The Song Remains the Same

Being a huge fan of Led Zeppelin, I'd like so much to think this movie is great, or good, or average, or... But no. This movie is one of the most boring I've ever seen, unfortunately. While on stage (and on record, of course) Zep is THE band, this movie falls flat in capturing their energy and glorious brilliance. This could be a terrific movie, but is so badly done! I like some of the performances ("Rock And Roll" being my favorite) and Page's fantasy sequence, just great, but the rest of the movie SUCKS! Zep deserved a better movie... so we got "How The West Was Won". Praise God! If you want a truly great rock movie, go and see "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones. THE BEST ROCK MOVIE EVER!

What even is this? Watching it was a surreal, sometimes dull, sometimes very engrossing experience. Reflecting back on it, it feels something like a fever dream in all honesty. Comparing a movie to a fever dream would usually be a negative, but with this, it's not totally the case, as this is too bizarre and out there (and every now and then actually quite interesting) to call bad. Although when it comes to recommending it... that's an entirely different, far more difficult question.

I could spend hundreds, even thousands of words here trying to define what genre this movie falls into. I can't even call it a documentary exactly, and as 'movie' is the most general word I can think of, we'll go with that. Okay, sometimes it's a concert film. Sometimes it tries to document Led Zeppelin's trials and tribulations while on tour, with detours regarding angry band managers, stolen money, and rowdy fans. Sometimes it shows strange fantasy sequences with the band members, and honestly I got Monty Python & The Holy Grail vibes from some of these. They're occasionally interesting, sometimes dull, but usually... interesting.

It's a weak, vague word when it comes to film criticism: "interesting." But when the thing being critiqued is as strange as The Song Remains The Same, what choice do I have? Well, I could ramble on and on, and go around in circles trying to even break down what this is, and whether it's good or bad or groundbreaking or self-indulgent and stupid, or whether it's all of those, and if so, in what quantities and at what points does it reflect each.

If you're a Led Zeppelin fan you might love this. Or you might hate it. You might not even listen to much classic rock but still get a kick out of the 70s aesthetic and its dirty excesses, and absolutely bizarre detours and fantasy segments. I could see certain people indulging in certain substances and maybe getting a kick out of it in that regard- maybe that's what's led to its cult following? The members of the band certainly looked like they were under the influence of one or more things at certain points, so who knows? Maybe that's the only way viewers can get on their level.

Ultimately, my star rating is mostly arbitrary. I can't give it a bad rating, because I did gladly watch all of it and some parts I liked. But I can't give it a great one, because it's just too messy and scattershot, but then again... that's part of its appeal... I think (?)

What a strange experience though. Only in the 70s could one of the most popular, direct, and accessible rock bands in existence make something this brazenly bizarre.

I am a huge fan of Led Zepellin, but I found this concert film underwhelming. I would much rather listen to their second album than listen to this footage. I just don't believe the film does justice to the group's talents.

I know other will disagree, simply because it is Led Zep, but don't we have a right to expect better?

I mean that when I say it, but nevertheless, it was actually this movie that lit the Led Zeppelin spark within me and, thanks to my roommate and music sharing, I downloaded the whole anthology and the rest is history.

Back to my original comment. I am obsessed with this movie for the same reason I am obsessed with the music of Zeppelin in general, because after giving it time to grow on me and develop a taste for it, the movie became addicting to watch. I have now watched it so many times that I have learned to appreciate the purpose of the fantasy clips, the placement of the songs on the DVD, and why they all tie together the way they do.

I do agree with those who believe that skipping the shootout in the beginning is the right thing to do. The country life sequence, however, provides tremendous insight into each of the band members and completes the picture of the ordinary human side as well as the psychedelic band member side. Robert Plant shares a peaceful moment with his wife and skinny-dipping children. John Bonham plows his fields. John Paul Jones reads Jack and the Beanstalk to his children. And finally Jimmy Page sits quietly by a lake and plays a hurdy-gurdy.

Coming into the concert, one already has the vision of the four men as normal people in the back of their minds, not just eccentric, wild rockers, so the viewer is not alienated from the band as they launch into their classic tunes with barely time to catch a breath in between. Augmented by the music, the viewer dives deeper into the minds of the band members with an emotionally profound vigor.

The roller coaster ride extends from the "in-your-face" blues of Since I've Been Loving You to the dark edginess of No Quarter, from the whimsical strangeness of The Song Remains The Same to the beautiful stateliness of the Rain Song. Played in a different key, the Rain Song has the same amount of power and energy as its counterpart on the Houses of the Holy LP, but this live version delivers with a more triumphant, confident, and splendid statement than the reflective, oft melancholy LP take. As the song builds towards its rapturous (and victorious for Robert Plant) climax, the tone of the concert and DVD reaches it height. Then, in a stark contrast, the viewer then must sadly leave the sojourn in paradise and descend into the uneasy, convoluted maze of Dazed and Confused. Just when the viewer seems convinced that his descent has led him to hell as the song reaches the 26 minute mark, his reward for his own Zeppelin "endurance" is despite paradise being lost, finding heaven quite literally and being treated to the timeless Stairway to Heaven.

The fantasy scenes take the longest to grow on the viewer, but, with time, augment the music and vice versa. It is then that the film begins to resemble "Fantasia," only with Led Zeppelin music. This is particularly true of the bow solo in the middle of Dazed and Confused, because it eerily echos the equally long, convoluted, and edgy strains of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, but punctuated visually with the youthening of Jimmy Page as opposed to the aging of the early planet Earth.

That is the kind of appreciation I have for this movie, and although Led Zeppelin is by no means perfect in this movie, the viewer can come to respect that because they have that picture of them as ordinary men already in their mind. I believe this movie is overall genius and the most accurate canvas painting of all aspects of the four musical geniuses known as Led Zeppelin we possess.

The film must not be judged with today's yardstick. We must appreciate that first of all The Song Remains The Same was probably never meant to be a film but a visual of what a Led Zeppelin concert was all about and even more probably meant for their musical fans and others interested in rock music. I've seen this film several times when I was still a young school boy. By then I was already familiar with the Music and the many variations of the main scores which Led Zeppelin were already renowned for.

I disagree with your correspondent who judged the band by virtue of this film and stated that Led Zeppelin is the most over rated band. There are many musicians I don't mind calling geniuses such as Mike Oldfield, Queen, Beatles, Pink Floyd etc. But certainly Led Zeppelin deserve to be at the top of the list with songs such as Kashmir, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Dazed and Confused, In the Light, Whole Lotta Love, Battle of Evermore and my all time favourite Since I've been Loving You.

My advice - before seeing the film become familiar with the great songs.