Some thoughts and a review
Tuesday, 29 July 2003 04:19![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apollaHi all!
Back at work today, le sigh. Started training on the new system thing we're getting now that Directory Enquiries is changing, blah blah blah. Also found out that from next week we will no longer be allowed to read/write at our desks- at all! I need a new job, stat.
Important: Bob Hope, I salute thee! You were greater and more successful than any South Londoner ever had a right to be and I hope you've been reunited with your gagwriters in heaven, my friend. Altogether now: we're off on the road to Morocco...
My review for The Song Remains The Same is finished. I can't guarantee you'll care much or understand what's going on. I can't guarantee that I'm objective but I promise I've tried to be honest. I would dearly love to know what you all think of it as a piece of writing and whether it should be ritually destroyed on a full moon or sent to Rolling Stone.
Without any further gilding the lily and no more ado.....
The Song Remains The Same Review
Clare Worley, 27th July 2003
Blame the band. Their publicity-shy ways are to blame for The Song Remains The Same. It's not without merit but compared to the greatest of concert films (Scorsese's The Last Waltz, or even the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl) it's hardly good. For starters, the film takes far too long to get going. Although it's amusing to a point to see Peter Grant and Richard Cole play about as gangsters, John Bonham ploughing a furrow (literally) and to see Plant and Jones with their families, a concert film that takes fifteen minutes to deliver us the concert has got to be quite seriously flawed. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I'm too young to have ever seen Zep in concert (for the record: John Bonham died two years before I was even born) and I'm gagging to see them strut (literally in Plant's case) their stuff. Indeed, I'm too young to have heard those famous stories about the band's gargantuan manager Grant and his henchman/road manager Cole, so I couldn't really care less about seeing them. Perhaps it was funny at the time, who knows? Oh yes, and Jimmy Page as a red eyed demon sort, very droll. You like black magic Jimmy, we get it.
So, we've got a concert film... and so far no concert. After ten minutes, John Paul Jones's rather unconvincing performance informs us that the concert is "tomorrow". Cue the Starship arriving in America. Cue scenes of the Zep motorcade and waiting fans. Do we really need this after all the arseing about we've already sat through? This might not be so boring if it was the start, but man alive, can we just hear the fucking music now? That said, right from the opening bars of 'Rock and Roll', it's clear this is not going to be Zeppelin's finest hour. I mean, compared to most bands, it's pretty electrifying, but they're not on. They're probably too concerned about playing up to the cameras and I think it shows. Then again, I was never lucky enough to catch them live, so what do I know?
Right after 'Rock and Roll' and 'Black Dog' we get a scene backstage with Peter Grant informing the band that there's pirate concessions out in the arena. Robert 'Percy' Plant seems more concerned as to whether the pictures are any good than the actual piracy, but maybe he knows his scary ol' manager dude will save the day. Cue then some (hopefully at least partly ironic) Plant 'cosmic energy' babble, which surely inspired some of Nigel Tufnel's stuff in This Is Spinal Tap. I have to ask: what was the point in this? Can the band not be trusted to hold our attention for three whole songs in a row? Are they just being mean by holding off from the excellent 'Since I've Been Loving You' for a minute or two longer?
A few things occur to me during 'Since I've Been Loving You'. I could talk about gender dynamics or the hypersexual style of the lead singer, but sod it. Firstly, Robert Plant's jewellery is quite fabulous and I want some. Secondly, John Paul Jones is not well lit. I know he's not the most outgoing of performers, but would it hurt to see his face while he's playing the organ? Generally, the whole thing seems quite badly lit, as if the director Joe Mossat is just working with the lighting rig used for normal shows. Why oh why? I know he's hardly the most experienced director (before this he'd made 1968's Wonderwall, which is only notable for its George Harrison made soundtrack), but surely he knows that film needs to be lit? I have heard mutterings that a certain Mr. J. Page demanded that Bonham and Jones not be lit, whether this is specific to the film or to touring in general I don't know... but! A professional director would ignore that demand entirely to make a good film. By the time 'No Quarter' comes along after 30 long minutes, I am craving the professionalism of Marty Scorsese's The Last Waltz, if not necessarily the music of The Band over Zep. 'No Quarter' is musically as great as vinyl, not least because John Paul Jones is quite famously one of the most professional, solid blokes in rock music. That said...
