There was a standing ovation after the screening of a preliminary working version of “Becoming Led Zeppelin” at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. A trailer for the documentary about the early years of the British blues rockers is now online. And the release date in American IMAX cinemas is also clear. February 7, 2025.
The music saga will then be released in 18 other countries.
Director Bernard MacMahon took on the Led Zep project following the 2017 success of his award-winning mini-series “American Epic,” about early roots music in the United States. In an interview, he said that his team “spent years crafting this film to be experienced on the big screen with the best possible sound.”
Trailer “Becoming Led Zeppelin”:
The three surviving members of the band, which was officially dissolved in 1980 – singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones – gave their blessing to the production. With “American Epic,” MacMahon qualified to tell our story, Page said at the time. “The time was right for us to tell our own story in our own words for the first time. This film will really bring those to life,” Jones added.
After the taster screening in Venice 2021, the US trade publication “Variety” praised the impressive footage of the documentary. A negative point, however, would be the too strong focus on the perspective of the band members. “On some level it seems like a Led Zeppelin commercial.”
Becoming Led Zeppelin follows their rise through the British clubs from the mid-1960s to their first American tour, when they became juvenile superstars after signing with Atlantic Records. The film shows previously unreleased material from their early US phase at the festivals in Atlanta and Texas as well as from the Fillmore West in San Francisco.
The film contains other original Bonham recordings that were believed to be lost
The now released trailer revolves around the iconic “Whole Lotta Love” and brings back the voice of drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. “The first time we played together it was overwhelming. It was like a gift from heaven…” The film contains other original Bonham recordings that were believed to be lost.
Writer and producer Allison McGourty is quoted in the press release: “We spent five years flying across the Atlantic, scouring attics and basements for rare and unseen film footage, photos and music recordings. We then engineered each piece of media to make these 55-year-old clips and pieces of music look and sound in IMAX like they came out of the studio yesterday.”
Sony Pictures Classic Vice President Tom Bernard believes “Becoming Led Zeppelin” will inspire young people and be a legacy for future generations. He himself had an overwhelming experience “when I saw Led Zeppelin for the first time in August 1969 at the Texas International Pop Festival in Grapevine, Texas. It hasn’t let me go since then.”