Renaldo and Clara

Production

Renaldo and Clara was written by Bob Dylan and Sam Shepard. Most of the performers are musicians or members of Dylan's inner circle; the only professional actors in the cast are Sam Shepard, Harry Dean Stanton, Helena Kallianiotes, and Ronee Blakley.

The style, structure, and thematic elements of Renaldo and Clara were heavily influenced by the French film Les Enfants du Paradis. Similarities between the two films include the use of whiteface (Dylan), the recurring flower, the woman in white (Baez), the on-stage and backstage scenes, and the dialogue of both films' climactic scenes. Also evident is the Cubist approach of the two films, allowing us to see the main characters from the different perspectives of various lovers. Running time is also relatively similar.

Many of the artists performing with the Rolling Thunder Revue are featured in the film, which also includes clips of concert performances and footage of Rubin Carter, the subject of Dylan's song "Hurricane". The film also contains the last known footage of Phil Ochs, who is shown preparing to take the stage at Folk City in October 1975; he committed suicide six months later. The film also features an appearance from another ill-fated musician, David Blue, who gives some insight into the 1960s New York City folk music scene while playing an extended game of pinball.

Soundtrack

Reception

Upon its theatrical release in 1978, Renaldo and Clara received poor reviews, and, after opening in New York City and Los Angeles, its initial limited theatrical run was discontinued after a few weeks.

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.

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. Copies, made from recordings of the television broadcast, circulate among collectors (the first 25 seconds of the tape-to-DVD had 'bad tracking'). The only parts of the movie to be released for consumers are the excerpts found on the bonus DVD accompanying the initial release of Dylan's The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue. Footage from the film also appeared in the music video of Dylan's 1991 song "Series of Dreams". To date, the film has yet to see an official release in any format. As of April 2017, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40% based on five critic reviews, with an average rating of 4/10.