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144 of 154 found the following review helpful:
 A MasterpieceMay 08, 2003
By Michael Smith
You would probably have to go back to early Godard to find a movie as audacious, shockingly funny and brilliantly incisive in its analysis of the uneasy alliance between art and commerce as the sci-fi/film noir/spaghetti-western/Shakespearean musical-tragicomedy, Masked and Anonymous, the new movie from Bob Dylan and Larry Charles. As with some Godard, I can't say whether it's a comedy or a tragedy - but it's definitely a masterpiece.
To direct the Hollywood cast to speak in the script's poetic, ornate language could not have been easy but the actors do an exemplary job. Nearly all of them manage to hit just the right note of cartoonish hysteria to give the film a sense of unity and harmony. Except, that is, for Bob Dylan. His character, Jack Fate, is the calm in the eye of the storm, the one rational character surrounded by a world of swirling insanity and director Charles gets a lot of comic mileage out of the contrast
between Dylan's deadpan delivery and the over-the-top performances of nearly everyone else; it's like taking a Humphrey Bogart character out of the '40's and plunking him down in the middle of a massively absurd science-fiction landscape - the resignation and world-weariness of the film noir hero remains hilariously intact. The very idea is inspired and the execution is flawless.
The performance footage of course is terrific. Dylan and His Band play eight songs live on camera and there is a warmth, an intimacy and a relaxed quality to the performances that you will only see at Dylan's best club shows. Although none of the songs are heard in their entirety, these sequences are nonetheless beautifully filmed. There is none of the rapid-fire editing and pointlessly roving camera that mars the filmed footage of so many live musical performances. Instead, Charles' strategy is to have the band crowd together and film them in close-up with a wide-angle lens. There are numerous long takes in which all of the band members can be seen and when the camera does move, it's deliberate and meaningful.
In a recent interview, Larry Charles said he never worried about
finding a distributor for the film and that Dylan had told him long ago not to worry about the film "in the short term." However the film _is_ received in the short term, the richly orchestrated tapestry of sound and image that is Masked and Anonymous is sure to keep Dylanologists and film fans alike busy for decades.
41 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 Dylan plays DylanFeb 17, 2004
By Michael L. Cantara
"georgiasam5"
Two things will really add to the appreciation of thid film. 1. An extremely open mind and 2. a working knowledge of Bob Dyaln; his history, his philosophy, his music. This is not a high budget film. Think more surrealist art house film. It does have many stars that most people will recognize, but that isn't the focus, nor point of the movie. This is the highly metaphorical tale of a musician and how he can't control his place in a chaotic society, but can remain true to his own self amid the chaos. The very loosely woven plot becomes secondary to the individual events which make up the film, each scene revealing a nugget of Dylan's perspevtive. Dylan often delivers comments that make the entire scene seem irrelevant. In this way this is, at times, a very funny film. Dylan seems relaxed, especially compared to the other films he has made. The feeling is much more "Don't Look Back", much less "Hearts of Fire". He does retain his wooden movement and he delivers his short lines as commentary more often than conversation. The soundtrack is exceptional. The performances are a real treat. All Dylan songs, but unique versions which fit seemlessly into the texture of the movie. The little girl singing "The Times They are A-Changin" will at least choke you up a bit, and possibly help us to remeber exactly how much that song meant 41 years ago, and how much it still means today. I certainly recommend this to Dylan fans, especially those who respect or admire his perspective on the world. Anyone who enjoys non formulatic surreal films may also find much enjoyment in this movie. There is too much to pick everything up in your first screening when looking for interesting comments or details. I would recommend trying to watch and a get a feel for the film initially. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to make sense of every detail. In that way it is like most of Dylan's music, to be experienced repeatedly.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Explanations of the years of silenceFeb 20, 2004