The fantasy sequences. The bloody fantasy sequences. I won't say too much about JPJ's 'No Quarter' sequence partly because it is just more or less bad, because it seems quite clear that he doesn't really want to be doing it anyway and because I know I'll get into Plant's bit very soon and I don't want to run out of steam. Suffice to say it's just indulgent. I don't think any of the fantasy stuff needs to be here. Of all the bands in all the world, Led Zeppelin are one of a handful who could quite effortlessly spend two hours of a film doing nothing but playing music. Whether they want it all in here or not, we don't need Jones's weird Phantom of the Opera/Doctor Sin thing and we don't need the other stuff I know is coming later. I will say this about JPJ's bit: there's so many shots of owls in flight I wondered for a minute if the opening credits to Labyrinth have been spliced into it. Why? Is there some great cosmic metaphor I'm missing in my quest for some bloody live footage?
Oh good. More Peter Grant. Now he's chewing the arena guy out about the pirates. WHY? Do we really need this? It's quite nice actually, to see him so virulently defending his boys, but after JPJ's scenes, I'm not feeling entirely accommodating.
Aha! Now it's 'The Song Remains The Same', a favourite of mine. Yes, the band sound on fire and it's all good. And... for the love of God, it's Plant Time. Robert, clad in a big white sheepskin coat comes sailing towards the Welsh coast on a little wooden boat with a Welsh flag flying from it. We get it Robert, you like Celtic stuff. Then there's some faffing about with a sword, all very pretentious and destined to be borrowed by every sodding fifth-rate heavy metal band in the coming MTV age. You're better than that Robert, man. Mind you, as 'The Song...' accelerates and we see Robert traipsing through the Welsh countryside it gets better, not least because every shot seems to disagree as to whether he's wearing his coat or not. Continuity, people! Then as the concert segues into the lovely 'Rain Song' Robert's bit improves. From one point of view he looks swoonworthy and he does have hair to die for and there's some nice shots of the Welsh countryside but... the fighting scenes whether they're meant to be in his cosmic mushroom hallucination or not are just pants: seriously bad. Looking pretty (and he does) is not enough to save this from dire pretension. Pause briefly to piss oneself laughing when one realises that the fair maiden he's come to save looks exactly like him (dressed all in white, long curly blonde hair). Continue laughing for more bad fighting. Then... the chick disappears and he's all alone. Well, that's very deep and meaningful Mr Plant, and I don't think I could've possibly survived another day without it. Or more succinctly, it's crap, twee and the flaming sword stuff is beyond affected. Robert Plant has always skirted the line between poetry and pretension. This time he crosses the line before proceeding to beat up the line until it retreats even further away. It's OK if one takes it on a strictly comic level, but let us not forget that this is what will 'inspire' a generation of metallers who suddenly get a ton of money to make videos for MTV. And that is just unforgivable.
So, I'm almost on page three of my review and we're only an hour into the film. Have I said anything nice yet? It's not a bad film necessarily, but there's so much it could do without: the bad lighting, the now seriously dated effects we don't need, the band members' self-indulgent sequences, the pointless shots of the New York subway (why? We're just missing out on seeing the band, the people we paid for this DVD to see) and the Peter Grant scenes that I will admit are not without charm. One thing: I don't ever, ever, ever want to see John Bonham exit the urinals ever again. I do not need to know that the allegedly god-like members of the band need to do such mortal things as piss.
