AC/DC: Let There Be Rock (1980)

Filmed coverage of Australian band AC/DC's '79 appearance in Paris intercut with quasi-fictional interludes.

Directors:

Eric Dionysius, Eric Mistler

Stars:

AC/DC, Phil Rudd, Bon Scott

Cast

Credited cast:
AC/DC	...	Themselves
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phil Rudd	...	Himself - Drummer
Bon Scott	...	Himself - Lead Singer
Cliff Williams	...	Himself - Bassist
Angus Young	...	Himself - Lead Guitarist
Malcolm Young	...	Himself - Rhythm Guitarist

Storyline

The movie features AC/DC live at the Pavillion De Paris on December 9, 1979, during the tour that would be singer Bon Scott's last. After almost ten minutes of glimpses at the backstage life, the real movie starts as the band is introduced playing live on stage. Although the band is still in their '70s minimalist era with few stage effects and pyrotechnics, the live performance is considered one of the best and most energetic of their career. The live concert is intercut with quasi-fictional interviews with the members of the band. The interviews took place in Reims, France, two days before the concert.

---

Plot Keywords:

interview | live concert | rock 'n' roll | striptease | school uniform | 

---

Taglines:

The only movie powered by AC/DC.

---

Genres:

Documentary | Music

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

AC/DC - Alta Tensão

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$52,590, 4 May 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,372,975

Company Credits

Production Co:

High Speed Productions, Sebastian International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "other drummer" Phil Rudd refers to was Colin Burgeos

---

Quotes

Bon Scott: Guys are OK... shake their hand... Women are special. You can hug 'em.

---

Crazy Credits

"To Bon."

---

Connections

Referenced in Beer League (2006)

---

Soundtracks

Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott
Performed by AC/DC

User Reviews

AC/DC Let There be Rock

Hi, This film is an all time hard rock classic! I love my music flicks and especially movies or docs on rock bands. This film is very raw and is basically showing viewers what AC/DC do best and that's play live concerts. They are one of the greatest live rock bands of all time and this movie/documentary shows them playing live in Paris at their peak. Prior to 1979 AC/DC had already conquered Australia and were making big in-roads in the UK & Europe. With this growing success their next target audience was the US. AC/DC desperately wanted a hit single and/or album in the US. It came with the Highway to Hell single and album of the same name in 1979. Shortly after this AC/DC toured UK, Europe and the US. This film captures a young band playing live and at a time when they were at their best. The concert in Paris is simply awesome with lead guitarist Angus Young mesmerizing the audience with his energy on stage and his great guitar playing skills. On a whole the band's playing is tight, loud and the guitar riffs awesome to say the least. Malcom Young's rhythm guitar skills are faultless, Phil Rudd on drums never skips a beat and Cliff Williams is the same and lead singer Bon Scott is a true rocker and a great show man. The movie cuts from their live concert in Paris to interviews with band members and filming of them doing their hobbies etc... Not overly interesting but it does show the bands down to earth personalty. I would not worry about that too much as the film is more about how damn good this band was live and it shows the whole concert. And they were AWESOME! In February 1980 lead singer Bon Scott tragically died after a night out on the drink. This was one of his last live shows and most likely the last bit of footage of Bon Scott leading AC/DC live in concert. This is raw no rubbish hard rock at it's absolute best!! A must see for AC/DC fans or any true rock followers and admirers of raw musical talent. Brilliant movie/doc of a great rock band at their peak. Sadly this movie is hard to get and unfortunately has only ever been released on VHS. Why they have not released this on DVD is unbelievable, it deserves to be on DVD! Highly recommend!! Cheers, Bradley