This afternoon program exclusively for Bob Dylan Center members and guests expands on the contents and themes of the Thin Wild Mercury: Dylan 1966 exhibition, generously presented by Bob Dylan Center Founding Members Bob and Debbie Russell — opening to the public on the same day — by showcasing Dylan’s rarely screened directorial debut “Eat the Document.”
Running just short of an hour, this kaleidoscopic chronicle of Dylan’s “Judas”-inducing 1966 European tour is an unpredictable blend of onstage concert footage, backstage banter and seemingly fictional elements, with cinematography by famed documentarian D. A. Pennebaker — who directed the previous year’s “Dont Look Back,” following Dylan on his 1965 tour — and key support from crew members Howard and Jones Alk and Bob Neuwirth. Rejected for broadcast by ABC execs who found it incomprehensible. Dylan’s experimental vision remains a fascinating document of his kinetic mindset during the whirlwind of ’66, and features incendiary performances of “Tell Me, Momma,” “I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met),” “Ballad of a Thin Man” and “One Too Many Mornings,” with the majestically captivating frontman backed by The Hawks (soon to become The Band).
The screening will conclude with excerpts from filmmaker John Anderson’s work-in-progress documentary about photographer Barry Feinstein, whose brilliantly composed images of Dylan and The Band during the mid-‘60s — and later during their 1974 tour — are strikingly intimate and truly iconic. Anderson will share segments from his film with viewers for the first time.
To introduce the films, renowned presidential historian and Dylan scholar Douglas Brinkley will offer his perspective on this key chapter in Dylan’s story, placing “Eat the Document” and the ’66 tour within socio-historical context.
Following the screening, “Thin Wild Mercury” exhibition curator and American Song Archives Senior Director of Archives and Exhibitions Mark Davidson will moderate a panel discussion and audience Q&A featuring Anderson and Gordon Quinn, Founder and Senior Advisor at Kartemquin Films who worked alongside Dylan as assistant editor of “Eat the Document.”
“Mercury on Film: Eat the Document” is generously presented by Bob Dylan Center Founding Members Joe Donnelly and Becky Thorson.
Details:
Circle Cinema – Theater 2
10 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104
Saturday, July 18, 2026
2 p.m. CT
Tickets:
Free admission for Bob Dylan Center members
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