I told you in my last entry that I'd seen this long documentation about Bob Dylan these days. (See last entry) Should I mention that I meantimes saw it for about 4 times (out of technical reasons) -
Well to explain this - u no it's all high tech stuff - I have a 170 GB Harddisk attached to my receiver, that automatically momentary records what I see on TV on disk for about an hour back - that means - if I miss a part, while getting a phone call etc. - I can rewind up to an hour back & see that while the front end is still getting recorded. - OK all this recording is momentary & gets lost an hour later, but I can still decide whether I really want to record it by a safe-lock option, that prevents to let the film still get deleted.
Of course on this harddisk you can't record endlessly films - so I later transmit important stuff (mainly music) to an attached video player & delete it afterwards on the harddisk again.
Of this Dylan doku I'd missed the beginning (about 20 minutes) - but received this rare stuff anyway. - The next day I transmitted it to video & while transmitting partly watched it again.
But then I got the information that this doku would be sent again Friday night at 2:30 in the night & I of course wanted it all from the beginning - so received it yesterday night again on that HD - well why not directly to the video you may ask - but these connections between TV, HD, Video & DVD are a bit complicated & I'd had to change some plugs, to put it directly to video & was afraid it wouldn't work well - u no - never touch a running system & anyway I didn't had the time.
& so of course I transmitted next day (means today) the full version again to video, still watching parts of it.
Like in most cases if you see a film the second time - the first enchantment is gone - you start seeing it from another anchle of view - see more the details than the storyline. - It's not so much difference in a documentation, but films with a real story often lose most of their magic if you see them again. So owning a film on video or DVD doesn't make sense to me. - If I have seen it - I really don't want to see it again for a really long time - well when in about 10 years I have forgotten most of it, than it may gets interesting again for me.
Some kinds of film get about every decade a new version like Nosferatu, Dracula, Robin Hood, King Kong, Tarzan, Frankenstein, Titanic, the Monster Family etc. - usually I avoid these newer versions with the exception that there is one of my fave actors or regisseurs behind it. (I would even watch Tarzan, Gozilla or King Kong if the film would be regisseured by Roman Polanski..) - & I almost always refuse to see films where I know the fatal, tragical ending before - I don't want to see Joan of Arc dying in the flames again, nor see the sinking Titanic, Jesus Christ ending on the cross & why does Maria Stewart always die on the scaffold in the end. - No I don't want to see one of these new versions of the ever same story again unless they change the end. - Couldn't not Joan of Arc escape in the last minute from the flames by an Parzifal like knight rescueing her on his white horse - or couldn't Cesar be warned of Brutus & strike down the evil conspiration? - & why does Dracula always gets a stake in his heart in the end - couldn't all mankind get vampires in the end (hmm well there would be this food problem)? & also Romeo & Juliette never survive their tragic story. - No I don't want to see this stuff again, where I know how fatal it's ending. - On the other hand - I have no problem to see stories with a happy ending again in a new version (if the theme isn't too boring). - It's like chosing a partner for life - Would you chose a partner for life of whom you know that he soon dies in a deadly traffic accident or who will get involved in crime & ends up in prison? - You see I get in deep relationships with the films I see. - & sorry Joan of Arc - you would have survived, if I'd have been your regisseur.
But back to Dylans docu - It showed a lot about his roots, about the musicians and musical influences at the starting of his career, - a lot of interviews & excerpts of concerts of/with musicians, poets & music managers of that time, from Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, & a lot of names I can't remember to Allen Ginsberg, Johnny Cash - of course Joan Baez - but this 3 hour docu ended so soon in about 1966 in London - there was much more to his life & musical lifework - it didn't stop with 'Like a Rolling Stone' - Well it rolled on & on - Where is part II? - I hope still to come sooner or later..
I don't want to write about this docu in detail, but can recommend to watch it yourself - it's important historical stuff you shouldn't miss..
But I can't resist to give a short, but not typical excerpt (just because it was witty & delicious):
There was a situation when Bob Dylan (probably after a concert) in London was sitting with his crew in his limousine (a camera team was also there) - & when some fans arrived at his car, 2 teenies, boy & girl asking for an autograph -
as Bob Dylan didn't react at once - the girl claimed urgently: "Sign it! - I want an autograph" -
Bob said: "The others don't want it, why do you want it?
the girl said:"Sign it!"
the boy said: "What's the problem?"
Bob was still not reacting.
the girl said: "Then we don't like you anymore!" - "I need the autograph - Sign it!"
Bob: "You don't need my autograph. If you would really need it, I would give it to you!"
boy & girl who didn't want to understand that he refused (more urgently): "Come on, Bob.."
girl (demanding): "just give it to me, ey!"
Bob Dylan didn't react anymore..
boy: "what's wrong with him today ey?"
Cut.
Wasn't that tragilicious (I invented this word)? - The boy said in the end: "What's wrong with him today?" - That's a sentence one would say to a warder in the zoo if the bear doesn't move, if the apes don't jump around - "Ey, what's wrong with them - I'd paid the entrance & they don't dance for me.."
