Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973)

The July 3rd, 1973 historic concert of the 'leper Messiah'. This was to be David Bowie's last concert with the Ziggy persona and the Spiders from Mars. A great medley of 'Wild Eyed Boy From... See full summary »

Director:

D.A. Pennebaker

Stars:

David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder

Cast

Complete credited cast:
David Bowie	...	Himself / Ziggy Stardust
Mick Ronson	...	Himself - Guitar and Vocals
Trevor Bolder	...	Himself - Bass
Mick Woodmansey	...	Himself - Drums (as Mick Woodmansy) (as Woody Woodmansey)
Ken Fordham	...	Himself - Sax, Flute
Brian Wilshaw	...	Himself - Sax, Flute
Geoffrey MacCormack	...	Himself - Backing Vocals, Percussions
John 'Hutch' Hutchinson	...	Himself - Guitar
Mike Garson	...	Himself - Piano, Mellotron, Organ

Storyline

The July 3rd, 1973 historic concert of the 'leper Messiah'. This was to be David Bowie's last concert with the Ziggy persona and the Spiders from Mars. A great medley of 'Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud'/'All The Young Dudes'/'Oh! You Pretty Things', a Lou Reed cover, and a Rolling Stones cover are but some of the highlights.

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Plot Keywords:

persona | live music | flamboyance | tears | glam rock | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

Bowie '73 with the Spiders from Mars

Filming Locations:

Hammersmith Odeon, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,816 (USA) (12 July 2002)

Gross:

$161,634 (USA) (4 April 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mainman, Bewlay Bros., Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeff Beck guested on guitar in two songs and was supposed to have been in the film, but asked not to appear in it because he felt his solos and his appearance, looking more like a '60s blues rocker than Bowie and the Spiders' theatrical outfits didn't quite fit the movie.

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Quotes

David Bowie: My Mother saw her first spaceship today...

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Connections

Spoofed in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: The Show Stoppers (2011)

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Soundtracks

Cracked Actor
Written by David Bowie
Performed by David Bowie (as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars)

User Reviews

A Slice of Rock History

I have absolutely no idea what movie the vast majority of commenters were watching... For a start, Pennebaker's style of documentary is grainy and gritty through *choice* not "amateurism". It's called REALISM. I first saw "Ziggy" in a movie theatre in Germany and was completely blown away by its energy and freshness. I think it's a sad state of affairs that modern audiences are so dulled by CGI and DVD extras, that they can't appreciate a mind-blowing piece of cinema verite like this. This movie captures all of the sweat, hysteria and sheer balls of Bowie's final performance as Ziggy Stardust, and it's incredible.