They say that past is prologue. As I write this, David Bowie died two days ago, succumbing to a cancer diagnosed eighteen months earlier. In one of those instances of cosmic serendipity that quite often manages to surprise me, this film aired last week on one of the cable channels and I decided to record it. It captures David Bowie's final concert in the persona of Ziggy Stardust, one of many that the talented singer brought to the fore over the course of his long and varied career. It was recorded on July 3rd, 1973 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, an array of seventeen tunes both familiar and unfamiliar (at least to me). From today's vantage point, his eerie 'My Death Waits' would seem to be oddly prophetic, but after all, this was over forty years ago so I don't want to assign any undo meaning to it. Accompanied by Mick Ronson on guitar, the band rocks it splendidly, as mostly teenage girls in the crowd swoon over Bowie's characterization. In many respects, he WAS the Wild Eyed Boy of Freecloud, and I'll miss him. Rest in Peace, David Bowie.
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classicsoncall12 January 2016
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PCC092130 December 2021This concert-film, mixed with concert footage, backstage looks and interview clips, highlights Bowie at his best. It is situated in a rock era that was actually coming to an end. Glam-rock was a new style that was very hot in the UK and it got its start in 1971. It would be the style that would help Bowie launch his career from performer to star. It was a style that would end its own reign by 1975. Bowie, after a slow start in the late 60s, would work in experimental music and styles. He again emerged in 1972 as the colorful and asexualized, alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Complete with, psychedelic colors, gritty film stock and lot of awesome rock-and-roll, this film is an androgynous, flamboyant spectacle.
Be aware that this film is listed as 1983 also, because it was released in 1973, but only in a few theaters and film-festivals. It wasn't until Bowie got really huge in the 80s that the film was re-released ten years later. The film had a number of problems with the shooting of the concert. Director D. A. Pennebaker, who was only planning on shooting 20 minutes' worth of the concert, was so taken in by Bowie's amazing aura on stage, that they changed plans and shot the whole thing. Unfortunately, that caused extra challenges due to lack of cameramen, audio issues and lighting problems between the stage and the audience.
His simple solution for the lighting was telling everyone to take as many photos as possible so the flashes would help with the lighting issue. The initial release of the film in 1973 was deemed a sloppy mess. Even Bowie, who said in the film, that this was their last appearance as the Spiders From Mars, who would bail on the Ziggy persona a year or two later, lost interest in the film, because of the delays in getting the technical issues fixed, until they were able to clean things up for the 1983 re-release.
If you ask me those technical issues are what make this film so great. The grittiness of the film grain, because of the low light, the streakiness of the lights and colors, because of the film stock and the edgy, vinyl recording sound, all help to create this mood that I feel Bowie was trying to convey.
Bowie is all smiles throughout this film too. He obviously is having a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoys his craft. Even in moments when things get serious you still feel a playful positive mood coming off of him and out of the screen. His talent is beyond amazing, especially when you consider this was very early in his career. They do an amazing version of Space Oddity. All the songs are well done. This is a definitive version of what a cool concert film can be and it is even more interesting when you think about the fact that he would have an even more amazing career for the next 40 years after this.
7.8 (B- MyGrade) = 8 IMDB. -
davidpena-2458410 July 2023I just got back from seeing the restored version of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Though the concert film does have some shortcomings as mentioned in other reviews what it does have going for it is the music. The clarity of the music being played is extraordinarily clear and powerful. The band is tight and Mick Ronson plays his ass off. I never new he played so well. In addition, Jeff Beck makes a cameo appearance and plays two songs with the band. Jeff Beck plays a couple of cool solos as well. Though most of the focus is on David and Mick we get the full concert from beginning to end with a couple of backstage shots. If you are even a bit interested go see it. You won't be disappointed.
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GeorgyGirl10 March 2007I 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.
