Bob Dylan: The Other Side of the Mirror - Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965

"Bob Dylan cemented his reputation within the folk music community with his first appearance at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival in 1963 -- and he divided his audience when he appeared with an electric rock band at the same festival in 1965. Filmmaker Murray Lerner offers a fascinating look at Dylan's early career in The Other Side of the Mirror: Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965, a documentary which has been released on DVD by Columbia/Legacy Records. The footage in The Other Side of the Mirror has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and while some of the archival film shows its age, most of this material looks great, appearing sharp and clear on DVD. The audio has been mastered in two formats, Dolby Digital Stereo and Dolby Surround 5.1, and both mixes sound very good given the age of the recordings, though the two-channel mix sounds a bit more natural. The songs and interviews are in English; optional subtitles in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish translate the interviews and stage patter, but not the lyrics to the songs. As a bonus, the disc includes a 25-minute interview with director Lerner in which he talks about filmmaking, Dylan's music, and shooting at the Newport Folk Festival. The Other Side of the Mirror is a fascinating document that will intrigue Dylan fans, and this DVD offers a fine presentation of the film."