One of Martin Scorsese’s Best Films Was Never Released In Theaters

Martin Scorsese would be considered a cinematic legend even if it wasn’t for his narrative features. In addition to creating some of the most beloved crime and historical films of all-time, Scorsese has a long history of creating powerful, thought-provoking documentaries. Scorsese’s documentaries are just as essential to his filmography as Taxi Driver or Goodfellas. They often cover similar themes of isolation, artistry, and the power of influence. Scorsese has developed working relationships with many influential musicians, most notably Bob Dylan. Although Scorsese’s 2005 documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan was never released in theaters, it’s one of the best films that he’s ever made.

Why ‘No Direction Home’ Is One of Scorsese’s Best

Scorsese first began innovating with documentaries at the same time that he was making a name for himself as a master of crime cinema. Shortly after releasing both Taxi Driver and Mean Streets, Scorsese came to capture the final concert by The Band with his 1978 documentary The Last Waltz. It was a case where he was capturing history as it unfolded. Scorsese knew that The Band’s last live performance would be analyzed throughout the rest of their careers and brought this knowledge to the concert footage. There’s a gentle, nostalgic nature to the way that Scorsese shoots the film. He knew that the precedent that a performance like the one he was witnessing would never happen again.

Among the many artists incorporated within The Last Waltz is Dylan himself, who joins the group for the musical numbers “Forever Young” and “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down.” Dylan had already established himself as an artist by this point in his career, but during the 1970s, he took a more active role in political discourse. Dylan’s songs often focused on social isolationism, the disgrace of the Vietnam War, and the growing disenfranchisement of the American people from their government. Unsurprisingly, these were among the themes that dominated the “New Hollywood” movement among American filmmakers that Scorsese was so actively a part of. A collaboration between them made sense, as both artists had proven themselves to be essential to popular-culture discourse.

Perhaps both Dylan and Scorsese had to peak in their respective careers before a collaboration could actually take place. Both artists did some of their best work in the next decade, but by the early 21st century, only one of them had peaked. Dylan’s new albums weren’t necessarily earning the same appreciation that his earlier work had, but Scorsese’s work on Gangs of New York and The Aviator was met with the same high praise that his earlier films received. As Dylan slipped into a more reflective stage in his life, Scorsese chose to tackle the one American icon who had never revealed his life story to the world.

Dylan’s reclusive nature is one of the most fascinating aspects of his artistry. Dylan’s different personas, confusing lyrics, and infrequent explanations for his own work created an enigma that generated significant interest from his most loyal fans. In many ways, the mythology behind Dylan had grown larger than the man himself. It’s worth noting that at this point in his career, Scorsese was making more biopics than he ever had before. Perhaps he considered Dylan to be another icon that needed deconstruction, not dissimilar from Howard Hughes or Jordan Belfort.

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‘No Direction Home’ Is the Definitive Bob Dylan Movie

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, which originally aired in two parts on PBS, takes on the seemingly insurmountable task of cutting through the noise to examine Dylan as simply a man. Scorsese is often criticized for his overlong runtimes, but in the case of No Direction Home, the length is needed. The early moments dedicated to showing Dylan’s upbringing in Minnesota are essential in humanizing him. Seeing the praise, discourse, and discussion that his work generated wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if it wasn’t for these moments that identify where he came from. Simple interview clips about funny childhood stories or youthful romances strip the “legend” away from Dylan by making him feel more persona. Dylan would rarely offer these anecdotes in other interview clips or documentaries.

Scorsese is perhaps most heralded for the brilliant editing in his films, and No Direction Home is surprisingly just as inventive as Raging Bull or The Wolf of Wall Street. Many of the scenes dedicated to the early points in Dylan’s career presented a notable challenge for any documentarian — there simply wasn’t enough archive footage available. In these cases, Scorsese inventively intertwines photos, stock footage, and talking heads to create an immersive experience. This showed his understanding of how fundamentally different a documentary was compared to a news program. It wasn’t Scorsese’s job to circulate clips that were already widely available. His job was to offer an objective understanding of the events in Dylan’s life that led him down the line of success.

There are countless essays and thoughtful works of analysis of Dylan’s work, but No Direction Home isn’t attempting to provoke theories. The only moments in which the film seems to support claims about Dylan’s personal and professional views are when it’s backed up by clips of Dylan himself. An underrated aspect of documentarians is simply being a great interviewer, which Scorsese is. Rather than badgering Dylan for answers when it’s clear that he’s not interested in giving them, Scorsese’s approach feels inviting and genial. It makes No Direction Home feel like a conversation between two old friends and not just a line of disconnected interview questions.

Unsurprisingly, filmmakers have struggled to create a definitive film about Dylan’s life. The classic documentary Don’t Look Back offers some insights on his personality as a young artist, and Todd Haynes’ 2007 drama I’m Not There takes an artsy look at his different identities. However, Dylan’s body of work is so titanic that crafting a traditional biopic seems like it wouldn’t be able to capture the same detail, thoughtful analysis, and accuracy that Scorsese found with No Direction Home. Thanks to Scorsese, all films and documentaries about Dylan that are made in the future will suffer in comparison.