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lefty-1117 February 1999Bowie is clearly enjoying himself here, although today he claims to find this record of the Spiders final show unwatchable. The costuming IS spectacularly dated and Ziggy's antics do more to camp up a storm than forewarn of an imminent apocalypse. Aside from the music though, there is more going on here than silly, decadent posturing. Backstage musings by Bowie are suggestive of why he is not merely a relic from a past era: there is inherent tension between the public persona and the demand to discover the "real" Bowie. Rock music has since split into 2 positions along these lines: for the most part, the English traditions of camp and irony have served as a distancing device from the demands of an "authentic" self which can impose on others in an intrusive way- Jewel's folk music/"Knight Without Armor" is merely the latest manifestation of the latter tendency (also, despite the hatred of hippies, Nirvana ironically shared their "no hang ups" philosophy in their "Come As You Are" period). Ziggy was, at the time, the most extreme movement away from the "authenticity" of Woodstock Nation in which there was nothing separating the performer and the audience...been an "alien being" also guaranteed a spectacular show for record buyers who may otherwise have had little interest in live music given the high fidelity improvements in recording technology and home sound systems which were starting to become available. It is the irresolvable tension between these two tendencies toward camp/authentic which helps generate the excitement of the audience captured in this film, and which can still inspire interest and enjoyment today.
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To look at Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and be much too critical of it, and this is now four months since David Bowie left his corporeal form (has it been that long already?) is difficult. I know I can certainly nitpick certain things, mostly in the streak of the 'auteur'; given that this is DA Pennebaker, who also brought us basically the definitive Dylan doc from the era a decade before this, Don't Look Back, and the precursor to Woodstock in Monterey Pop, this isn't quite as superlative as those films as far as the Cinema Verite fly-on-the-wall approach. There's some behind the scenes stuff, but it's not terribly involving (aside from seeing Bowie's make-up put on to make him Ziggy) as the conversations seem muted and uninteresting (yes, even with Ringo backstage which seems a feat).
BUT, and this is the big but here, I know deep down I don't care, at least as far as why I wanted to watch this again. And somehow, of all things, watching his life performance here of 'Space Oddity' finally made me cry. I don't know whether it would've brought me to tears (not for too long, just enough, and some of it was due to feeling a connection with the audience as a couple of people shown by Pennebaker's camera were also in tears), but it was in that moment it hit me: we won't get this again, not quite in this style, not quite in this style, not shot on such rough film and in such an atmosphere.
Of course there are still provocateurs in rock/pop (Marilyn Manson on the heavier side, Lady Gaga on the more space-driven and sexual, if it can somehow get more sexual than Bowie), but Bowie was his own sound much as Tarantino was and is his own filmmaker: taking from various sources (rock, blues, glam from T-Rex, the avant-garde rock of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop to an extent) and making it his own giant and unmistakbale SOUND in full caps. And don't forget this is David Bowie as Ziggy friggin Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - including the practically incomparable guitarist Mick Ronson on guitar playing like he's ten years ahead of the fashion and heavy metal stars only still in his own class - and playing off of all the works he'd done up through the masterpiece Aladdin Sane.
Here you get to see him perform many of his big hits (along with Oddity you get 'Changes' and 'Suffragette City' and his own rendition of 'All the Young Dudes' which he wrote), and Pennebaker and his crew are at times breathless to keep up and yet have enough cameras and sense to also get the crowd. The audience is a key part of this, even as at times it's hard to see all of them and the lights make it into its own stylized piece of filmmaking; they're often seen only briefly, and yet what we see is enough and, again, I think this helps to connect the audience watching the film further with the band. But for all the hits (and some covers, like 'White Light White Heat' and 'Let's Spend the Night Together'), the stand-outs here are the songs that people who only know Bowie from classic rock radio won't know as well.
