Sylvie in “A Complete Unknown”
Who is she?
Watching the Bob Dylan “biopic,” A Complete Unknown, I wondered why Dylan’s girlfriend Suze Rotolo, was referred to as “Sylvie.”
I now know.
Simon Warner, in a review posted yesterday, writes,
“Interestingly, Dylan himself, upon reading through the script and voicing his character’s lines with director James Mangold, did not object to this scene, or to much of anything else. He only wanted Suze Rotolo’s name left out of it, as she never wanted a public persona. She appears as ‘Sylvie Russo’ (Elle Fanning). Her portrayal struck me as true to the woman who comes across in Suze’s terrific 2008 memoir A Freewheelin’ Time.”
Elle Fanning’s portrayal of Suze as Sylvia was outstanding. You might want to know more about Suze Rotolo, so today I’m reposting a link to the piece I wrote nearly a year ago after reading her memoir—a memoir which, as I note, has “a Catholic feel” to it.
Who is she?
It’s a great photo! This is one of the best-known album covers of all-time. It’s Bob Dylan’s second vinyl, pressed and released in 1963. Look at Dylan - he’s beyond shivering and thinking “Man, I shoulda wwwwworn a heavier coat.”