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95 of 95 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"This is the last show we'll ever do.", July 12, 2002
This 1973 concert film directed by D.A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop, Jimi Plays Monterey, Depeche Mode 101, etc.) documenting the final show of Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie) & the Spiders from Mars (Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, & Mick "Woody" Woodmansey)provides a rare glimpse into Bowie's glam rock period. It is a loud & flashy assault on the senses that is experienced through both "sound" & "vision". Film footage mostly consists of the performance, but also included are back stage scenes of Bowie changing from one costume to another. Songs performed:
1) Hang on to yourself
2) Ziggy Stardust
3) Watch that man
4) Medley: Wild eyed boy from Freecloud/All the young dudes/Oh you pretty things
5) Moonage Daydream
6) Changes
7) Space Oddity
8) My death
9) Crack'd Actor
10) Time
11) Width of a circle
12) Let's spend the night together
13) Suffragette City
14) White light/white heat
15) Rock & Roll Suicide Leonard Maltin dismisses this film as "practically unwatchable and unlistenable" which would only be true for people who either dislike Bowie or the style of music. Yes, the music is sometimes loud, the focus is blurry here & there, and the strobe lights go crazy, but this is a David Bowie rock concert from the 1970s, isnt that appropriate? Anyone who is interested in either David Bowie or the glam rock era of the 1970s will find this film essential. For one, it is the only film document of David Bowie's Ziggy/glam phase and for another it is the "last concert" with "the Spiders" including Mick Ronson, who was a part of Bowie's band since the 1969 album "Space Oddity" up until '73's "Pin Ups". Bowie would, by 1974, have a new back up band, as well as a new look. This film deserves preservation on DVD as the historical document that it is. *Look quickly for Ringo Starr talking with Bowie backstage
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CLASSIC, May 1, 2003
This review is from: Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - The Motion Picture (DVD)
Some reviewers here have complained that this (the DVD version) looks and sounds like trash. But since I like Bowie I bought it anyhow, expecting something no better than a bootleg. Well, I've seen plenty of bootlegs and this is nowhere near that poor. In fact, it's AMAZING. Yes, the sound quality isn't the best, but it's perfectly listenable. And, yes, the camerawork is a bit spasmodic and grainy, but that only adds to the gritty mood. Glam rock is SUPPOSED to be a bit trashy. If you want sleek, overproduced Bowie, then look elsewhere. But if you want Bowie at his best, then you can't miss this one. Watching this concert film you enter a ZONE and don't leave it till the end. This is Bowie at his best. Every now and then, Bowie flashes a killer smile, and that's because he knows he's onto something good. The music is some of the best rock ever recorded. The atmosphere is electric. Throughout the concert, Bowie is in THE ZONE, the audience is in THE ZONE -- and, if you don't expect polished concert footage, you will be, too.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic footage, great concert, but technically poor, February 23, 2000
It's 1973, in Hammersmith, London. Platformed teenagers in bell bottoms with blue hair and moons painted on their faces gather in civilised lines outside the converted cinema for what was a truly great concert. Although glam rock was far from the only teen movement in London at the time, this film makes it seem the most important. The first section of the film, and that with the clearest images, focuses on the fans outside the Hammersmith Odeon and Ziggy in the dressing room. Once the Spiders from Mars and Ziggy arrive on stage the atmosphere is electric. Some might miss the stereo of modern recordings, but the inferior sound quality somehow adds to the drama of the moment... for those who are eager to witness such a concert. Then there are the theatrics of Ziggy on stage - something never since emulated to the same degree. The concert is a seminal event both for Bowie's development as a performer, for glam rock (and then punk) as a movement, and for today's fans who only wish they had been there. If you have invested in a DVD player, then this film should definitely not be your first purchase. As other reviews testify, the picture and sound quality is poor; but then there are modern Bowie concerts with higher production values available. If you are keen to see what Ziggy was really like, however, it is well worth the money. Listen to the albums on your CD player, watch the modern concerts on your DVD player and watch this for the sheer spectacle. If you love Bowie and crave a closer view of his most acclaimed period, this is invaluable.
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