By the time that Bowie and the Spiders get to 'Time', which is more indebted to German lounge singing of the early 20th century (Threepenny Opera anyone?), the softer but incredibly incisive 'My Death', and a wild, possibly overlong but who the hell cares rendition of his most metal-ish song 'The Width of a Circle', he's on fire as a performer and totally in control of how he can command a stage and an audience. In other words it may not be the perfect rock documentary, hence why it's not the full top-star rating. But as far as performances by mega-stars in their prime, this is a keeper (and ironic that this was his "final" performance, of course just the beginning of the many many Bowies). And yet the tears I had briefly watching this and coming to grips after months of feeling numb to his loss were I think the fact that he'd still be iconic if all he left was this. -
life_on_screen10 June 2006Don't come expecting plot: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is just a concert film, recorded at the last show of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" tour at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, July 3rd, 1973. However, to say it's _just_ a concert film doesn't quite cover the bases... Let's be blunt: if you like the idea of the 26-year-old Bowie in a skimpy satin tunic and boots, growling into a microphone and spreading his thighs for the fans, then you're going to love this film. If that idea does nothing for you -- and, frankly, if it doesn't then I think you're missing one of life's great kicks -- then you're not the target audience.
I should add that there are also five or six costume changes, some amusing backstage conversation, plenty of shots of the audience (apparently mostly fourteen-year-old girls in varying states of sexual ecstasy), and some rather scorching extended solos from lead guitarist Mick Ronson. Oh, yes: and I shouldn't forget to mention that Bowie's showmanship is amazing and the musical performances range from interesting to excellent -- there's a truly fabulous version of "Cracked Actor," for instance, with Bowie maintaining a surprising level of fierceness while playing harmonica and draped in a satin kimono.
Beyond the music -- "Ziggy" staples like "Changes," "Space Oddity," "My Death," "All The Young Dudes," etc., as well as covers of the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend The Night Together" and Lou Reed's "White Light, White Heat" -- the visual imagery is what really makes this interesting. The come-hither hip-shaking of "Moonage Daydream," or the guitar-sex-flavored performance of "Time" (with Bowie in unitard, garter and feather boa), all make this a fantastic education in what Bowie's original aesthetic -- and sex appeal -- were all about.
Personally, I think this is a _Gesamtkunstwerk_ -- that is, a total work of art -- and should probably be beamed into outer space for the aliens to have fun with. But you can probably figure out which segment of the audience I fall into.
P.S.: By the by, Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine made a hell of a lot more sense after I'd seen this film. -
Lejink15 December 2013D A Pennebaker had already filmed icons like Dylan and Lennon before getting the gig to film David Bowie's "farewell" concert at London Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973. Bowie was huge in Britain at the time but had yet to break America which makes me tend to think the assignment came to him rather than the other way round.
Actually as a great fan of glam rock back in the day (being 13 at the time of the movie's shooting date, how could I not be, 1972-73, being glam's heyday here), I do remember the fuss about this being Bowie's last show, giving the concert great curiosity, not to mention envy value at the time to fans in the sticks like me. To discover that this historic show was captured in full was a great and welcome surprise to me.
That said, the film-maker's approach to the concert is pretty conservative actually as we get a little bit of pre-show scene-setting, with Bowie getting made-up in his dressing room, chatting to his wife Angie, while cutting in scenes of his adoring, often lookalike fans outside. Without too much delay, however, the show's on and Bowie and his band, the latter brilliantly led by Mick Ronson on lead guitar, tear into a great set, culminating in the famous, if misleading "This is our last show" quote and the bathetic euphoria which greets final song "Rock and Roll Suicide".
In between, we get four costume changes, a goodly selection of numbers from his just-released "Aladdin Sane" album (but no "Jean Genie" sadly!), plenty, naturally from the "Ziggy Stardust" album but also tracks from some of his earlier albums. Unlike other rock-movies by the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, Bowie and the band are on fine form, with confidence exuding from the singer's every phrase and move.
