How accurate is A Complete Unknown movie? Everything you need to know

Stills from the trailer (Image via YouTube/SearchlightPictures)

Directed and co-written by James Mangold, A Complete Unknown premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on December 10, 2024. The biopic was released in theaters in the United States on December 25, 2024. It follows the early career of Bob Dylan, from his rise to stardom till the famous 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he shook the world of music with his decision to use electric instruments.

Though the movie is based on Elijah Wald's 2015 book, Dylan Goes Electric!, A Complete Unknown is not entirely historically accurate. Instead, the film takes liberty with facts in order to tell the iconic musician's story in a dramatic fashion. Read on to learn more about what is fact and what is fiction in Dylan's recent biopic.

A Complete Unknown takes creative liberties with facts

The core of the film showcases the tension between acoustic and electric music, with Dylan's gradual embrace of the latter coming across as a 'betrayal' to the folk music purists. Thus, the musician's 'going electric' in the 1965 concert rattled many feathers, and his recent biopic departs from certain facts to elevate the dramatic appeal of this otherwise historically accurate episode in Dylan's long career.

For instance, A Complete Unknown shows that Pete Seeger did not react favorably to Dylan's going electric at the Newport Folk Festival. However, this is only a myth, with the reality being that Seeger had no objection to it.

In a report published on February 2, 2024, Far Out Magazine reproduced a letter Seeger sent to Dylan in 1990. The latter clearly mentions that though it has been popularly believed that Seeger resented Dylan's decision to adopt electrical instruments, he has never had any problems with it.

Another instance in A Complete Unknown that adds a dramatic layer to the film but is not factually correct is Dylan's meeting with Johnny Cash at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival after a while of writing letters to each other. However, after Cash's death, Dylan wrote on Rolling Stone on October 16, 2003, that the duo first met in 1962 or 1963.

A crucial character is also renamed in the film. Elle Fanning plays Sylvie Russo in the film. Russo is a renamed version of Suze Rotolo, who was Dylan's girlfriend during the time in which the film is set.

As per a report published by Deadline on December 6, 2024, Dylan asked the filmmakers not to use Rotolo's name, so the film uses a fictional name for the character.

In A Complete Unknown, a listener is seen heckling Dylan by calling him "Judas" in the 1965 Festival. While the scene is undeniably dramatic, the actual heckling happened at a later date. Thus, in keeping with the film's overall treatment of facts, this scene also slightly compromises with accuracy in the service of narrative appeal.

A Complete Unknown: Synopsis, cast and crew

The synopsis of the film reads:

“New York, 1961. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.”

It goes on:

“He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide.”

The screenplay for the film was written by James Mangold and Jay Cocks. Its producers include Mangold, Fred Berger, Alex Heineman, and Bob Bookman, among others. While Phedon Papamichael handled the cinematography of the film, Andrew Buckland and Scott Morris edited the biopic.

The cast of A Complete Unknown includes: