Host of the Definitely Dylan Podcast, Laura Tenschert, criticises A Complete Unknown (2024) for its reductive portrayal of Bob Dylan’s partner, Suze Rotolo.
James Mangold’s film follows Bob Dylan, played by Timothee Chalamet, and his rise to folk music superstardom in the early 1960s.
Central to the plot are Dylan’s frustrations with his newly-found fame and how it affects his relationship with character Sylvie Russo, played by Elle Fanning.
Ms. Tenschert said: “Sylvie, who is based on Bob Dylan’s girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, was not as interesting as the real-life Suze was.
The two met in early 1961 at a Folk concert with many regarding Rotolo as ‘the love of Dylan’s life’ and greatest inspiration in his career’s formative years.
“She was an artist in her own right and played such a crucial role in exposing Bob Dylan to a lot of art, early in his career. I think she really kind of took him by the hand and introduced him to a lot of politics and music.”
Following their break-up in 1964 Dylan wrote the song Ballad in Plain D which detailed the reasons for their separation. In a 1985 interview with Far Out Magazine, Dylan said: “I must have been a real schmuck to write something like that.”
Tenschert continued: “In A Complete Unknown, I think they tried to show that the relationships Bob Dylan had with women were complex, that he wasn’t always nice to them. There are many reasons for that, but I’m certainly not going to make any excuses for him.
“I think [Suze] got flattened and I’ve sometimes wondered whether that was maybe one reason why they renamed her. In addition to the fact that she wasn’t a public figure.”
Rotolo was featured walking with Dylan on the cover of his 1963 album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
“Suze Rotolo wrote a great book called A Freewheelin’ Time, about her life in Greenwich Village in the early 60s, including her relationship with Bob Dylan. So it’s not like she was a completely private person.
“For anyone who is interested in Bob Dylan’s relationship with women and Suze’s real life I really recommend that book.”