Yes, some tracks go on too long, it was a shame that two of his best tunes ("All The Young Dudes" and "Oh! You Pretty Things) get rather thrown away in a medley, but against that there are great covers of Jacques Brel's "My Death" and the Velvets' "White Light White Heat", although I'm still undecided at what to make of the somewhat ridiculous mine-sequence during an almost never-ending version of "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud". Pennebaker's editing is adequate if, as I say, unimaginative, making the most of the no doubt limited camera numbers available to him, but thereafter just cutting from Bowie and Ronson (you barely see the rest of the band) to the ecstatic audience. Somehow Ringo Starr, director of Bowie friend and rival Marc Bolan's "Born To Boogie" movie the previous year, appears in Bowie's dressing room between songs casting an envious eye no doubt on a missed opportunity behind the lens again.
Anyway, I was rapt by this exciting glimpse of a top artist on top form, masterminding his destiny to a "T", delivering a great rock and roll show in the process.
What of course differentiates this show to contemporary rock concerts is that Bowie treats the performance itself as musical theatre, quite literally, a performance artist if ever there was one. -
Red-Barracuda22 April 2013This concert film is probably most famous for capturing a pivotal moment in music history. It is the last show that David Bowie performed under the Ziggy Stardust persona and the last time he was on stage with his backing band The Spiders From Mars. Seemingly his announcement near the end of the show stating that this was the final appearance was not only news to the audience but to the band as well!
The film takes the form mostly as straightforward concert footage. There is also some backstage material interspersed throughout which I think it would have been good to have had more of, seeing as it revealed a little bit more of what Bowie was like behind the mask. But as it was, the vast majority of material is taken from the concert. The approach taken is very stripped down and basic. There isn't really a lot of imagination in the approach but I guess the idea was to let the show speak for itself. Perhaps though it might have been better for a live performance by such a flamboyant performer as Bowie to be presented with a little more imagination. Sometimes, it's the audience reactions to the show that are truthfully the most interesting, seeing as some of his fans seem to be almost hyper-ventilating with emotion. Some of the costume changes now provoke a chuckle or two; although, in truth, I have always found the fashions of the 70's glam rock era to be absolutely catastrophic. But at the end of the day it is a time capsule film and in this sense it is interesting. Even if Bowie does feel the need to do a mime artistry routine.
The concert itself? One for Bowie devotees especially I would say, of which I am not one I have to admit. But I thought Mick Ronson was very good on guitar and they all do knock out the tunes with some energy. It was also interesting to hear a good version of The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat close the show. -
grantss12 January 2014Decent capture of David Bowie at his creative, flamboyant best. Good concert, and it's not all about Bowie. Mick Ronson's guitaring almost steals the show.
Interesting behind-the-scenes footage adds a new, more personal, aspect to the live concert genre. Could have done with more of that though, as the behind-the-scenes stuff is fleeting, and sometimes seems token. Maybe some footage of practices and sound checks, or interviews with Bowie, would have been in order.
Not perfect though. Production quality is quite raw and rough. Sound quality is variable.
A must-see for all David Bowie fans. -
azdinak10 January 2022I saw this on American TV in 1973 when it still included Jeff Beck on "Jean Genie". Beck had his footage removed, maybe after he saw a cut of the film. No, it's not terribly well shot. It's dark, grainy 16mm. To be fair, Pennebaker had mere days to prepare for the shoot, it was a last minute idea. I think it focuses (sometimes) on Bowie and Ronson because they're the only ones who had enough light on them to get an exposure.
But it's quite a time capsule, an essential document for Bowie fans, being the biggest slice of Ziggy and the Spiders you'll find anywhere. Yes, the histrionics are corny, the make-up hideous, the costumes dubious (why Bowie is considered a fashion icon is beyond me). But the songs are terrific and the band is ferocious. There have been more agile ax-men, but Mick Ronson stands as one of rock's great guitar stylists, gone too soon.
And Bowie does mime! Oh, I guess that's not a recommendation. -
bhoover24710 April 2003This is a great concert film. Bowie is in his absolute prime and Pennebaker captures the moment. The film makes you you feel like you are actually at the concert not watching a movie. Bowie has never been better. This film is a moment in time.
