Category: Factual &
Arts TV
Date: 21.07.2005
Printable version
No Direction 91Èȱ¬
- Bob Dylan airs on 26 and 27 September on 91Èȱ¬ TWO's Arena and simultaneously
in the USA on PBS's flagship arts series American Masters.
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The cultural giants of Bob Dylan and
Martin Scorsese have been brought together for a unique
two-part Arena film,
No Direction 91Èȱ¬ - Bob Dylan, to be screened on 91Èȱ¬
TWO and accompanied by a season exploring Dylan's work on 91Èȱ¬ FOUR.
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The British Film Institute in association with the 91Èȱ¬
will be staging a parallel season at the National Film Theatre.
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For the first time ever, the 91Èȱ¬ in the UK and the American
public broadcasting network, PBS, will transmit the same programme on
the same day, on Arena and its PBS counterpart - Thirteen/WNET's award-winning
American Masters series.
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This historic collaboration between the world's two
foremost public broadcasters has been forged by Spitfire Pictures, based
in Los Angeles and London.
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The two-part film is a co-production of the 91Èȱ¬, Thirteen/WNET
New York, PBS, Spitfire Pictures, Grey Water Park Productions and Sikelia
Productions, in association with Box TV.
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When Robert Zimmerman became Bob Dylan, the times really
were a-changing. His songs seemed to capture the social upheaval of
the radical Sixties and provide a way to respond to the transformations.
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Dylan has never before agreed to tell that story on
film - until now.
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In discussing his excitement about the films, Scorsese
remarked: "I had been a great fan for many years when I had the privilege
to film Bob Dylan for The Last Waltz.
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"I've admired and enjoyed his many musical transformations.
For me, there is no other musical artist who weaves his influences so
densely to create something so personal and unique."
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In addition to being the director of such outstanding
feature films as Raging Bull, Goodfellas and The Aviator, Scorsese is
an avid chronicler of the history of American popular music.
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He executive-produced the music mini-series
The Blues, which aired on 91Èȱ¬ FOUR; directed the The
Last Waltz (1978), which captured the legendary farewell concert of
The Band; and edited Woodstock (1970).
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No Direction 91Èȱ¬ - Bob Dylan tells the story of the
singer-songwriter from his upbringing through to the astonishing creative
years of 1961-66.
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It includes never-seen performance footage and interviews
with artists and musicians whose lives intertwined with Dylan's at that
time, including Allen Ginsberg, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez,
Maria Muldaur and many others.
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In a major new interview, Dylan talks openly and extensively
about this critical period in his career, detailing the journey from
his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to Greenwich Village, New York,
where he became the centre of a musical and cultural upheaval - the
effects of which are still felt today.
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For the very first time, The Bob Dylan Archives has
made available rare treasures from its film, tape and stills collection,
including footage from Murray Lerner's film Festival documenting performances
at the 1963, 1964 and 1965 Newport Folk Festivals, plus previously unreleased
outtakes from D.A. Pennebaker's famed 1967 documentary Don't Look Back.
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In anticipation of the film, members of Dylan's worldwide
community of fans also contributed rarities from their collections.
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Along with Scorsese, No Direction 91Èȱ¬ - Bob Dylan is
being individually produced by Anthony Wall of the 91Èȱ¬'s Arena; Jeff
Rosen of Grey Water Park; Nigel Sinclair of Spitfire Pictures; and Susan
Lacy of Thirteen/WNET New York's American Masters series.
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Wall, Arena Series Editor, said: "This is history, one great artist on the work of another; as Dylan's extraordinary career is building to another great peak, it's
also a milestone for the 91Èȱ¬ and PBS."
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Lacy, series creator and Executive Producer of American Masters, said: "When we first began discussing this project years ago, we were overwhelmed by the material at hand and, of course, Dylan himself, speaking so frankly about this incredible period in his life.
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"What we needed - above all - was an artist with a singular
vision who could fuse this material into a unique visual narrative.
That artist was Martin Scorsese, who graciously agreed to direct."
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Added Spitfire Pictures' Sinclair: "Bob Dylan is a true
cultural worldwide icon. This is the first time Bob has given this unprecedented
access, which, coupled with Marty's outstanding filmmaking talents,
should provide an unparalleled portrait of Dylan's indelible mark on
the culture of the 20th century.
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Notes to Editors
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No Direction 91Èȱ¬ - Bob Dylan part one broadcasts
on 91Èȱ¬ TWO's Arena on 26 September, with the second part soon after.
A DVD version of the documentary will be released by Paramount 91Èȱ¬
Entertainment and the film's soundtrack will also be released by Sony.
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Arena is the 91Èȱ¬'s longest-running arts strand. It
has been in the vanguard of groundbreaking documentary film for more than
25 years. Arena has won nine Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television
Arts) awards, the Prix Italia, International Emmy, and the Special Medallion
at Telluride for "its contribution to cutting edge documentary film
making."
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American Masters is produced for PBS by Thirteen/WNET
New York. The acclaimed series has become a cultural legacy in its own
right, whose exceptional film library about America's artistic giants
is one of the most highly honoured in television history.
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In addition to Peabodys, an Oscar and a Grammy, American
Masters has won 16 Emmys, including Outstanding Primetime Non-Fiction
Series for 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004. Most recently, the series
won the International Documentary Association (IDA) Award for Best Continuing
Series.
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Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key programme
providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature;
Great Performances; American Masters; Charlie Rose; Religion & Ethics
NewsWeekly; Wide Angle; Stage on Screen; Secrets of the Dead; and Cyberchase
- as well as the work of Bill Moyers - to audiences nationwide.
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As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York,
New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of
viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along
with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials,
The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York.
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Spitfire Pictures is an independent feature film and
television production company founded by Guy East and Nigel Sinclair.
Currently, Spitfire is in development and/or production on a number
of feature films and high-profile musical documentaries, including My
Generation: Who's Still Who.
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In 2001, Sinclair and East executive produced The Wedding
Planner and K-PAX as well as the Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated
The Quiet American. In 2002, Spitfire produced Masked and Anonymous
starring Bob Dylan. Sinclair and East's long list of additional executive
producer and producer credits includes Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines;
the Academy Award-winning Adaptation, Iris; the Academy Award-nominated
Hilary and Jackie; K-19: The Widowmaker; Enigma and Sliding Doors.
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Box TV is a leading UK independent production company,
specialising in premium television drama and documentaries. Founded
in 2000 by Gub Neal, Emmy-winning producer and former Head of Drama
at Granada and Channel 4, and Justin Thomson-Glover, Box has produced
more than £35m of international programming including the multi-award winning
Sunday and Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
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After their successful partnership on No Direction 91Èȱ¬
- Bob Dylan, Box and Spitfire are collaborating on a number of other
high-profile projects.
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Established in 1933, the British Film Institute's
purpose is to champion moving image culture in all its richness and
diversity across the UK, for the benefit of as wide an audience as possible,
and to create and encourage debate.
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PBS is a private, non-profit media enterprise that
serves the USA's 349 public non-commercial television stations, reaching
nearly 90 million people each week through on-air and online content.
PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers,
and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners.
PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Vulcan Productions is the independent documentary
and feature film production company launched in 1997 by investor Paul
G Allen. The company's critically-acclaimed body of work includes the
2001 PBS series Evolution; Martin Scorsese's The Blues; Far From Heaven;
and this year's Strange Days on Planet Earth produced with National
Geographic.
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