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Lonely Boy / Don’t Look Back
An analysis of Lonely Boy and Don’t Look Back, two observational documentaries which follow the lives of Paul Anka and Bob Dylan.
Both ‘Lonely Boy’ and ‘Don’t Look Back’ are good examples of cinema verite as each documentary captures the true raw energy of the subjects being documented, Paul Anka and Bob Dylan. The constant use of a shaky hand held camera in ‘Don’t Look Back’, along with fast pans, grainy effects and blurs gave the documentary a gritty realistic feel and provide a good demonstration of early cinema verite taking place.
In ‘Don’t Look Back’, Pennebaker watches and observes the real Bob Dylan off stage being his true self. Dylan is creating the energy with his own passion especially in the scene towards the end when Dylan puts the reporter and the magazine (time) down, trying to prove a point about the media and life.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
We see less of these clips in ‘Lonely Boy’, one of the only ones being when Paul Anka buys a ring for the owner of the restaurant he performed at. The style of Lonely Boy differs slightly to Don’t Look Back as it is not as gritty and personal. Paul Anka speaks directly to the camera about his experiences where as the audience experience Dylan first hand instead of being told about it. The audience experience life with Dylan as he lives it. Unlike ‘Don’t Look Back’, ‘Lonely boy’ has a very brief narration towards the beginning/middle of the film which again links into the different styles.