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Seamus28293 September 2007This is the film of the final concert that Bowie would ever play with his (then)back up band, The Spiders From Mars (featuring Mick Ronson on guitar). It was filmed/directed by D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back, Monterey Pop). Despite those credentials, this is unfortunately a very poorly shot & edited document of a very good concert. The camera(s) seem to shake,rattle & roll every time they're fixed on a band member (Pennebaker seems to have a real problem keeping the camera in focus, making this film about as much of a challenge as watching the first reel of Warhol's 'Poor Little Rich Girl'--where the entire first reel is totally out of focus). Bowie & company manage to be in finer than fine form,snorting fire during this Odeon Hammersmith performance in 1973. This film was originally filmed for what was intended to be the pre cursor of the DVD, the laser disc, but after viewing the poor quality of the film, the producers of the laser disc quickly changed their minds. 'Ziggy' then managed to sit in the can for ten years, until it managed to somehow get spotty distribution (via the art house circuit)in 1983. If you can get past the clumsy, in and out of focus camera work & poor editing,this film just might give you a clue into what Bowie was into back then. Honestly,I would have to recommend picking up the sound track CD instead.
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Twins6523 December 2005...just way too much of it on film.
I just finished watching a tape of ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, but it wasn't "easy". This is obviously not Pennebaker's best work, even if it was only supposed to be a documentary of Bowie's "last" show. Well, maybe his last show as Ziggy, anyway.
There appears to be several cameras set-up the concert, but we only get massive doses of Dave & Mick Ronson. The other two guys in band (Trevor & Mick Woodmansy) are shown ever so briefly, and where the hell is the sax player featured on "Changes"? Even the set list skimmed a few key cuts from the Ziggy album, and Ronson's guitar "noise" jam used to fill time while Dave changed duds certainly wasn't a decent substitute.
So don't run out of your way to catch this, but it's not a total waste. -
maxmik29 August 2002but I like it. This is a terrific concert recorded 30 years ago by Bowie. Considering that Bowie is in his 50's now and still recording and touring this is an excellent opportunity to see him in his prime. His voice is in great shape & the songs are first rate. Ziggy is one of the peaks in Rock and Roll history. Also Mick Ronson is one of the greatest rock guitarists ever. Much has been made of the costumes & Bowie's use of mime etc. but it is the music which carries the day.
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rich10030 August 2002This 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.
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Jeremy_Urquhart26 July 2023I'd somehow never seen this before, but it got screened for one night only at a cinema near where I live, so was happy to take the opportunity to see it screened for its 50th anniversary.
It's a really good concert film, and speaks to how much amazing music David Bowie already had just five to six years into his career (and then he kept going for 40+ more years). There's already too much here for a single greatest hits album, and he doesn't even play certain iconic songs like Starman and Life on Mars. Moonage Daydream was probably the best song here- the live performance is even better than the studio one.
It's also a good documentary to watch to appreciate how entertaining Bowie was on stage; he had the charisma and physical aura to match his great music for sure. -
Prismark101 October 2014Concert films tend to be rated highly by fans of the band or performer. To non fans its just a concert film, even some highly regarded concert films such as Talking Heads 'Stop making sense' are a tad overrated as far as I am concerned even though I actually like the band.
This is the concert film shot in London and the last to feature David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona. Some fans might say this was at his pomp although Bowie has made good music since and at this time he was experiencing serious drug issues, bit churlish to say he was at the height of his powers when he was so drugged up.
The footage contains some of his early great songs that even non fans would know, although some songs are rather dark. There is great showmanship from the thin white duke, costume changes and interplay with his guitarist Mick Ronson.
It certainly looked shocking 40 years ago especially the way Ronson and Bowie cavorted on stage looked daring and camp, but of course now its largely dated. Bowie is now just a guy with heavy makeup and dated costume, so its reliant on his songs and stagecraft.
