The influence of movies on Bob Dylan and his art is well-documented. The myriad reviews, critiques, and analyses demonstrate the impact film has had on Dylan and his body of work. Whether he is making a film like Renaldo and Clara, acting in Masked and Anonymous, appropriating lines of dialogue as lyrics, or using stills as templates for his visual art, it’s clear that Dylan draws inspiration and ideas from movies. In this episode, celebrated Chicago filmmaker and Dylanlogist Michael Glover Smith discusses his work, including his most recent movie: the award-winning short Handle with Care. He also shares his insights on Dylan’s film aesthetic and on Dylan’s are more broadly. When we filmed and recorded this episode, A Complete Unknown hadn’t yet been released. Some of what we discuss may seem a bit outdated as those speculations or questions have been answered on screen. Still, talking with Michael about his movies and Dylan and his relationship with movies was an education. I hope you enjoy listening to or watching our conversation as much as I enjoyed taking part in it.
Michael Glover Smith is a filmmaker, author and teacher based in Chicago. His most recent feature film, 2022’s award-winning RELATIVE, starring TWIN PEAKS’ Wendy Robie, is available to stream on a multitude of platforms via Music Box Films.
Links:
X: @whitecitycinema
Instagram: @whitecitycinema
Bsky: @whitecitycinema.bsly.social
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/michaelgsmith/
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