Entertainment
Bob Dylan Is One of Only 2 People To Achieve This Incredible Oscar Feat
Even if he hadn’t received more attention recently after being played by Timothée Chalamet in the Oscar-nominated biopic A Complete Unknown, Bob Dylan has an outstanding influence on film history. While Dylan is obviously best known for his work as a songwriter, his work as an artist includes many different fields; he’s also an activist, a storyteller, a visual creator, and at times a creative mind behind mixed media projects. Although many artists have set records based on the number of awards they’ve received, Dylan has the distinction of having won both a competitive Academy Award and a Nobel Prize for Literature.
Dylan isn’t the only artist to receive this honor, as George Bernard Shaw also won a Nobel Prize and an Oscar, even if there is a bit more controversy surrounding his wins. Shaw won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Pygmalion, an adaptation of his own play that required few alterations to be translated to the big screen; although Shaw won the Nobel Prize for his significant achievements in writing classics like Man and Superman and Saint Joan, his legacy has been more divisive within the literary community based on his expressed pro-eugenics and anti-vaccination views. Comparatively, Dylan became the first songwriter to ever win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Things Have Changed” from the very underrated dramedy Wonder Boys.
Bob Dylan Has Both an Oscar and a Nobel Prize
Although he earned all types of trophies for his countless achievements in music, Dylan’s win for the Nobel Prize was a significant change within the organization, which had traditionally associated “literature” with novels, journalism, commentary, drama, and other works of formal writing. Musicians weren’t traditionally considered to be serious contenders for the award because an album involves additional auditory components and manipulation that are essential to the experience, and alter the context of the written word. However, Dylan’s songs are notable because they serve as standalone works of poetry that can be appreciated in their own right. Some of the best examples of how Dylan’s words can have resonance are seen in films, such as the now iconic soundtrack that he wrote for the classic Western Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.
One of Martin Scorsese’s Best Films Was Never Released in Theaters
Although Scorsese’s 2005 documentary ‘No Direction Home: Bob Dylan’ was never released in theaters, it remains one of his masterworks.
It’s often that the Oscars will give trophies to underappreciated artists towards the end of their careers in recognition of their entire body of work, even if they may not have deserved it for the specific title that they won for; for example, no one would disagree that Al Pacino deserved to be an Oscar winner, even if Scent of a Woman isn’t necessarily one of his best performances. However, Dylan wrote an amazing song for Wonder Boys that continued the themes he had been working on since his 1997 record Time Out of Mind. It made sense for Dylan to write a reflective, thoughtful song about reconciling with one’s legacy, as it was released at a point in his career where he had already had a tremendous impact on popular culture.
It also wasn’t just a standalone song that was tacked onto a film for the hope of earning an Oscar, as “Things Have Changed” is the embodiment of the themes of Wonder Boys. The underrated drama from director Curtis Hanson starred Michael Douglas as Professor Grady Tripp, who grows frustrated about his inability to complete his new novel after taking on his young, bright student James Leer (Tobey Maguire) as his protégé. While it wasn’t the Oscar contender that it should have been, Wonder Boys was still nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.
Bob Dylan Is Essential To Film History
Dylan’s Oscar win for Wonder Boys may have actually ended up boosting its popularity, as the film had initially been a box office disappointment, but managed to resurrect itself during award season thanks to the positive reviews from critics like Roger Ebert, who named it one of the best of the year. Dylan has himself contributed to the development of contemporary film, particularly through his collaborations with Martin Scorsese and other documentarians. Although it was D.A. Pennebaker who directed him in the iconic documentary Don’t Look Back, which covered his world tour, Dylan appeared in Scorsese’s classic concert film The Last Waltz, and was the subject of his non-fiction films No Direction Home: Bob Dylan and Rolling Thunder Revue: a Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. Still, it’s ironic that Dylan, best known as a songwriter, ended up winning an Oscar before Scorsese, who earned his six years later when he earned the Best Director prize for The Departed.
The Nobel Prize earned by Dylan is a sign that prestigious institutions of American cultural assessment have evolved to acknowledge all forms of artistry as legitimate. That being said, Dylan’s writing has been so intertwined within American history that he didn’t need an official award to be acknowledged; between the use of the titular track in the Denzel Washington biopic The Hurricane and the brilliant use of “The Times They Are A-Changin’” within the opening of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, Dylan’s music has been used to memorialize significant moments within the social, political, and cultural enrichment of America. What’s most impressive is that, despite being critical of America’s past, Dylan has not waned in popularity, as he continues to draw interest for his new albums and other projects. The fact that A Complete Unknown was a legitimate hit, especially amongst young people, would show that Dylan’s contributions have managed to resonate with a new generation.
Wonder Boys is available to rent or buy on VOD services in the U.S.
- Release Date
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February 25, 2000
- Runtime
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117 minutes
- Director
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Curtis Hanson