Ventura presents

Bob Dylan: World Tour 1966 Home Movies (2002)

"A lot of people said that Bob, because he was playing this electric... that he had sold out. That he did it for the money. But, the reality is, Bob paid for all that sound equipment. Bob probably made less money on that tour than any he had ever done, because he wanted to play electric music."- Mickey Jones

Stars: Mickey Jones
Other Stars: Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth, Victor Maimudes, Trini Lopez, Johnny Rivers, The Beatles
Director: Joel Gilbert, Mickey Jones

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:30m:32s
Release Date: 2004-02-03
Genre: documentary

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B-	C+	B	C	B+

 

DVD Review

Material about Bob Dylan on DVD is pretty rare. There is Dont Look Back, The Last Waltz and a short appearance on Eric Clapton's Crossroads concert for the main part of the available footage. For a couple of years, actor/musician Mickey Jones has been selling World Tour 1966 The Home Movies, a DVD of home movie footage that he took during those years, through his website, and now the disc has been picked up for distribution by Ventura. The first thing to say is that it is true that the DVD packaging perhaps leads one to believe that this DVD is one thing and it really is somewhat of another: If you are looking for inside footage of Bob Dylan or lengthy performance clips, you are going to be disappointed. What appears is literally home movie footage that Mickey Jones took while on tour, which includes some that is just as awfully touristy as anything your grandparents might have filmed in Hawaii in the '60s. In fact, the footage here starts with shots of Waikiki and Diamond Head, because that tour started in Hawaii. There are clips that feature some members of the band and entourage, often mugging for the camera. There are indeed some shots of Dylan, mostly walking away from the camera. Some of it is interesting... and some is not.

There are indeed some shots of Dylan performing, both solo and with the band on the tour. But it is all silent footage. By and large, the movie is an extended interview with Mickey Jones that is punctuated by footage that he narrates, describing the background of its creation. Some of his commentary is fascinating and interesting, other parts are less so. Somehow it seems that Mickey did not have much access to Dylan during the tour or that Dylan was not particulary willing to participate.

Mickey Jones started his career drumming for folk singer Trini Lopez. Later, he joined Johnny Rivers' band and ultimately was recruited by Bob Dylan to join him, and a group then known as The Hawks, on a World Tour in 1966. Dylan's plan was to perform with electric instruments despite resistence from his fans; the electric half of the show was regularly booed during the tour. Columbia recently released what had been a long bootlegged performance on CD with 1998's Bob Dylan Live 1966 culled from tapes of the era. Jones also spent time drumming for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Since his career as a drummer, Jones has had a successful acting career with several recurring roles on television shows, including Home Improvement and Flo. Jones has gained his largest film notoriety from an appearance in 1996's Slingblade, but is a familiar figure as villains and heavies in movies and television.

Documentarian D.A Pennebaker appears in the part of the film that was made in Copenhagen at Kronberg, Hamlet's castle. Pennebaker and soundman Howard Alk joined the tour to film what was envisioned as a televsion special and ultimately became the legendary but rarely seen documentary film, Eat the Document. Jones' footage serves as some behind-the-scenes material for that film.

Additionally this DVD includes footage of Trini Lopez, Johnny Rivers, and The Beatles performing in concert. There is some footage of Ann-Margaret on a USO tour of Viet Nam with Johnny Rivers. Music is provided by the Bob Dylan tribute band called Highway 61 Revisited.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: C+

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: World Tour 1966 The Home Movies features a decent transfer of what was probably some less than stellar source.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The disc is supposed to Dolby 5.1 but the sound was not really very good. Basically, the film consists of an extended interview of Jones with some backgound music by Highway 61 Revisited. The background music was too loud at some points and the fact that it is simply mimicry of Dylan is just annoying.

Audio Transfer Grade: C 

Disc Extras

Static menu with music
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Packaging: Amaray
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Three Photo Galleries

Extras Review: Extras for World Tour 1966 The Home Movies include three slide shows of photos. It's a nice addition because it was a surprise that there was any at all. First is Barry Feinstein photos shot during the tour with backstage pictures, outdoor photos, and performance shots. Mark Makin contributes some very good peformance pictures from both acoustic and electric sets taken in Manchester, England. The last set is a compilation of Mickey Jones' photos includes many different types of shots from publicity photos, movies stills, and other pictures from Jones' life.

Extras Grade: B+
 

Final Comments

Pretty much for Bob Dylan fans only, and hardcore Dylan fans at that. Mickey Jones tells the story of his involvement with Bob Dylan's World Tour in 1996, accompanied by home movie footage. Some of it is pretty interesting.

Jesse Shanks 2004-01-21