However the concert is not that well filmed, its not well lit, the backstage footage is not that interesting. It is a historical record of an era for Bowie, a period he himself does not remember well because of his hedonistic lifestyle but there is still some power in those classic songs of his and great guitar from Ronson. -
StrictlyConfidential11 June 2020Shot back in 1973 - This concert film is probably most famous for capturing a pivotal moment in music history. It is the last show that David Bowie performed under the Ziggy Stardust persona and the last time he was on stage with his backing band The Spiders From Mars. Seemingly his announcement near the end of the show stating that this was the final appearance was not only news to the audience but to the band as well!
This film takes the form mostly as straightforward concert footage. There is also some backstage material interspersed throughout which I think it would have been good to have had more of, seeing as it revealed a little bit more of what Bowie was like behind the mask.
But, as it was, the vast majority of material for this film is taken from the concert. And the approach taken is very stripped down and basic. There isn't really a lot of imagination here, but I guess the whole idea was to let the show speak for itself.
Anyway - At the end of the day - This is a time capsule film and, in this sense, it is interesting. -
moonspinner5525 August 2002David Bowie, on stage at London's Hammersmith Odeon circa 1973, performing under the guise of his alter-ego, the androgynous space alien Ziggy Stardust. Bowie now claims Ziggy was not his bow to transvestism but rather his way of bucking the system; that's all well and good, but seeing D.B. in space-drag may make you think otherwise. He looks frequently ridiculous in these dated get-ups, and director D.A. Pennebaker gives Bowie no mystery or ambiance (he shoots straight-on without frills, probably the obstacle of a tiny budget). Why remaster something of the 'point and shoot' movie variety? Well, it's the 30th Anniversary of the album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust", so they exhumed this from the mothballs to capitalize on the hype. The music here is indeed exciting, maybe even titillating, but it should provide for a much grander experience strictly on your headphones. ** from ****
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Michael_Elliott31 March 2009Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973)
*** (out of 4)
Famous documentary takes a look at David Bowie's transformation in Ziggy Stardust and his band The Spiders from Mars. Filmed at the Hammerstein Odeon on July 3, 1973, this documentary from the equally legendary D.A. Pennebaker (DON'T LOOK BACK) captures Bowie at what many consider the height of his career. I should admit right off that I'm rather new to Bowie so I wasn't too sure what to expect but as far as his performance is concerned I thought the concert was great. The entire show was very smooth, looked great and sounded extremely well and it appeared that everyone involved was having a very good time. "Watch That Man", "Changes", "Space Oddity", "The Width of the Circle", "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and "Ziggy Stardust" are just a few of the highlights here. We also get a strange but serviceable version of The Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together". The entire concert is full of wonderful energy that comes off extremely well with the songs and their performance. The one major downside to the film are its technical limitations. I'm not sure what the backstory to this film was but it really seems like the director didn't have much time to get ready for the shoot or perhaps his budget just wasn't big enough to do something more. The biggest problem is that the look of the film is downright ugly and I guess you could even call it vile. The entire movie looks like crap with the camera missing out on stuff we should be seeing or perhaps just picking the footage up as a blurry mess. An HD channel has been playing this recently and in all honesty it still looks quite poor. Even with that said there's no doubt that the film comes highly recommended to fans of Bowie or those wanting to see the legend at the height of his fame. -
emilydubos11 July 2023I would have loved to see more of what Bowie was doing, but instead for minutes at a time I was watching dark, blurry footage of girls in the crowd. For an extended scene we watched a girl overdosing, then it finally cut back to the stage where the bassist and guitarist were mid-battle of a shredding contest. Really missed the mark in editing and what we want to see. Certain cameras were whizzing about out of focus and others had a clear shot- so why did the editors ever show the out-of-focus footage over and over again? I don't understand. Bowie was excellent. I would have liked to see him back stage more. I would have liked to see better footage of this show overall- hence the low rating. Bowie and Jeff Beck deserved better.
