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Fact #117375

When:

Short story:

Bob Dylan’s movie folly Renaldo And Clara premieres in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Full article:

Bob Dylan : I had the idea for doing my own film back in '66. And I buried it until '76.

My lawyer used to tell me there was a future in movies. So I said, "What kind of future?" He said, "Well, if you can come up with a script, an outline and get money from a big distributor." But I knew I couldn't work that way. I can't betray my vision on a little piece of paper in hopes of getting some money from somebody. In the final analysis, it turned out that I had to make the movie all by myself, with people who would work with me, who trusted me. I went on the road in '76 to make the money for this movie. My last two tours were to raise the money for it.

The persona of Bob Dylan is in the movie so we could get rid of it. There should no longer be any mystery as to who or what he is - he's there, speaking in all kinds of tongues, and there's even someone else claiming to be him, so he's covered. This movie is obvious, you know. Nobody's hiding anything. It's all right there. The rabbits are falling out of the hat before the movie begins.

I feel it's a story that means a great deal to me, and I got to do what I always wanted to do-make a movie. When something like that happens, it's like stopping time, and you can make people live into that moment. Not many things can do that in your daily life. You can be distracted by many things. But the main point is to make it meaningful to someone. Take Shane, for example. That moved me. On the Waterfront moved me.

So when I go to see a film, I expect to be moved. I don't want to go see a movie just to kill time, or to have it just show me something I'm not aware of. I want to be moved, because that's what art is supposed to do, according to all the great theologians. Art is supposed to take you out of your chair. It's supposed to move you from one space to another. Renaldo And Clara is not meant to put a strain on you. It's a movie to be enjoyed as a movie. I know nothing about film, I'm not a film maker. On the other hand, I do consider myself a film maker because I made this film: So I don't know....

I'm not sure how much of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez concern anybody. To me, it isn't important. It's old news to me, so I don't think it's of much interest to anybody. If it is, fine. But I don't think it's a relevant issue. The movie doesn't deal with anything current. This is two years ago. I'm smart enough to know I shouldn't deal with any current subject on an emotional level, because usually it won't last. You need experience to write, or to sing or to act. You don't just wake up and say you're going to do it. This movie is taking experience and turning it into something else. It's not a gossipy movie.

Ronee Blakely (Mrs Dylan in Renaldo And Clara) : Should I tell you one scene that's not in the movie? There was a scene that was going to be at the end of the movie where I had to pretend that I had picked up Bob, I was bringing him in as a vagrant that I had picked up in a bar along the way. And I brought him in and introduced him - Bob Dylan - as Bob Dylan to the whole group, including Joan Baez, who was dressed up as Bob Dylan - white face, hat, flowers and so on, saying that I'd found him and that he was really good - "I' d like you guys to hear him play. "

And the young vagrant sat down and played Like A Rolling Stone on the guitar, solo. And as he was playing, Sara was in the scene, and she put her hands on Joan Baez's shoulder, then I put my hand on top of her hand on Joan Baez's shoulder, then Sara put her hand on my hand and almost pushed my hand away. And at the end of the scene, after the cameras had stopped rolling, Sara came to me and said, "Nobody touches Bob while I'm around!" And I said, "Well I do! He's my friend!" But the weird thing was that it wasn't even Bob, it was Joan Baez dressed up to look like Bob! Isn't that funny?

Bob Dylan : Renaldo and Clara was originally intended as a more structured film. I hired playwright Sam Shepard to provide dialogue but we didn't use much of his stuff because of a conflict in ideas.
(Source : not known)