ROCK fans in India can finally see the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin, following its release on Netflix a week ago. Though it was released theatrically in the US and other countries on February 7, the Indian cinema halls didn’t get the privilege of screening it. However, music lovers got to see A Complete Unknown, the film on Bob Dylan’s early career, in theatres from February 28, two months after international release, and on Jio Hotstar subsequently.
Both films deal with specific phases of the acts’ careers. A Complete Unknown, which had Timothee Chalamet playing the iconic star, focuses on Dylan’s folk music period, till he added an electric avatar to create folk-rock songs. Likewise, Becoming Led Zeppelin is about the band’s early career, the cut-off point being their second album Led Zeppelin II, released in 1969.
On the surface, this might sound disappointing, because the most iconic numbers Immigrant Song, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Black Dog and Rock ‘n Roll are from the next two albums, and thus don’t find a place in this docu. Those are songs that everyone adores. Ideally, director Bernard MacMohan should have covered their journey till the 1971 release of Led Zeppelin IV.
But that shouldn’t be a deterrent, as hardcore fans get to see rare concert footage, and fantastic interviews of all four band members, with the late drummer John Bonham’s inputs captured in previously-unheard audio recordings. Vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones narrate stories about growing up in post-war England, how they got influenced by American blues, how they met, their evolution from the band Yardbirds, their early success in the US and the terrible reviews from critics. Clips of Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger, which featured Page and Jones, and Keep It To Yourself by blues great Sonny Boy Williamson II, a huge influence on Plant, brim with nostalgia.
And there are the songs, in their wild live versions. The black n’ white footage of How Many More Times, from the debut album, is out of the world, with Plant’s stage acrobatics and Page playing a stunning solo. The bits about how Plant wrote the lyrics of Ramble On, how Page created the psychedelic middle part of Whole Lotta Love and how they improvised on Dazed And Confused make for perfect fan viewing.
While Becoming Led Zeppelin is essential for classic rock fans, it would also be advised to check A Complete Unknown on Jio Hotstar. It starts with Dylan meeting his ailing idol Woody Guthrie in the presence of folk singer Pete Seeger, and how he goes on to write iconic songs like Blowin In The Wind, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, The Times They Are A-Changing and Mr Tambourine Man.
The film also talks of his relation with Joan Baez (played by Monica Barbaro) and Sylvie Russo (Elle Fenning), whose original name was Suzie Rotolo. The duet by Dylan and Baez on It Ain’t Me Babe and the way the crowd chants along to The Times They Are A-Changing stick on in one’s mind.
Rock biopics and documentaries have an audience of their own, and films like Bohemian Rhapsody (on Freddie Mercury and Queen) and Rocketman (on Elton John) have had good runs in India. Pink Floyd’s 1972 film Live At Pompeii, based on a concert without an audience, was restored in 4k visual format earlier this year. The diehard fans attended, but the halls were half-empty.
Viewers have other choices on the OTT platforms. Stingray, a subscription-based division of Amazon Prime, has a good selection of documentaries and concert footage. Last year, Hotstar released Thank You Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story, focusing on vocalist Jon Bon Jovi after surgery, and The Beach Boys, about the popular American band. On YouTube, one can watch Bad Company: In Performance, a brilliant documentary about the British band. There’s more lined up this year, including Deliver Me From Nowhere, a film on Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska. That’s worth the wait.
