The Locations of Bob Dylan Biopic "A Complete Unknown," Revisited
The real-life NYC places seen in the trailer for James Mangold's new Bob Dylan biopic
A teaser trailer offering the first look at director James Mangold’s upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown dropped this week, and it’s full of scenes of the musician (played by Timothée Chalamet) wandering the Greenwich Village area of NYC that served as his home base in the early 1960s. But where were these scenes filmed, and how do the recreated landmarks stack up to the real-life locations Dylan frequented six decades ago? Let’s explore.
The Park
The Real Place: The trailer opens with a shot of Dylan walking alongside a park at night. Though not specified in the trailer, it’s likely a stand-in for Washington Square Park. It’s possible the film visits other parks Dylan was known to spend time at, like Tompkins Square Park or Sheridan Square, but seeing as most of the film locations we see in the trailer are situated around the park we see, it’s probably Washington Square — the beating heart of the Village. The sprawling park in downtown Manhattan between W 4th St. & Waverly Pl., running from Macdougal St. to University Pl., it was the site of a key moment in the folk music revolution that swept the city. The “Beatnik Riot,” as the New York Mirror called it, was a mass performance and protest of folk musicians that took place on April 9, 1961, less than three months after Dylan entered the scene.
The Movie Set: The park we see onscreen is indeed in the center of the action for the rest of these locations. It's Church Square Park in Hoboken, NJ. Just like Washington Square, this park is bordered to the south by a 4th St. “Positively Fourth Street” indeed. The shot in the trailer is looking east down 5th St., toward Willow Ave.
McAnn’s Bar
The Real Place: McAnn’s was once a chain of bars in New York City. Founded in 1945, only one location remains in existence today, at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. (One that was located at 692 3rd Ave. can be seen in Scorsese’s 1976 movie Taxi Driver.) Below are that and some other locations that existed throughout the city, a couple of which boat neon signs that match the one scene in A Complete Unknown. However, I don’t think any of the real-life locations stood in the vicinity of the Village.
The Movie Set: Right off another corner of Hoboken’s Church Square Park, the bar that stood in as McAnn’s is really Moran’s Pub at 501 Garden St.
Hotel Chelsea
The Real Place: The only location in the teaser trailer that wasn’t recreated elsewhere, what you see in the shot is the actual Hotel Chelsea, which opened in 1884 and is still going strong today. Located at 222 W 23rd St., it was a haven for all sorts of artists, particularly in the 1960s-1970s. Leonard Cohen immortalized the hotel in his song “Chelsea Hotel No. 2,” Dylan Thomas spent his last days there, and Sid Vicious allegedly killed Nancy Spungen there.
Dylan lived there with girlfriend (eventually wife) Sara Lownds during the writing of Blonde on Blonde, penning “Visions of Johanna” and “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” there. He also sings about writing the latter at the Chelsea, specifically name-checking the hotel, in his 1976 song “Sara.”
The hotel is connected to neighboring restaurant El Quijote, which you can also see in the shot. It’s been open since 1930, and was a popular hangout spot for many residents and visitors of the Chelsea, including Dylan.
The Movie Set: The (newly renovated) Hotel Chelsea/Chelsea Hotel is still there at 222 W 23rd St., as is the restaurant El Quijote.
Cafe Wha?
The Real Place: This storied underground music club is still located where it always was, at 115 MacDougal St. Opened in 1959, the club saw countless legendary musicians and comedians walk through its doors, including Jimi Hendrix, who was discovered by his eventual manager at the venue. On January 24, 1961, Dylan arrived in New York City after hitchhiking from Minnesota, and booked a gig at Cafe Wha? for that night. The hootenanny was his first show in NYC.
The Movie Set: The spot that became Cafe Wha? in the movie is unfortunately not a real rock club, but a nail salon. It’s located at 503 Jersey Ave. in Hoboken. In the movie, the “Jersey Ave” & Wayne St” signs are swapped out for “Macdougal St” & “Minetta Ln” signs — the real Cafe Wha’s actual cross-street. Points for accuracy!
Gerde’s Folk City
The Real Place: Gerde’s Folk City began operating under that name in 1960, located at 11 W 4th St. That’s where it was when Dylan first arrived on the scene, though it later moved to 130 W 3rd St. until it shuttered in 1987. It was a September 1961 New York Times review of a 20-year-old Dylan performing at Gerde’s that launched the musician’s career.
The Movie Set: Not quite as much of a good time as a rock club, the Gerde's Folk City exterior seen in the movie is really a Hoboken dentist’s office at 801 Washington St.
And now you know.