synopsis:

concert-film by british blues-rock band led zeppelin. it consists of The best of Led Zeppelin's legendary 1973 appearances at Madison Square Garden. Interspersed throughout the concert footage are behind-the-scenes moments with the band.

This documentary has a lot of concert footage, including the 23-minute-long version of the song 'Dazed and Confused'. The film also shows the musicians at home, pursuing some of their hobbies including drag-racing.

Because there were gaps in the concert footage, and because the band admirably wanted to go beyond the standard Woodstock and Monterey Pop-type concert films, they decided to cover them up with "fantasy sequences", where each member dreamed up a visual sequence to accompany selected songs.

First, there's bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones' sequence, overlaid on top of a Jimmy Page guitar solo during the extended instrumental break of 'No Quarter'. This is followed by Robert Plant's extended bit, where he sails a ship , eats a wild mushroom, then rescues a blond maiden imprisoned in a castle. The music during this is the title track, and 'The Rain Song'. Jimmy Page's fantasy sequence is the most symbolic, as he climbs a mountain during a full moon, then sees himself age from embryo to old man and back again. Page is a follower of the demonic Aleister Crowley, an expert mountain climber. The music underneath this is Page's solo. Drummer John Bonham's scenes overlaid on top of his 'Moby Dick sequences are the most straightforward, as they show Bonham doing the things he loved best: racing motorcycles and hot rods, playing billiards, and spending time with his wife and son.

about this movie:

Led Zeppelin had a camera crew follow them around on their 1972 tour, one which smashed many box-office records, and found them playing some of their most popular music. Many of the introductory shots in 'the song remains the same' come from led Zeppelin's 1972 Pittsburgh gig, but the onstage footage was shot over three nights at New York's Madison Square Garden.'The Song Remains The Same' is by many seen as the best live footage that exists, and is for many people the only chance of seeing Led Zeppelin performing live.