I should probably pause in my lengthy, probably pointless analysis of the film to point out some of the good stuff. The shots of the audience are pretty cool, and this is the only thing I felt that The Last Waltz missed out on, although Scorsese's given his reasons why. There's a great shot of a girl in white watching transfixed until suddenly, she giggles. I like that- it's how I feel about this band sometimes. That said, there are some truly heinous examples of facial hair that make me suddenly glad I missed the Seventies.
'Dazed and Confused' starts and you just know we're not going to see the other end for about half an hour, so put the kettle on and settle down. Some of the stuff in the middle includes Robert chiming in with 'If You're Going to San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)'. Percy, you old hippie, you. Musically, I think 'Dazed' could be more restrained and less epic, but it's the Seventies and anything less than ten minutes long is commercial pop, right? Aha! The bow is out. Get comfy everyone, we're probably in for about ten minutes of Jimmy Page bowing his guitar alone. This also heralds the rather awkward blend into Jimmy's own segment. Given what we know of Jimmy Page, it being significantly darker even than JPJ's bit is hardly surprising. Now Jimmy is climbing a mountain. Riveting, especially when it's shot too dark to actually see Jimmy. I'm reliably informed that this particular mountain is near Aleister Crowley's old house near Loch Ness which Jimmy owned at this point (maybe he still does. Who knows? Who cares?). Aha! He's at the top! It's Father Time! No, it's really Jimmy! Jimmy is Father Time! Who cares? More bad effects ensue as Father Time de-ages to Jimmy-in-the-womb before re-ageing and there's some weird light-sabre effect thing. Mercifully, we cut back to Jimmy on stage and all is right with the world again. It's a toss-up between Robert and Jimmy as to whose segment is worst, and I'm going with Jimmy simply because at least Robert's was funny (unintentionally or not). 'Dazed' continues and I might as well tell you about The Last Waltz.
The Last Waltz is generally considered (not even just by me) to be the best concert film ever. There are several reasons for this in my opinion, which are also useful in considering why The Song Remains The Same... isn't. First off, Martin Scorsese made it and he was and always has been a professional, experienced and talented director. Secondly, it's well known that Marty spent a great deal of time planning everything down to the last spotlight. Camera angles, lights, sets, etc. I know the concerts are different (The Last Waltz is The Band's one-off farewell, this Zep concert is one in a long line) but I really feel that a bit more planning would have served the director well. Some more thinking might have helped too. If they wanted to make a live film, why not a one off which could be designed around the camera with good enough lighting to boot? I must ask now why the band felt that they needed their silly fantasy scenes? Was it to mark out each member of the band as an individual? That's done on stage by their group dynamic alone! Was it meant to be funny? It falls rather flat. Was it because they had so little confidence that their live performance could sustain the film on its own? Come on, they knew that they could keep people enthralled for three hours at a go! Or was it that they were so self-indulgent and so arrogant that they thought they could pull off ridiculous things like climbing magical mountains, pretending to be Father Time or pissing about at Raglan Castle with some mystery chick? You decide for yourselves. I think someone needed to have been playing Quality Control for this film, and I don't think anyone was.
Hurrah! After 'Dazed and Confused', it's finally time for... 'Stairway to Heaven'! Since this song hasn't needed an introduction since about 1971, Blond Zep just says it's a "song of hope" as Dark Zep and Quiet Zep start up. It's a solid performance with a great reaction from the crowd. Robert seems fairly restrained in his performance for the quiet stuff- not too much hand waving, and his voice is in great condition. I realise that I really want his bracelet. Then, as the camera angle changes slightly (but importantly), I suddenly notice that his trousers are seriously tight. This is irritatingly distracting, not least when an effect gives us four Plants for the price of one at an angle where Percy's groin is far too visible for good taste (Good taste and Zep in the same sentence, I know!). At the same time, it's pretty much the funniest thing in the entire film. And I still want to know what the bloody hell he means by a "bustle in your hedgerow."
