Bob Dylan Revealed Blu-ray Review

February 29, 2012

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Video Codec: VC-1
Resolution: 1080i/60
Audio Codec: English Dolby 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: N/A
Region: ABC (Region-Free)
Rating:
Discs: 1
Studio: Highway 61
Blu-ray Release Date: June 21, 2011
List Price: $19.95

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Overall

The Film

Video Quality

Audio Quality

With Bob Dylan hitting 70 there are bound to be all sorts of books, films, and compilations on the enigmatic folk/rock singer/songwriter populating stores and e-tailers, but what is there left to say about the iconic musician, really? Bob Dylan Revealed, by Joel Gilbert, seems to be scraping the barrel for what little tidbits there are left to glean about the man that fans young and old haven’t already heard.
Through interviews with various band members and acquaintances of Dylan throughout the years, Including Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Revealed roughly tells of the different periods of Dylan’s career, from his debut on Columbia Records, through his “controversial” electric period, to his days in rehab at the end of the 60s, his comeback in ’74, becoming born again in ’79, an “Infidel,” and into the present. There are a few brief snippets of his infamously antagonistic interviews interspersed, but mostly this is Dylan as seen through the eyes of people who know or knew him, with the focus on the man more than the music.
Video Quality

Given that Bob Dylan Revealed is taken from numerous sources, including archival footage, homemovies, video, black and white photos, etc. one would expect the quality to vary greatly, but this 1080i VC-1 encodement has plenty of flaws not seemingly inherent to the source, like aliasing and motion judder as well. It’s nowhere near reference.
Audio Quality

There’s a low-bitrate Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack provided as the only option on this disc and it does no justice to the dialogue-heavy documentary. There’s plenty of crackle to be heard and voices sound a bit muffled.
Supplemental Materials

Supplements? Forget about it. This is barebones all the way. All they provide is a trailer in standard definition.
The Definitive Word
Overall:

Surely there are better documentaries on Bob Dylan out there and though Bob Dylan Revealed is of some interest, it will only be a necessity for the Dylan completist.