I wanted to but couldn't!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

For any Bob Dylan fan this is a must. One gets to see his progression from the new darling of the folk scene (elevated to the point of ultimate pretension by the line "He has his finger on the pulse of a generation") to breaking out the electric guitar for Maggie's Farm in 1965. It definitely helps to know what the circumstances were with Dylan's presence at the Newport Folk Festival over those three years when watching the film; if you go into it expecting the director Murray Lerner to spoon-feed multitudes of facts then you're bound to be let down. Only Joan Baez has a scene with some comments on Bob Dylan at the festival - the rest is just concert footage, with some sporadic bits for the announcer and shots and sounds of the audience or Dylan in a car surrounded by fans.As for the songs themselves, they are what they are: it's Dylan in both his prime as a strong storyteller and folk singer and as a burgeoning rock star that got a lot of "pure" fans very angry. The argument can be made both ways with 1965: taken out of context the performance of Maggie's Farm is one of the most highly charged live rock songs ever recorded, taken in context it wasn't exactly the right time with such a picky crowd. It took guts on Dylan's end though, which is something that does come through consistently in the documentary. I mean this by what he sings about: his range is incredible when it comes to writing lyrics and relaying his stories and ideas, from Medgar Evers to his World War 3 Dream to Blowin' in the Wind, and then on to something traditional but powerful like Chimes of Freedom... leading all the way up to what many consider his masterpiece, Like a Rolling Stone. If nothing else, the performances are essential, even if the film overall works better alongside Scorsese's No Direction Home, which is, of course, the definitive Dylan doc.

I cannot believe that this film has only 82 votes and 3 comments! This is an amazing concert film. If you're frustrated with all the music movies where you only get to hear 30 seconds to a minute of each song, this is the film for you. There is no fancy camera work, no distracting lighting, no peripatetic moving the camera from place to place, like we'll be bored if we just see the singer singing the song. Much of the time you see Dylan's face in close up, as if you were sitting on stage. And every song he sings you hear from the opening to closing chords. It's a special treat to see the young Johnny Cash, but he's not the focus of this film, so we only see part of a song. Same for Joan Baez. Other than that, no other performers than Dylan.There are no interviews, no crowd closeups, no explanation of anything. The performances just speak for themselves in a way you probably haven't seen before, even if you've seen all the other Dylan films. You might even hear a song or two you haven't heard before, and you get not one but two complete performances of Mr. Tambourine Man. The change in Dylan's appearance, voice, and music in the course of just three years is amazing, and seeing it without commentary just seems "right" to me. You don't always need to hear someone explain what you can see for yourself.The sound and picture, while black and white, is amazingly high quality, even without considering the era from which it was all recorded.

Other Side of the Mirror, The: Bob Dylan at Newport (2007) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Murray Lerner (Festival) 'directs' this documentary that covers the 1963-65 Newport Music Festival performances by Bob Dylan. There's no question that these concerts are a put of music history but I must admit that I'm disappointed by this film because it's only the concert footage without any new interviews or anything like that. Even a few of the concerts songs are edited so I'm really not sure what the point of this thing was. There are countless documents of these events including the recent Martin Scorsese film so why this release was needed isn't known. The performances by Dylan are all very good, although I think all three are a tad bit overrated. The film does offer some shots that I haven't seen before but everything else has been available for decades.

Featuring previously unseen footage, Murray Lerner's film is footage of performances by Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Kestival but it also charts the change in his status in the years covered by the film. I think that those with a greater understanding of the man's career than I do will appreciate seeing this time period represented by a series of performances but even for the casual Dylan listener such as myself this is a very worthwhile film.Despite including such people as Joni Mitchell and Johnny Cash, this film is almost entirely Dylan performing live and it is effortlessly enjoyable and rewarding to get such access, particularly since I was not even born at that time. The footage is really good throughout even though for many of the performances it is just one or two static cameras focusing on Dylan from the front or side. At other times though the camera moves round crowded stages or gets good audience shots and it is all edited together really well. I'm not sure if I have any reason to be, but I was quite surprised by the high quality of the film and the sound – the black & white footage is crisp and sharp and the sound is as clear as standing next to him.The performances are as good as recorded and I think even those who only have the "best of" in their collection will enjoy it, but there is more than just the music. My favourite parts involve interacting with the audience or the powerless frustration of the MC trying to calm a crowd chanting "we want more", while the moment Dylan appeals to the audience to throw up a harmonica as he is lacking his own, then proceeds to play it like it was part of him was to me just all the more justification of his "man of the people" personae.Overall then a very enjoyable collection of live performances that are not only good because of the quality of Dylan but also because of the high quality of the black & white film stock and the sound.