Then, as you begin to start possibly losing the will to live because 'Stairway' is finished, it's time for Moby Dick. Normally, the phrase 'drum solo' inspires me to go and hit my head against something made of brick or a similar hard substance, but John Bonham is pretty inspired. I'd love to see this same famous solo done on a day when the band is really going. He's solid and fun to watch, not least when he throws his sticks aside to just hammer away with his hands. I wouldn't want to listen to it too often, but it's really great. And as for Bonzo's own film? While the others prat about being people they're not, John Bonham's film involves: drinking down the pub, driving his fast cars, grinning triumphantly as he roars past on a motorbike, showing off his cows, building stuff and playing bongos while his young son Jason plays his own little drum kit. Of the four, Bonzo's film is by far the best because he is himself. Without affectation, a family man and at the same time a rather dangerous man who drags cars and drinks. Why the hell couldn't the others do the same? My favourite moment: a second where Bonzo, ready to drag race, suddenly looks over to his right and seems quite unsure or nervous. A chink in the Bonham armour, perhaps? In the end, his drum solo only lasts about eight, nine minutes and is perfectly enjoyable when paired with shots of him and mini-Bonham playing drums together in their front room. In the auditorium, he can't get more love from the audience and he doesn't even look tired.
We're on the home stretch now- just a good version of 'Heartbreaker' and a rollicking-as-always 'Whole Lotta Love', which features what I assume to be some ad-libbed stuff from Robert. He's not as good at on the spot poetic nonsense as Jim Morrison and it shows. Lastly there's some post-concert footage of Peter Grant on TV after 200 grand is nicked from the band. Then back on their private jet and away to wherever comes next. Stairway plays us out, continuing even after the end credits have finished rolling.
In the end? I feel fairly satisfied with the film. It's not a classic and is probably of little interest/value to anyone not a Led Zeppelin fan. It's a good thing that Page has managed to put together the new 2-disc DVD because the boys who were once the Biggest Band in the World deserve better than this. It's telling that the band weren't even going to release this 1973 footage until the horrific car crash in Greece in 1975 that nearly killed Plant's family and put him in a wheelchair for a long while. Had the crash never happened, the Zep catalogue might look very different indeed. It really isn't as bad as the anti-Zep music press have consistently made it out to be. That said, like Peter Grant said, it is just "the most expensive home movie ever made." Frankly, they could have and should have done better. Had this been made in a post-Last Waltz atmosphere with a little more care, planning and attention to detail, this could've been the film that the band and their fans deserve. For live Zep, get the new Led Zeppelin DVD instead.
The End
So, what do you think after all five pages of that? Be honest: I can take it.
Back at work today, le sigh. Started training on the new system thing we're getting now that Directory Enquiries is changing, blah blah blah. Also found out that from next week we will no longer be allowed to read/write at our desks- at all! I need a new job, stat.
Important: Bob Hope, I salute thee! You were greater and more successful than any South Londoner ever had a right to be and I hope you've been reunited with your gagwriters in heaven, my friend. Altogether now: we're off on the road to Morocco...
My review for The Song Remains The Same is finished. I can't guarantee you'll care much or understand what's going on. I can't guarantee that I'm objective but I promise I've tried to be honest. I would dearly love to know what you all think of it as a piece of writing and whether it should be ritually destroyed on a full moon or sent to Rolling Stone.
Without any further gilding the lily and no more ado.....
The Song Remains The Same Review
Clare Worley, 27th July 2003
Blame the band. Their publicity-shy ways are to blame for The Song Remains The Same. It's not without merit but compared to the greatest of concert films (Scorsese's The Last Waltz, or even the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl) it's hardly good. For starters, the film takes far too long to get going. Although it's amusing to a point to see Peter Grant and Richard Cole play about as gangsters, John Bonham ploughing a furrow (literally) and to see Plant and Jones with their families, a concert film that takes fifteen minutes to deliver us the concert has got to be quite seriously flawed. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I'm too young to have ever seen Zep in concert (for the record: John Bonham died two years before I was even born) and I'm gagging to see them strut (literally in Plant's case) their stuff. Indeed, I'm too young to have heard those famous stories about the band's gargantuan manager Grant and his henchman/road manager Cole, so I couldn't really care less about seeing them. Perhaps it was funny at the time, who knows? Oh yes, and Jimmy Page as a red eyed demon sort, very droll. You like black magic Jimmy, we get it.