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Anonymou-414 June 1999I still love David Bowie, and still very much would have loved to see one of his Ziggy Stardust shows... but this video is a cruel teaser. I couldn't understand why a videotape book I saw called it "practically unwatchable, and unlistenable"--now I know why. Bowie does his best to put on a good performance, but that's not the problem here--the problem is that this may very well be the WORST filming of a concert ever made. The cameras, obviously handheld, are constantly refocusing themselves and forgetting their places, they are shaky, the quality is no better than your typical home movie, they all too often focus on the audience for far too long when we wish we could see the changes going on on stage in the show instead, the sound quality is hideous, and worst of all, we only get an IDEA of what the concert was like (I still have no idea what even the full STAGE looks!). If it weren't for the fact that this is a legitimate release, I would swear that it was an illegally-filmed movie made by a group of fans who snuck cameras into the concert. It's THAT bad. It's really terrible when the cameras are so set on awful closeups and are so shaky and unsteady that you can't even understand most of what's supposed to be going on on stage. After watching it, I felt like I had only been given a hint of what one of those Ziggy-era shows was like... and I still have no more of a full idea of what the experience was like than I did before sitting down to watch this. It's terribly, terribly sad that this is apparently the only footage shot of one of those shows--because we Bowie fans who weren't there would STILL love to see the show in its entirety.
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a-jacke21 October 2002This is the last concert the figure Ziggy Stardust would ever do and is very great. In a morbit, dangerous and heavy way Bowie made a great event from it. Is the mixture from darkness, powerness and loosing feeling who makes it so great. The facination of this androgyn type who is the dead and crying living and the lost of life in the same moment have very much suspense. Is exiting to see the heroic movement face to face with death. Ziggy was the heaviest creature Bowie ever was been. Mr. Newton is no more the man who sold the world because he falls on in. The space metaphysik from Bowie - who is written since today (earthling) is her on his highest point!!! Ziggy had no chance to live longer because it was to dangerous for the cracked actor himself! A great but heavy concert!
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bob the moo19 April 2006In 1973, David Bowie return to the UK from a success world tour. July 3rd was to be his final show in the personae of Ziggy Stardust, playing alongside the Spiders From Mars. Thousands of fans crammed into the London venue to watch the great man go out on a high. Of course, it would have helped if the film crew had had more money, more technology or, dare I say it, more skill at their disposal, because, as a concert film this is a pretty grainy affair to watch.
I should start on the good first I guess. The music is great and fans will not be disappointed with the delivery and the capturing of it. It all sounds great and, although I know others have talked about the use of miming, I must admit I was too into it to really care. As someone who falls into a later generation, I was never going to get a chance to see Bowie in concert at this stage of his career, so this my best chance to get to see it so, on that level it is worth a look. I enjoyed it because of the music but, as a film, I must admit finding it very hard to watch, preferring at some stages to get on with something else while just listening to the songs.
Visually, it is a mess. The images are very blurred and grainy, an effect not helped by the lighting throughout the show. The couple of cameras offer a limited amount of shots and I didn't think any of them did a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the gig; and no, showing me screaming teens didn't cut it on its own. The chance to see the costumes and stage presence of Bowie made me keep watching but it is hard to ignore just how very amateurish the footage feels. I was able to forgive to some degree due to the lighting and the period it was shot in, but it is still hard to ignore the problems when they are constantly present blurrily staring at me from my screen.
Overall the music saves it, making it well worth a look for anyone with more than a passing interesting in the music of David Bowie. It seems to have been a great show and it must have been memorable to have been in the audience, but you wouldn't know it from Pennebaker's footage. Sadly the lighting has left the footage looking blurry, while the mobile nature of the cameras means that it is all shaky and regularly has a bad view as its best view. Still worth seeing but it does need your forgiveness at times.