Renaldo and Clara is a 1978 American film directed byBob Dylan and starring Bob Dylan,Sara Dylan andJoan Baez. Written by Dylan andSam Shepard, the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, and dramatic fictional vignettes reflective of Dylan's song lyrics and life.[1]
Many of the artists performing with theRolling Thunder Revue are featured in the film, which also includes clips of concert performances and footage ofRubin Carter, the subject of Dylan's song "Hurricane". The film also features an appearance from the musician,David Blue, who gives some insight into the 1960s New York City folk music scene while playing a game ofpinball. The machine was a Big Valley, built by Bally in 1970. The film also contains the last known footage ofPhil Ochs, who is shown preparing to take the stage at Folk City in October 1975; he committed suicide six months later.
Upon its theatrical release in 1978,Renaldo and Clara received poor reviews, and, after opening inNew York City andLos Angeles, its initial limited theatrical run was discontinued after a few weeks. The film was also shown in a film theatre in Hampstead, London, in a film theatre in Rialto, Dublin and in the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May 1979.[4]
Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times wrote in her review of the 1978 debut ofRenaldo and Clara, "The film is full of connections to be made and riddles to be solved, but it approaches these things so dispassionately that the viewer has little choice but to follow suit. Even though Mr. Dylan makes it clear that he in no way wanted to make a concert film, the footage of him in performance provides not only the film's most electrifying moments but also its most emblematic ones"[1]
Later in 1978, Dylan allowed a two-hour edit of the film to be distributed. The shortened version focused more on the concert footage and omitted many of the dramatic scenes.[citation needed]
After a small number of showings of the original version on European television, Dylan withdrew the film from distribution. It was shown in two parts 7–8 July 1980 on German television ZDF; on Finnish television 28 August 1982; 26 December 1983 (Boxing Day) on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The 4-hour version was also shown 29 May 2011 at the Glasgow Film Theatre.[citation needed]
