By Mary Ann Bourbeau
In the early 1960s, Bob Dylan was at the forefront of American folk music. With anthems for civil rights and the antiwar movement such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” the Minnesota native became known as the spokesman for a generation.
In the upcoming film, “A Complete Unknown,” Timothée Chalamet portrays Dylan in the influential New York music scene of the early ’60s. It follows his meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts, culminating in his groundbreaking performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, where he caused an uproar by using an electric guitar and amplifier, much to the dismay of the audience.
Scenes from the film were shot in April at Bahr’s Restaurant in Highlands and a concert scene was filmed at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in which Dylan performs onstage with Joan Baez, played by Monica Barbaro. The technical crew of 160 people was at the theater for two and a half days. About 100 extras dressed in period clothing for the scene.
“It’s great exposure for our organization,” said Izzy Sackowitz, chief operating officer for the Basie. “They were looking for a well-kept historical theater. It’s really cool to get our name out there. It’s great for the local economy, too.”
The film opens in theaters Dec. 24, including at Basie Center Cinemas. The movie features Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, a renamed version of Suze Rotolo, Dylan’s girlfriend at the time, although Dylan requested the film not use her real name. Rotolo was a strong influence on Dylan’s music back then, and she was featured along with the singer on the cover of his album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” Also appearing in the film are Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, although it is not known if they were present for filming at the Basie. The movie was directed by Academy Award nominee James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Walk the Line”).
Many scenes of “A Complete Unknown” were filmed in New Jersey, where countless movies and television shows have been shot since Gov. Phil Murphy instituted a groundbreaking film and digital media tax credit program.
“About 15,000 people in New Jersey work in the entertainment industry, creating an incredible amount of business activity,” said New Jersey State Film Commissioner Tom Bernard, president of Sony Pictures Classics and a member of the board of directors of the Count Basie Theatre Foundation. “Everyone who works on a movie must be from New Jersey. These filmmakers paid an exorbitant amount of money to film at the Basie, and that money goes back into the community. They rent rooms, they eat locally, they buy lumber, they rent cars and cameras.”
Bernard said in-state production spending was over $500 million this year. New Jersey will get an even bigger boon with the arrival of Netflix, which plans to build 12 sound stages on a 292-acre parcel at Fort Monmouth. The former fort is also getting ready for the Riverwalk featuring restaurants and a brewery.
“New Jersey is an incredibly attractive place to film,” said Bernard. “We have old architecture, mountains, beaches, a casino, private airports and the New York skyline. We can even close a street for filming. New York can’t do that. There’s quite an amazing change happening, and this is just the beginning.”
This isn’t the first time the Basie has been featured on screen. In 2023, Monmouth Street was shut down and vintage cars were brought in for the production of the 2023 thriller “Miranda’s Victim,” featuring Abigail Breslin, Donald Sutherland and Andy Garcia. Three Netflix comedy specials were also taped live at the Basie, starring Tracy Morgan, Ali Wong and Pete Davidson.
The article originally appeared in the December 19 – 25, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