Many critics panned this movie simply because they have never really listened to Bob Dylan's words. This was a biography if i've ever seen one. "You can't change the world by singing" was one of John Goodman's lines in the film. "His whole life can be put on trial" was one of Jessica Lange's lines. This is Dylan's commentaries on the media, what they've done to him, and what he would like to do to them. It is also a commentary on the way our country is heading and the world as a whole. The movie had such memorable lines as "we are giving people new identities, and rewriting history books, and we will create a nation of lawbreakers and cash in on the guilt". This movie was took a genius to write, and if you don't get it, read the lyrics to 'My back pages' or Not Dark Yet', and you'll get an idea of what Dylan thinks of his career and the things he has regretably stood for.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
bashed by critics, but a gemDec 02, 2004
By Seth Miller
"Lice is Macho"
I am of the opinion that the images and words that come from film should be, in essence, like a song - wholly unique in cadence, tone, and rhythm. Or at least I am after watching Masked and Anonymous. From Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams to Wes Anderson, artists writing for visual adaptation must all posses their own sense of "song writing." Bob Dylan is a masterful musician who speaks with such soul, depth, and rhythm that he has become a legend. Surrounded with mystery, the man has an almost religious following (don't believe me? Just take a look at all the big name actors that lined up just to work with him in this one). Masked and Anonymous captures the soul of Dylan with its cryptic poeticism, and distinct political messages. Add to the mix the real Dylan and six original songs debuted in the film, and you have created a cinematic world like none you have seen before.
Most critics bashed the movie, calling it brainless and empty - a sort of masturbation act for Dylan and the actors who blindly signed up to work in a "Dylan Movie." I don't care. Masked and Anonymous had me from its opening frames. The movie created a surreal and unique world that I desperately wanted to explore (in addition to being the only "the nation is run by gangsters" type gritty movie that didn't annoy me to death).
Movies that implore me to keep my eyes peeled so as to more fully understand the world I am inhabiting for a couple of hours, that cause me to breathe the air that it is breathing, those are the films that contain the magic of a cinema that is alive. This movie understands that magic through and through (the two other films this year that really created this alternate reality for me as a viewer were Finding Nemo and Down With Love). Masked and Anonymous offers one of those truly unique experiences - a telephone line into the heart of a poet - while still remaining as cryptic and mysterious as ever. But hey, that's what great song writing is all about, right?
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
amazing filmMar 12, 2004
It's definitely not for everyone, but "Masked and Anonymous" is one of the most original films I've ever seen, and terrific on a number of levels. Admittedly, Bob Dylan is no actor, but his acting "method" (such as it is) is perfect for this role, that of a legendary, mysterious musical artist with a mysterious past, who has been released from prison (why he's there, we do not know) to perform a "benefit" concert. Dylan is a wraith, a cypher, the proverbial walking, talking mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in an enigma. The picture is an eerie, uncanny look at an America turned into a banana republic, a dictatorship embroiled in civil unrest and civil war, seemingly with no "good guys." (No doubt, this is the America we have to look forward to if we allow the Bush regime to hang on to power much longer, but that's another story for another time.) The movie is chock full of memorable dialog and images, and outstanding performances by John Goodman, Jessica Lange and a host of others (Val Kilmer has an amazing, out of character cameo appearance). Bonus points for Dylan fans include little inside jokes and references (Dylan's character's name is Jack Fate, and the Jack Fate tribute band he hooks up with is called "Simple Twist of Fate," a song from his classic "Blood on the Tracks" album). Then there's the music - I hope that this band tours with Dylan someday (they may well already have, I haven't seen him in concert in a number of years). Great, unexpected performances ("Dixie," which doesn't seem like it would be appropriate at all, is very haunting). I repeat - this movie is not for everyone. For one thing, if you haven't seen or heard Dylan in years, you may be in for a shock. (Though, given that he's now over 60 years old, he doesn't look or sound too bad really.) More importantly, this film is equal parts Fellini and Scorsese, with a healthy dose of David Lynch thrown in for good measure. It's easy to see why this movie was oftentimes panned by mainstream critics, and generally ignored by mainstream audiences. But Larry Charles has crafted an amazing, unique and criminally overlooked vision with "Masked and Anonymous."
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