In 1965, Bob Dylan lit a match and set the folk world on fire—Dont Look Back is the film that caught it all on camera.
From hotel room rants to the cue-card drop heard round the world, this is Dylan before the Nobel, before the legend—raw, weird, untouchable.
I currently rank this as the best Bob Dylan documentary (though I welcome debate!).
Trailer for “Dont Look Back”
Watch “Dont Look Back”
You can watch “Dont Look Back” on HBO Max here. Or rent it via Apple TV. Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Fandango (links here: JustWatch)
I found this free colorized version of “Dont Look Back” on YouTube that’s only missing the opening cue card scene (2 min. or so).
Here’s a free black and white version of “Dont Look Back” I found on YouTube:
Ratings:
- My Rating: 98/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 92/100 (Users); 91/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: D. A. Pennebaker directed this 96-minute doc. He also directed these favorites of mine: “Original Cast Album: Company” (which I rank 94/100); “Daybreak Express” (91/100) and “The War Room” (90/100).
Release Date: Premiered May 17, 1967, in the U.S., though it was first shown at festivals in 1966.
My Review of “Dont Look Back”
The Setup
“Don’t Look Back” is the original rock doc! Pennebaker follows a 23-year-old Bob Dylan on his 1965 England tour—right at the cusp of his transition from folk legend to rock provocateur.
No narration. No exposition.
Just Dylan in hotel rooms, press conferences, dressing rooms, and live on stage, all captured cinéma vérité style.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- British folkie Donovan plays a song for Dylan… and then gets quietly crushed when Dylan plays “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”
- Joan Baez sings in a hotel room while Dylan tunes his guitar and doesn’t even look up.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Dylan opens the film by silently dropping cue cards with the lyrics to “Subterranean Homesick Blues” — one of the first music videos ever made. It was filmed in an alley behind the Savoy Hotel in London.
- Dylan rips into a Time Magazine journalist in a now-famous rant about media truth.
- Albert Grossman, Dylan’s manager, negotiates fees and dominates every backstage negotiation.
- Alan Price of The Animals explains his sudden departure from the band, wide-eyed and hesitant.
“He [Dylan] said: I have an idea for a film where I write out all the words to this song on pieces of paper, and I’ll just throw them down as I read them,” Pennebaker recalls. “I didn’t know him [Dylan] that well, I didn’t know who he was really. But the idea of going with a musician on a tour and being able to photograph him – both when he performed and when he didn’t perform – that seemed to me an interesting idea.”
— D.A. Pennebaker to The Guardian about meeting Dylan in a Greenwich Village bar.
Cameos
- Joan Baez — She’s present for several hotel room scenes and sings “Percy’s Song.”
- Donovan — Shares a cringe-y musical moment with Dylan in his suite.
- Marianne Faithfull, Alan Price, and Allen Ginsberg (brief appearances depending on the version).
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- That’s Poet Allen Ginsberg in the backdrop of the opening Subterranean Homesick Blues (the versions that show the 2 min. cue card opening) . It was shot behind the Savoy Hotel in England.
- The film’s title was originally a typo. Pennebaker liked the “Dont” without the apostrophe and stuck with it.
- Pennebaker’s custom camera rig allowed real-time sync sound—revolutionary for 1965.
- Bob Neuwirth, Dylan’s road manager, plays a big behind-the-scenes role, often mediating tension or stoking it.
Wrap Up
I believe “Don’t Look Back” is the first cool music doc—and it’s still one of the sharpest. Dylan’s charisma, disdain, and genius are all on display, and Pennebaker captures it without flinching.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc