MovieChat Forums > Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1983) Discussion > Beautifully shot; fantastic performance

Beautifully shot; fantastic performance

posted 14 years ago by Huffman1
4 replies | jump to latest

I finally saw this movie for the first time, just a few minutes ago.... I was totally blown away! David Bowie is wonderful in this concert, and you could tell that he was so very "into it"; he also looked a little sad at times, probably because it was his last concert as Ziggy Stardust. I think he really does connect with the audience- the audience seemed to be just as engaged as he... everyone seemed to be on the same wavelength. His interpretation of "My death" was absolutelty mesmerizing; it is surely the best live performance of a song of all time (for me, at least!) Also, his peformance of "Space oddity" was really other-worldly, and "Cracked actor' was real solid. I only wish he would have sung "Wild-eyed boy from freecloud" in its entirety before singing "All the young dudes", as it is one of my favourite songs. Also, I wish they would have included his performance of "Around and Around" and "The jean genie" in the movie. Nevertheless, I loved the way it was filmed! Especially the close-ups during "My death", and the 360 degree shots during "Space oddity". And I loved how some parts were grainy, it looked like there were sparkles on the film. Pennebaker's shooting style I find very original, and it does give this concert a sort of surreal and timeless atmosphere... and you never want it to end! I just wish I was there!!!

10/10

I don't want realism. I want magic!

[–] Strausszek 14 years ago

It's very potent and the stage act really takes the songs into a new dimension. They were good on record but the stage is their true element. "Moonage Daydream" and "The Width Of A Circle" go far beyond the studio versions, loading these songs with beauty, awe, erotic pulse and drama. It's Ronno's guitar playing too of course, he's incredible. Looks and sounds like a magician or a black priest, he has tremendous daring but at the same time he never loses sight of what he wants with his playing, he's never just churning out notes or making fireworks. There's always ideas to what he's playing.

Very good shots of the audience too (the girl crying in "Space Oddity"!) There's a few people who became major stars later who saw those tours in 72-73 and who have said it was an eye-opening experience: not just the stagecraft but about life in general. Ziggy and his band, the whole atmosphere of the show, was something you had never seen before and which made them realize the world was bigger than the way you lived in their hometown. In this film you really see why Bowie had that impact.

At the audition I had to karaoke to "Smoke On The Water". I was 45. A very lonely experience.

[–] Huffman1 14 years ago

About Mick Ronson "...he has tremendous daring but at the same time he never loses sight of what he wants with his playing, he's never just churning out notes or making fireworks. There's always ideas to what he's playing."

I absolutely agree with you. I had the same impression about Mick Ronson's guitar playing and overall performance. The same, of course, could be said about David Bowie; he has some freedom in his stage act, which is also daring at times, but he remains focussed and meticulous about his performance. He knows what he is getting to; he never degenerates.

I don't want realism. I want magic!

[–] Strausszek 14 years ago

Yes, you can tell Bowie's mime training comes through. One of the guys on the dvd comment track - Visconti or Pennebaker - says that Bowie is never flailing about, his way of moving, his arms and hands especially, is very far from let's say Jim Morrison or David Lee Roth. He knows exactly what he's doing but at the same time he does it with grace.

I think most of the key people who carried the punk movement in the UK had seen Ziggy, certainly they'd heard Bowie's records. Jim Kerr (14 at the time) summed it up: "It was an exciting and colourful show, no one had seen anything like it before. Even though Bowie was standing on stage he was in another world, aloof from the band: it was a cold and cruel world but it also made you curious. It got me to realize there were other ways of living and thinking than the way people did in Glasgow."

At the audition I had to karaoke to "Smoke On The Water". I was 45. A very lonely experience.

[–] Prismark10 10 years ago

I could not say its beautifully shot. Like a lot of 1970s concert films, its too dark.

Its that man again!!