Directed by Bernard MacMahon
ChinoKino review: A- (in IMAX)
Reviewed by Allan Tong
First of all, this movie rocks on a giant screen. True, some footage is grainy on an IMAX screen, and the sound is bright in places, but this long-gestating doc effectively chronicles the sudden rise of the top hard-rock band of all time.
Led Zep's three surviving members, plus deceased drummer John Bonham heard in a rare 1980 interview, tell their early life stories. Guitarists Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were top session men in Swinging Sixties London, lending riffs to everything from the Goldfinger theme to the early Kinks hits, while singer Robert Plant and mate Bonham were gigging in various blues-rock bands up in Birmingham. By the time they coalesced in the summer of 1968, all four were seasoned professionals. Page built the band from the ashes of the legendary Yardbirds, knowing his way around both a studio and stage. By the time of his birthday in January 1970, Led Zeppelin were the top band in the world.
Their rise was that swift, that sudden. For once, a rock band isn't inflating its own importance. Becoming Led Zeppelin is told only by the band members. No confidantes, no ex-wives, no rock historians. It doesn't need to. If the story was about the later debauchery that gripped the band's world tours (i.e. underage groupies, drunk "The Beast" Bonham running amok), then such a film would need other perspectives. Here, the band alone suffices.
That said, manager Peter Grant needs some colour in Becoming Led Zeppelin. He was crucial to their rise by securing a golden record deal with Atlantic Records as well as record-breaking fees at the box office. Grant was a rare manager who protected and didn't exploit his band. He was also a former wrestler, infamous for intimidating tour promoters.
Another criticism is that a lot of the live footage in the film is taken from the excellent two-DVD set, Led Zeppelin. This includes the brief, but memorable performance from Tous en Scene, shot in Paris in June 1969 and broadcast on French TV. What is lost on home TV screens is magnified here--and it's not the band. Rather, it's the audience of ordinary folk--moms, dads, kids. Two little children plug their ears while their elders stare blankly as these screeching long-hairs. (I wonder if they later they boasted of seeing one of the first Zeppelin gigs.)
Another clip from the DVD set is the extended Dazed and Confused from UK's Supershow. It has been played often on TV and easily found online. However, this clip was the showstopper at the IMAX screening I saw. It is mesmerizing on a giant screen.
The film ends with a glimpse of the January 9, 1970 show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The entire gig is presented on the DVD, but looks disappointingly grainy on the big screen. That said, the two hours leading up to this point are a thrilling ride. You may not need to purchase the inevitable blu-ray or DVD of this doc, but fans should catch it on the big screen while they can.
Becoming Led Zeppelin opens across Canada in 13 cities in IMAX on Feb. 7.