only a Pawn in their Game presents economic disparities in a capitalist America, i.e., the majority of the population is poor and lives from pay-check to pay-check as of today.

Moguls like; Grant Cardone and Robert Kiyosaki say ‘the poor, get poorer and the rich, richer.’ This is an example of a non-musical idea presented in the documentary. The above elements communicate to the viewer that Music serves a bigger purpose than mere entertainment. The fact that American artists entertain British natives is a symbol of appreciation for diversity. Music thus becomes a melting pot of diversity.

Lessons Learned

The main lesson learned is; cultures will always be diverse, and this is what makes the world an adventurous place. Bob Dylan and his entourage got the chance to immerse themselves in English cultures. If the whole world had one culture, it would be a very dull and bland place to exist. Another important lesson is that if Music is to survive and not lose the original purpose, the pages of history must be made a point of reference.