Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - The Motion Picture

Rating:
Summary: I saw Bowie during this tour. IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!
Review: This tape is the only record of Bowie with the Spiders from Mars. It is the next best thing to being there in spite of its unpolished state. There are some sound problems during the first two songs, and it looks more like a home movie than a concert tape. Still, for those of us who weren't there--and for those of us who were--it is a real treat! Bowie, though constantly changing and ever innovative, has never again quite captured the energy and charisma or the raw, edgy, yet refined perfection that he had while with the Spiders. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Agree with Maltin
Review: I am a Bowie fan and I found this unlistenable and almost unwatchable. Pennebaker obviously had a very low budget, and probably the film sat around for years before he pieced it together in a lame moment. I enjoyed seeing the different costume changes most...

Rating:
Summary: DVD does not help much
Review: Despite all the DVD possibilities, the video quality wasn't improved so much. The quality isn't so good, but it worth the fact that this concert is a historic event that SHOULD be recorded. However, the setlist is great and Mick Ronson really shows what he knows. The setlist is:
1. Hang Onto Yourself
2. Ziggy Stardust
3. Watch That Man
4. Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud/All The Young Dudes/Oh! You Pretty Things (MEDLEY)
5. Moonage Daydream (the best one in the show; really great guitar solo; it was edited in 1982 for to put some backing vocals)
6. Changes
7. Space Oddity
8. My Death
9. Cracked Actor
10. Time
11. Width Of A Circle
12. Let's Spend The Night Together (a Rolling Stones' song)
13. Suffragette City
14. White Light/White Heat (Lou Reed's song)
15. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide

Rating:
Summary: Classic footage, great concert, but technically poor
Review: It's 1973, in Hammersmith, London. Platformed teenagers in bell bottoms with blue hair and moons painted on their faces gather in civilised lines outside the converted cinema for what was a truly great concert. Although glam rock was far from the only teen movement in London at the time, this film makes it seem the most important. The first section of the film, and that with the clearest images, focuses on the fans outside the Hammersmith Odeon and Ziggy in the dressing room. Once the Spiders from Mars and Ziggy arrive on stage the atmosphere is electric. Some might miss the stereo of modern recordings, but the inferior sound quality somehow adds to the drama of the moment... for those who are eager to witness such a concert. Then there are the theatrics of Ziggy on stage - something never since emulated to the same degree. The concert is a seminal event both for Bowie's development as a performer, for glam rock (and then punk) as a movement, and for today's fans who only wish they had been there. If you have invested in a DVD player, then this film should definitely not be your first purchase. As other reviews testify, the picture and sound quality is poor; but then there are modern Bowie concerts with higher production values available. If you are keen to see what Ziggy was really like, however, it is well worth the money. Listen to the albums on your CD player, watch the modern concerts on your DVD player and watch this for the sheer spectacle. If you love Bowie and crave a closer view of his most acclaimed period, this is invaluable.

Rating:
Summary: Camera work not 100% but great music all the same.
Review: I admit to the fact that the camera work is not ALL that wonderful. But you have to consider how difficult it is to film at a live concert in the dark. At some points, the camera does shake and it becomes hard to see Ziggy. However, the music ROCKS! And it is definitely worth buying! I watch it ALL THE TIME!

Rating:
Summary: The Death of Ziggy Stardust
Review: Despite very shoddy concert footage, this video is a terrific documentary of what it would be like to be in the audience at a David Bowie concert in the early 1970's. Bowie is excellent as he sings all the tunes that made Ziggy famous and then some. It is also fun to see Bowie not at all taking his personal seriously and interacting with an audience that is completely turned on by the androgynus Ziggy Stardust. This is a must have for all Bowie fans out there. And if you think the title of my review makes no sense. Just watch the video and then you'll understand.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a hardcore early David Bowie fan BUT
Review: This concert film stinks! The camerawork is worse than clumsy--it looks like something a spastic with a Handicam would have done. And the sound quality is horrible. It must have been wonderful to be at Hammersmith Odeon when this concert was performed, but it sure didn't translate well onto film. Listen to the recordings and skip this disaster.

Rating:
Summary: embrace the space face
Review: I admit that I consider Bowie one of the coolest creatures that ever lived. Maybe my review is biased, but... Forget about the cinematography which, at times, is horrific. If your interest in David Bowie goes beyond Labyrinth, this movie is essential. It's versions of Moonage Daydream, and Width of a Circle are even better than the studio tracks. Besides this, the movie gives you a much stronger sense of Ziggy's persona than the album might.

Rating:
Summary: A Moonage Daydream
Review: Probably the best concertmovie of all time. you can't explain this in words,you gotta see it!

Rating:
Summary: God, how I wish I'd been there!
Review: Not being too picky about sound and picture quality, I found no fault with this film. Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars put on an incredible show, from the outrageous costumes (I love it!) to Bowie's bizarre mime act and moving renditions of songs such as "Rock 'N Roll Suicide" and "Changes." The interaction between the band and the audience was wonderful, and made all the more special by the fact that it was the Spiders' last tour. This is the next best thing to being there for any Bowie fans who missed it the first time around!