So, we've got a concert film... and so far no concert. After ten minutes, John Paul Jones's rather unconvincing performance informs us that the concert is "tomorrow". Cue the Starship arriving in America. Cue scenes of the Zep motorcade and waiting fans. Do we really need this after all the arseing about we've already sat through? This might not be so boring if it was the start, but man alive, can we just hear the fucking music now? That said, right from the opening bars of 'Rock and Roll', it's clear this is not going to be Zeppelin's finest hour. I mean, compared to most bands, it's pretty electrifying, but they're not on. They're probably too concerned about playing up to the cameras and I think it shows. Then again, I was never lucky enough to catch them live, so what do I know?
Right after 'Rock and Roll' and 'Black Dog' we get a scene backstage with Peter Grant informing the band that there's pirate concessions out in the arena. Robert 'Percy' Plant seems more concerned as to whether the pictures are any good than the actual piracy, but maybe he knows his scary ol' manager dude will save the day. Cue then some (hopefully at least partly ironic) Plant 'cosmic energy' babble, which surely inspired some of Nigel Tufnel's stuff in This Is Spinal Tap. I have to ask: what was the point in this? Can the band not be trusted to hold our attention for three whole songs in a row? Are they just being mean by holding off from the excellent 'Since I've Been Loving You' for a minute or two longer?
A few things occur to me during 'Since I've Been Loving You'. I could talk about gender dynamics or the hypersexual style of the lead singer, but sod it. Firstly, Robert Plant's jewellery is quite fabulous and I want some. Secondly, John Paul Jones is not well lit. I know he's not the most outgoing of performers, but would it hurt to see his face while he's playing the organ? Generally, the whole thing seems quite badly lit, as if the director Joe Mossat is just working with the lighting rig used for normal shows. Why oh why? I know he's hardly the most experienced director (before this he'd made 1968's Wonderwall, which is only notable for its George Harrison made soundtrack), but surely he knows that film needs to be lit? I have heard mutterings that a certain Mr. J. Page demanded that Bonham and Jones not be lit, whether this is specific to the film or to touring in general I don't know... but! A professional director would ignore that demand entirely to make a good film. By the time 'No Quarter' comes along after 30 long minutes, I am craving the professionalism of Marty Scorsese's The Last Waltz, if not necessarily the music of The Band over Zep. 'No Quarter' is musically as great as vinyl, not least because John Paul Jones is quite famously one of the most professional, solid blokes in rock music. That said...
The fantasy sequences. The bloody fantasy sequences. I won't say too much about JPJ's 'No Quarter' sequence partly because it is just more or less bad, because it seems quite clear that he doesn't really want to be doing it anyway and because I know I'll get into Plant's bit very soon and I don't want to run out of steam. Suffice to say it's just indulgent. I don't think any of the fantasy stuff needs to be here. Of all the bands in all the world, Led Zeppelin are one of a handful who could quite effortlessly spend two hours of a film doing nothing but playing music. Whether they want it all in here or not, we don't need Jones's weird Phantom of the Opera/Doctor Sin thing and we don't need the other stuff I know is coming later. I will say this about JPJ's bit: there's so many shots of owls in flight I wondered for a minute if the opening credits to Labyrinth have been spliced into it. Why? Is there some great cosmic metaphor I'm missing in my quest for some bloody live footage?
Oh good. More Peter Grant. Now he's chewing the arena guy out about the pirates. WHY? Do we really need this? It's quite nice actually, to see him so virulently defending his boys, but after JPJ's scenes, I'm not feeling entirely accommodating.
