ABSTRACT
Renaldo and Clara (1978) stands tall as Bob Dylan’s magnum opus in the realm of filmmaking. Within its intricate tapestry, we are presented with an exploration of how Dylan’s music and filmmaking seamlessly intertwine, both conceptually and thematically. The chapter takes account of two of Renaldo and Clara’s most significant influences: Marcel Carné’s Children of Paradise (1945) and François Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player (1960). Furthermore, the chapter explores the extent to which the film is a documentary despite its fictional trappings, and the degree to which biographical overtones inform the film’s meaning. As with other Dylan film projects, one can discern recurring character dynamics and thematic binaries animating the film’s content. Dylan’s role as the film’s auteur comes under scrutiny, particularly regarding how he wielded soft power amidst a laissez-faire, improvisatory shooting process, and his more hands-on approach during post-production. Lastly, the analysis turns to 2019’s Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, which repurposes much of the footage shot for Renaldo and Clara but sidesteps any mention of the latter film. Retroactively, Dylan masks his auteurial role and disguises the footage’s original raison d’etre, necessitating some reflection on Dylan’s latter-day concealment of his cinematic ventures.
