Director: Bernard MacMahon
Screenplay: Bernard MacMahon
Starring: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones
Country: United Kingdom, United States
Running Time: 122 minutes
Year: 2025
BBFC Certificate: 12
The vexed issue of the ‘officially authorised’ account of any artist, musician or creative spirit has been brought sharply into the spotlight since the release of Michael, Antoine Fuqua’s highly controversial biopic of the pop star Michael Jackson, a film which has simultaneously broke box office records and incited widespread critical condemnation. It is fascinating to view Bernard MacMahon’s award-winning documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin as part of this wider cultural context, where artists old and new participate in the telling their own stories for the big screen.
To see a group like Led Zeppelin, a colossal force in the history of rock music, and one that has guarded itself so fiercely for close to half a century finally collaborate with a director in whom they had enough belief to entrust time, energy and resources is newsworthy in itself. MacMahon’s work including the American Epic series (which I have not seen) evidently impressed the band sufficiently for the project to go ahead. I have a hunch that Robert Plant was the group member most impressed by these films, given their focus on the history of American roots music, and that it was Jimmy Page who drew up the boundaries of what any film about Led Zeppelin might contain; namely, their origin story and their rapid rise to superstardom.
Assembled over a six-year period, Becoming Led Zeppelin is an exhilarating watch from start to finish, and as a Led Zeppelin fan for close to forty years, this documentary is an absolute dream. It accomplishes the primary goal of any music-associated film, making you rush to your record collection in order to listen to this extraordinary group over and over again. Having Jimmy Page, Robert John Paul Jones and John Bonham speak for themselves about their respective lives and careers before they all found each other is genuinely amazing. The post-war economic boom that facilitated the rise of a generation of teenagers obsessed with skiffle, rock ‘n’ roll and fashion is conjured by the confident use of archive footage, aided by each members’ memories of growing up. MacMahon’s specific choices in terms of archive are impressive, especially when illustrating the environment of the session men in the 50s and early 60s, and of contemporary world events.
The stories from each member are all characterised by a steely sense of determination, from Jimmy Page’s monumental drive as a star session man, Plant’s mystic vagabond anecdotes, and Jones’ achievements as both choirmaster and bass sensation. To my mind, John Paul Jones has always been the Led Zeppelin’s secret weapon. However, the inclusion of a newly-discovered radio interview from Australia with John Bonham is the film’s greatest coup. To hear the man speak so eloquently and incisively about himself, the band and his fellow band members as they all listen in is an emotional experience, and allows the real man to emerge from the myth of “Bonzo”. From the moment these four men enter a rehearsal space in 1968, the film leaves you in no doubt that this as yet unnamed group will be unstoppable.
The footage of the band itself in Becoming Led Zeppelin is first rate, and will be familiar to any fan with even the most basic knowledge (or in possession of the awesome Led Zeppelin DVD from 2003): the spectacular live appearances from Danish and French TV and Supershow (all from 1969), but there are real surprises, such as footage from their earliest American tours and the band’s appearance at the Bath Rock Festival in 1970. The wealth of visual memorabilia throughout is a stunning display of posters, tickets and other ephemera that again conjure an era now lost but for these wonderful souvenirs, and the memories of those that treasure them.
My fandom must take a backseat whilst I engage my critical faculties at some point, so here are some caveats and quibbles. It is quite a feat of hubris for MacMahon to use real footage of the 1937 Hindenburg air disaster, in which 35 people lost their lives, over the opening credits of Becoming Led Zeppelin. Footage from the Yardbirds’ stunning performance in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 60s classic Blow Up is included but not referenced, and although Jimmy Page is shown playing “Blackwaterside” in (damaged) footage from the Julie Felix Show, there is no mention of the British folk music scene of the 50s and 60s, or its undoubted influence on his skills. John Mendelsohn’s infamous review of their debut album for Rolling Stone is cited as an example of the negativity Led Zeppelin endured at the hands of the music press, but the full context of that review was a negative comparison between Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page’s former bandmate Jeff Beck, and his album Truth. My view is that the music press of that time was comprehensively outflanked by the onslaught of heavy rock and proto metal that came to prominence as the 60s ended and the 70s began. I would also have liked more information about the band’s legendary manager Peter Grant, whose unrivalled talent, unswerving devotion and intimidating physical presence were crucial to the band’s early success.
Led Zeppelin has always prided themselves on being a band apart, with unimaginably high standards that others can only dare to aspire to. Becoming Led Zeppelin is a gripping documentary that more than lives up to their incredible legacy, and is bound to satisfy old and new fans alike.
The extras for this limited edition 4K and blu ray steelbook release are more presentational than cinematic. The only extra feature on the discs is the trailer for the film itself, which is a thrilling sampler for what the film has to offer. The other items include a patch, sticker, two plectrums, four band photographs taken by Ron Raffaelli (whose images are used extensively throughout the documentary) and a letter from Bernard MacMahon.