Aha! Now it's 'The Song Remains The Same', a favourite of mine. Yes, the band sound on fire and it's all good. And... for the love of God, it's Plant Time. Robert, clad in a big white sheepskin coat comes sailing towards the Welsh coast on a little wooden boat with a Welsh flag flying from it. We get it Robert, you like Celtic stuff. Then there's some faffing about with a sword, all very pretentious and destined to be borrowed by every sodding fifth-rate heavy metal band in the coming MTV age. You're better than that Robert, man. Mind you, as 'The Song...' accelerates and we see Robert traipsing through the Welsh countryside it gets better, not least because every shot seems to disagree as to whether he's wearing his coat or not. Continuity, people! Then as the concert segues into the lovely 'Rain Song' Robert's bit improves. From one point of view he looks swoonworthy and he does have hair to die for and there's some nice shots of the Welsh countryside but... the fighting scenes whether they're meant to be in his cosmic mushroom hallucination or not are just pants: seriously bad. Looking pretty (and he does) is not enough to save this from dire pretension. Pause briefly to piss oneself laughing when one realises that the fair maiden he's come to save looks exactly like him (dressed all in white, long curly blonde hair). Continue laughing for more bad fighting. Then... the chick disappears and he's all alone. Well, that's very deep and meaningful Mr Plant, and I don't think I could've possibly survived another day without it. Or more succinctly, it's crap, twee and the flaming sword stuff is beyond affected. Robert Plant has always skirted the line between poetry and pretension. This time he crosses the line before proceeding to beat up the line until it retreats even further away. It's OK if one takes it on a strictly comic level, but let us not forget that this is what will 'inspire' a generation of metallers who suddenly get a ton of money to make videos for MTV. And that is just unforgivable.
So, I'm almost on page three of my review and we're only an hour into the film. Have I said anything nice yet? It's not a bad film necessarily, but there's so much it could do without: the bad lighting, the now seriously dated effects we don't need, the band members' self-indulgent sequences, the pointless shots of the New York subway (why? We're just missing out on seeing the band, the people we paid for this DVD to see) and the Peter Grant scenes that I will admit are not without charm. One thing: I don't ever, ever, ever want to see John Bonham exit the urinals ever again. I do not need to know that the allegedly god-like members of the band need to do such mortal things as piss.
I should probably pause in my lengthy, probably pointless analysis of the film to point out some of the good stuff. The shots of the audience are pretty cool, and this is the only thing I felt that The Last Waltz missed out on, although Scorsese's given his reasons why. There's a great shot of a girl in white watching transfixed until suddenly, she giggles. I like that- it's how I feel about this band sometimes. That said, there are some truly heinous examples of facial hair that make me suddenly glad I missed the Seventies.
'Dazed and Confused' starts and you just know we're not going to see the other end for about half an hour, so put the kettle on and settle down. Some of the stuff in the middle includes Robert chiming in with 'If You're Going to San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)'. Percy, you old hippie, you. Musically, I think 'Dazed' could be more restrained and less epic, but it's the Seventies and anything less than ten minutes long is commercial pop, right? Aha! The bow is out. Get comfy everyone, we're probably in for about ten minutes of Jimmy Page bowing his guitar alone. This also heralds the rather awkward blend into Jimmy's own segment. Given what we know of Jimmy Page, it being significantly darker even than JPJ's bit is hardly surprising. Now Jimmy is climbing a mountain. Riveting, especially when it's shot too dark to actually see Jimmy. I'm reliably informed that this particular mountain is near Aleister Crowley's old house near Loch Ness which Jimmy owned at this point (maybe he still does. Who knows? Who cares?). Aha! He's at the top! It's Father Time! No, it's really Jimmy! Jimmy is Father Time! Who cares? More bad effects ensue as Father Time de-ages to Jimmy-in-the-womb before re-ageing and there's some weird light-sabre effect thing. Mercifully, we cut back to Jimmy on stage and all is right with the world again. It's a toss-up between Robert and Jimmy as to whose segment is worst, and I'm going with Jimmy simply because at least Robert's was funny (unintentionally or not). 'Dazed' continues and I might as well tell you about The Last Waltz.
