Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Michael_Elliott Ziggy 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.

S. M. Don'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.

deadmartyr I just got back from seeing Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at the Castro Theater. Here's a few observations... 1. I see better bands/shows on a monthly basis here in San Francisco. 2. Bowie's ex-wife was a numbskull. 3. English people can't dance (although I can't either unless it's no-wave related). 4. The best thing about the movie is the costumes that Bowie wears. 5. The worst thing about the film is that it has the visual appearance of being filmed by a first-year photography student; jumpy camerawork, no prep work, bad lighting, (at times) bad sound, no sense of FOCUS, and a general lack of professionalism. I can forgive this only because it was filmed in 1973, when every artist was a supreme hack trying to build a reputation (OH, AND I KNOW ABOUT HACK ARTISTS... I KNOW!) 6. The new soundtrack is infinately better than the one on the original release and that first soundtrack. 7. LOTs of frumpy middle-aged drag queens were doing lines at the 7:00 showing judging from their rather frantic exit when I was in line for popcorn at the 9:00 showing. WOW, never have I seen so many men trying to be their mothers in their fashion sense. 8. There's lots of pseudo-gay punks in the Castro these days, and lots of really annoying homeless people. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! 9. $8 was about twice as much as anyone should pay for this film. Wait until it comes out on DVD... Seriously. 10. I had a great time listening to Yarra du Jour snicker at the fashion on one side of me and listening to my uncle Stephen chuckling at the utter worthlessness of the movie on the other. Our other friend Catlin remained suspiciously silent during the film. Maybe she fell asleep? I certainly did at least twice.

lefty-11 Bowie 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.