Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1983)

Directed by

D. A. Pennebaker

Genre

documentary film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

PG

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 53 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This concert film captures David Bowie and his band performing at the final show of his Ziggy Stardust tour in London in 1973. Bowie surprised the audience by announcing it was the last performance, marking the end of his famous alter ego.

energeticrawnostalgicbittersweetintimateelectrichistoric

What happens

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (sometimes called Bowie 1973) is a 1979 British documentary/concert film by D. A. Pennebaker. It features English singer-songwriter David Bowie and his backing group the Spiders from Mars performing at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 3 July 1973, the final date of his Ziggy Stardust Tour. At this show, Bowie made the sudden surprise announcement that the show would be "the last show that we'll ever do", later understood to mean that he was retiring his Ziggy Stardust persona. The full-length 90-minute film spent years in post-production before finally having its theatrical premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 31 August 1979. Prior to the premiere, the 35 mm film had been shown in 16 mm format a few times, mostly in United States college towns. A shortened 60-minute version was broadcast once in the USA on ABC-TV in October 1974. In 1983, the film was finally theatrically released worldwide, corresponding with the release of its soundtrack album entitled Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture. The following year, in 1984, the film was released to home video under the title, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: The Motion Picture. It was first released on DVD in 1998. A digitally remastered 30th Anniversary Edition DVD, including additional material from the live show and extras, was released in 2003. A 4K remaster, which re-incorporates Jeff Beck's performances, was released in July 2023. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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