Bob Dylan, the Ordinary Star

Abstract

This article provides a study of Bob Dylan’s public image as a “star” performer and examines what Dylan represented for his audiences with respect to the challenges of 1960s counterculture. This study focuses primarily on the image of Dylan in D. A. Pennebaker’s documentary film Don’t Look Back, which portrays Dylan when the star is only 23. A study of Pennebaker’s film shows how the filmmaker captures the paradox of Dylan’s star popularity in his refusal to portray the star, not only as a personal struggle, but as a cultural contradiction. The author further identifies a formal link between Dylan’s portrayal of the ordinary star and the minimalist aesthetic of cinéma vérité.

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