The Last Waltz is generally considered (not even just by me) to be the best concert film ever. There are several reasons for this in my opinion, which are also useful in considering why The Song Remains The Same... isn't. First off, Martin Scorsese made it and he was and always has been a professional, experienced and talented director. Secondly, it's well known that Marty spent a great deal of time planning everything down to the last spotlight. Camera angles, lights, sets, etc. I know the concerts are different (The Last Waltz is The Band's one-off farewell, this Zep concert is one in a long line) but I really feel that a bit more planning would have served the director well. Some more thinking might have helped too. If they wanted to make a live film, why not a one off which could be designed around the camera with good enough lighting to boot? I must ask now why the band felt that they needed their silly fantasy scenes? Was it to mark out each member of the band as an individual? That's done on stage by their group dynamic alone! Was it meant to be funny? It falls rather flat. Was it because they had so little confidence that their live performance could sustain the film on its own? Come on, they knew that they could keep people enthralled for three hours at a go! Or was it that they were so self-indulgent and so arrogant that they thought they could pull off ridiculous things like climbing magical mountains, pretending to be Father Time or pissing about at Raglan Castle with some mystery chick? You decide for yourselves. I think someone needed to have been playing Quality Control for this film, and I don't think anyone was.
Hurrah! After 'Dazed and Confused', it's finally time for... 'Stairway to Heaven'! Since this song hasn't needed an introduction since about 1971, Blond Zep just says it's a "song of hope" as Dark Zep and Quiet Zep start up. It's a solid performance with a great reaction from the crowd. Robert seems fairly restrained in his performance for the quiet stuff- not too much hand waving, and his voice is in great condition. I realise that I really want his bracelet. Then, as the camera angle changes slightly (but importantly), I suddenly notice that his trousers are seriously tight. This is irritatingly distracting, not least when an effect gives us four Plants for the price of one at an angle where Percy's groin is far too visible for good taste (Good taste and Zep in the same sentence, I know!). At the same time, it's pretty much the funniest thing in the entire film. And I still want to know what the bloody hell he means by a "bustle in your hedgerow."
Then, as you begin to start possibly losing the will to live because 'Stairway' is finished, it's time for Moby Dick. Normally, the phrase 'drum solo' inspires me to go and hit my head against something made of brick or a similar hard substance, but John Bonham is pretty inspired. I'd love to see this same famous solo done on a day when the band is really going. He's solid and fun to watch, not least when he throws his sticks aside to just hammer away with his hands. I wouldn't want to listen to it too often, but it's really great. And as for Bonzo's own film? While the others prat about being people they're not, John Bonham's film involves: drinking down the pub, driving his fast cars, grinning triumphantly as he roars past on a motorbike, showing off his cows, building stuff and playing bongos while his young son Jason plays his own little drum kit. Of the four, Bonzo's film is by far the best because he is himself. Without affectation, a family man and at the same time a rather dangerous man who drags cars and drinks. Why the hell couldn't the others do the same? My favourite moment: a second where Bonzo, ready to drag race, suddenly looks over to his right and seems quite unsure or nervous. A chink in the Bonham armour, perhaps? In the end, his drum solo only lasts about eight, nine minutes and is perfectly enjoyable when paired with shots of him and mini-Bonham playing drums together in their front room. In the auditorium, he can't get more love from the audience and he doesn't even look tired.
We're on the home stretch now- just a good version of 'Heartbreaker' and a rollicking-as-always 'Whole Lotta Love', which features what I assume to be some ad-libbed stuff from Robert. He's not as good at on the spot poetic nonsense as Jim Morrison and it shows. Lastly there's some post-concert footage of Peter Grant on TV after 200 grand is nicked from the band. Then back on their private jet and away to wherever comes next. Stairway plays us out, continuing even after the end credits have finished rolling.
