Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

D.A. Pennebaker

Release Date:

December 1973 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Music

Plot:

The July 3rd, 1973 historic concert of the 'leper Messiah'. This was to be David Bowie's last concert...

Plot Keywords:

Concert Film | Mime | Rock Music | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Cast

David Bowie	...	Himself / Ziggy Stardust
Mick Ronson	...	Himself
Trevor Bolder	...	Himself
Mick Woodmansy	...	Himself
Angela Bowie	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maureen Starkey	...	Herself

Also Known As:

Bowie '73 with the Spiders from Mars (UK)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Hammersmith Odeon, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Company:

Bewlay Bros.

Trivia:

RCA requested that many references to, mostly, death and suicide in Bowie's lyrics should be bleeped. Pennebaker gave way. But he only bleeped the mono-sound negative, while the stereo film print and soundtrack remained non-bleeped.

Quotes:

David Bowie: What do you know about make-up? You're Just a Girl.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Alleys and Motorways (1997) (V)

Good Re-mix can't save the filming

This is a badly filmed concert. From many perspectives (lighting, setup, directing, and most importantly, focus) there seems to have been almost no thought to making a decent film out of this concert. Another person has said that this film looks like something made by a few people who snuck in cameras (though that would have been pretty tough in 1973). Except for a few seconds of band introduction, the video might lead you to believe that Bowie and Mick Ronson performed as a duet. Bowie introduces the bass player and drummer of the spiders briefly, but fails to mention the four offstage musicians (given 0.5 seconds in the final credits.) So why watch this film? Because in 2002 it was re-released with a mix by Tony Visconti (longtime Bowie producer who truly knows exactly what he's doing with Bowie's music) so the sound is really pretty good in stereo or 5:1. It's not the studio albums, but it's good. The question you always have to ask is, am I listening to a re-mix off the sound-board, or some filler recorded long afterward? Nevertheless, if you've seen Bowie live, and know what an incredible performer he is, you'll be curious about this 1973 show. You'll be disappointed if you spend $7 in a theater, let down if you spent $3 to rent the video, but OK if you caught it on cable for free and play it loud.