Warning: SPOILERS ahead for A Complete Unknown! The latest biopic by James Mangold, titled A Complete Unknown, chronicles the transformative journey of Bob Dylan from an aspiring folk artist under the influence of Woody Guthrie to a colossal rock icon. The film’s soundtrack plays an essential role, underscoring Dylan’s musical evolution and adding depth to the narrative. A pivotal moment in the plot revolves around Dylan’s significant encounter at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, where he found Guthrie, his idol, battling Huntington’s disease. The film portrays the poignant moment when Guthrie supposedly gifted his harmonica to Dylan, signaling a bond through music that transcended hardship.
Key scenes depict legendary folk musician Pete Seeger visiting the hospital as Dylan performs “Song to Woody,”a heartfelt tribute to his mentor and his earliest notable composition. This meeting marks a rite of passage for the young artist, who soon captivates audiences in the iconic coffeehouses of New York’s Greenwich Village with his distinct blend of folk. However, as the film progresses, we witness a stark transformation in Dylan’s musical style.
Bob Dylan Returns Woody Guthrie’s Harmonica Due to His Musical Evolution
He No Longer Regards Guthrie’s Folk Tradition as His Musical Foundation
The narrative commences with Dylan receiving Guthrie’s harmonica as a token of admiration, but concludes with an interesting twist: Dylan attempts to return the very instrument that inspired him. The evolution of Dylan’s musical identity is encapsulated in this gesture. As noted in a 2008 conversation with Scott Emmerman for Hohner USA, Dylan shared that it was not the harmonica itself, but rather Guthrie’s approach that had originally influenced him. The harmonica served its purpose, but as Dylan moved away from traditional acoustic folk styles, he found the instrument redundant.
The harmonica “rack”referenced in the film is a practical device—typically made from metal or plastic—that facilitates the playing of the harmonica alongside a guitar, freeing the musician’s hands for strumming. This invention became a symbol of Dylan’s initial homage to Guthrie’s style.
Did Bob Dylan Truly Return Woody Guthrie’s Harmonica?
Guthrie Never Actually Gifted It to Him
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
While it is documented that Dylan met Guthrie at Greystone Park in 1961, the on-screen depiction in A Complete Unknown is largely fictional. Notably, Pete Seeger was not present, and Dylan did not perform “Song to Woody”during this encounter. Moreover, he did not receive Guthrie’s harmonica; instead, he was gifted a guitar from the legendary Johnny Cash, a fact corroborated in Martin Scorsese’s 2005 documentary, No Direction Home. Thus, the narrative of returning the harmonica is a creative thread, evoking deeper themes rather than adhering strictly to historical facts.
Rather than taking a literal approach to Dylan’s interaction with Guthrie, the film employs the harmonica as a symbolic element representing the evolution of Dylan’s music and his relationship with the folk tradition. The act of Guthrie declining the return of the harmonica and claiming it as Dylan’s serves as a metaphor for Dylan’s acceptance of folk music as a fundamental part of his artistic identity. By the time of his 1967 album, John Wesley Harding, Dylan had not forsaken folk music; rather, he embraced it, harmonica and all, as an integral aspect of his creative journey.
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