The Song Remains the Same (1976)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Directors:

Peter Clifton
Joe Massot

Release Date:

20 October 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

In Concert And Beyond

Plot:

A Led Zeppelin concert filmed in Madison Square Garden, New York.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Concert | Band | Beach | Rock Music

Cast

John Bonham	...	Himself - Drummer (as Led Zeppelin)
John Paul Jones	...	Himself - Bassist & Keyboardist (as Led Zeppelin)
Jimmy Page	...	Himself - Guitarist (as Led Zeppelin)
Robert Plant	...	Himself - Lead Singer (as Led Zeppelin)
Peter Grant	...	Himself - Band Manager
Richard Cole	...	Himself
Derek Skilton	...	Himself
Colin Rigdon	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same (UK)

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) | Dolby (optical prints)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Finland:K-8 (cut) | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden - 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Swan Song

Trivia:

Entirely financed by the band.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the movie, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones have different outfits on. However, this is because the movie was filmed when the band played Madison Square Garden 3 nights in a row in 1973, and both Jimmy and John Paul didn't want to wear the same outfits. Small portions of songs were also filmed in 1974 at Shepperton Studios because of missing pieces of songs.

Quotes:

Himself - Lead Singer: [prior to singing "Stairway to Heaven"] I think this is a song of hope.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: Beers and Weirs (#1.2)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

The Song Remains The Same

First watch the movie, then listen to the EP, you decide

Led Zeppelin gives puzzlement with The Song Remains the Same by adding footage in between the concert videos of documentary footage and insights into the groups' minds. The documentary footage is more normal and not bothersome, unlike the fantasy footage which seemed to me when I first saw it like different members' hallucinations. Interesting, maybe, but why intersect with concert footage?

It is in the concert footage the film does it's best, however, by giving Zeppelin fans (and possibly even non-Zeppelin fans) a treat of a motion picture with some of their best played and famous songs- The film's title song (my favorite of the concert), No Quarter (2nd), Stairway to Heaven (still awesome the 100th time you've heard it), Moby Dick (to anybody wanting to learn how to play good rock drumming), Dazed and Confused, extended 20 minutes longer than usual by the way, among others. Rock fans in general should also take a look, or possibly just watch the scenes on DVD that make more sense. My Grade: A-