In the end? I feel fairly satisfied with the film. It's not a classic and is probably of little interest/value to anyone not a Led Zeppelin fan. It's a good thing that Page has managed to put together the new 2-disc DVD because the boys who were once the Biggest Band in the World deserve better than this. It's telling that the band weren't even going to release this 1973 footage until the horrific car crash in Greece in 1975 that nearly killed Plant's family and put him in a wheelchair for a long while. Had the crash never happened, the Zep catalogue might look very different indeed. It really isn't as bad as the anti-Zep music press have consistently made it out to be. That said, like Peter Grant said, it is just "the most expensive home movie ever made." Frankly, they could have and should have done better. Had this been made in a post-Last Waltz atmosphere with a little more care, planning and attention to detail, this could've been the film that the band and their fans deserve. For live Zep, get the new Led Zeppelin DVD instead.
The End
So, what do you think after all five pages of that? Be honest: I can take it.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-07-28 20:24 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-28 21:25 (UTC)it's clearly not objective, that's for sure, but it's also clear that, even though you may be young, you know what you're talking about. a little bit of editing and fine tuning to tone down the bias, then it's off to rolling stone...
but hey, i'm just a 17-year-old led zep fanatic, so you might want to get a second opinion...
no subject
Date: 2003-09-21 22:17 (UTC)My impressions of the movie were pretty positive, only because I didn't really think of it as a film per se. I mean, Jimmy Page comes out in that insanely wonderful outfit with planets and dragons and lord knows what else going up and down the legs, and starts playing, and he is just mindblowing. He is truly a wizard. I love the way he slumps backwards and just has this kickback, relaxed way of being onstage while playing these blistering crazy things. I agree, I could have done without the fantasy sequences, only because I would have been happy to watch Page play the entire time.
I find Robert Plant both wonderful and hilarious. Hilarious because his clothing in this film would be very cool if he was a present-day 14-year-old girl. Also: the jeans! Save us!
I happen to like long exploratory jams, so there are moments during "Dazed and Confused" that just knock my socks off.
Also, in terms of best concert films ever: have you seen the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense," directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs)? If not, i HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it. Very different than our beloved rock gods of the '70s, of course, but one of the best music films I've ever seen.
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Date: 2003-09-22 18:05 (UTC)I find that when I watch it as a Led Zeppelin fan, I love it to bits, but when I watch it as a film student (of sorts), I find it less great. In some ways I think it should be watched from the fan POV because I suspect that's who it was made for. I like to think that a lot of it is tongue-in-cheek (I really hope so, anyway) and even since writing the review in July my perspective has changed a bit. I don't think that it's a very good concert film, but as something about Zep, it's really quite spot-on.
I agree, I could have done without the fantasy sequences, only because I would have been happy to watch Page play the entire time.
Exactly! That's why I don't like the beginning- I just want to hear the damn music! He's totally a wizard- and I bet he was a Slytherin... I suppose I'd have much rather seen the whole band be real in their scenes like Bonzo, rather than twatting about on mountains. Still, Zeppelin weren't renowned for their sense of taste or understatement- hence 2 hour long versions of Dazed- which I do love, but I also find a little bit excessive sometimes. 70s rock was not simple nor understated! I also take it you come down on the Page side of the Page/Plant question? Me, I prefer blonds.
And... Robert Plant isn't a 14 year old girl? Thank god for that! *snickers*
I guess ultimately I was just disappointed because it could've been soooo much better. That said, it's still The Zep, they still rock and I still watch it!
Lastly- have no seen the Talking Heads movie cos I'm not a huge fan of that stuff (I do like Road to Nowhere though...) but I shall look out for it.
Thanks for reading and replying. :D
no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 09:51 (UTC)Keep the Talking Heads in mind. As someone who also goes through serial obsessions with different bands, I can tell you that I did not expect to get into them (I thought they were just '80s pop), but they are extremely talented and very exciting to watch live. Great lyrics, and David Byrne has such an unusual voice and amazing stage presence. Anyway, once you get through all the greats of the '70s... ;-)