Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Directed by D.A. Pennebaker
Starring David Bowie
Released by Cowboy Pictures

Review by David Chiu

David Bowie has undergone through chameleonlike changes in his thirty-plus years of music, but none was never more memorable than that of the guise of a messianic, doomed rock star Ziggy Stardust. Who could ever forget the wild spiky red hair, the andro-looking face, and sex-and-death charisma of this alien? This was the musical alter ego that made Bowie a sensation and it is well documented on D.A. Pennebaker's rockumentary of Bowie/Ziggy's final show of the tour at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973. Now re-released looking sharper and sounding better than before, Pennebaker (known for classic documentaries from Don't Look Back to Monterey Pop) captured Ziggy mania at its zenith, from Bowie's mesmerizing stage presence to the adoring, screaming young fans looking to be corrupted and saved by the rock and roll messiah.

In telling the behind the scenes story of Ziggy, director Pennebaker used the cinema verite approach; rather than having a narrator speed the action, Pennebaker just basically let the concert tell the story, thanks to close-ups of Bowie in action and that of the titillated female fans in the audience. It shows the unique, symbiotic relationship between the two of them that also lends insight. Thankfully, the lack of narration (with a few exceptions) does not impede the flow of the film.

What is quite remarkable about viewing the documentary is the show itself especially for first-timers and younger generations. A show of this conceptual tilt would have thrived with the pyrotechnics, and special effects and background that most rock acts like Pink Floyd and the Stones have since employed. The Ziggy show was pretty much spare; it's Bowie's performance that gave the show its kick of sci-fi proportions. While most of his peers wore blue jeans and just stood there on stage, Bowie preened, pranced, and strutted on stage; amusing to see is how his backstage people rip his clothes off to reveal a new costume for the next song.

Equally telling as well is the backstage scenes where Bowie is applied the special make up and dressed by his wardrobe fitters. It is evident that it's just another day in the office for Bowie by the look of detachment in his face. It sort of reveals the loneliness of being a performer, or in this case pretending to be someone else. It is the closest to perhaps knowing who the real Bowie is.

The music, a greatest hits sampler of Bowie's work at the time, and the performance itself are amazing and greatly enhanced by the better picture and sound quality. Songs like "Ziggy Stardust," "Moonage Daydream," "Changes," "Cracked Actor," "Suffragette City," "Rock and roll" "Watch That Man," and "Space Oddity" still sizzle; he also indulged in covers of "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "White Light/White Heat." The Spiders from Mars band were equally hot, especially the late guitarist Mick Ronson, who proved to be the perfect foil to Bowie's antics on stage. His guitar solos were absolutely incredible; no one can doubt his importance in shaping Bowie's early '70s sound.

Toward the end of the documentary, Bowie announced to the audience that not only was it the final show of the tour, but also the final show ever. Given the man's subsequent output, such proclamation was a bit presumptuous. Ziggy Stardust may be gone but thirty years later his legend and influence, as the documentary shows, still lingers as that sexy rock and roll alien.