Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders from Mars: The Motion Picture

The quintessential moment in glam-rock history, ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS is David Bowie at his best. This film of the 1973 concert (released 10 years later) documents the hallucinogenic collage of kitsch, Warhol/Pop irony, and flamboyant excess that was the Bowie phenomenon: his trademark synthetic androgyny is a musical symbiosis of feminine passion and masculine dominance that define his funky, gender-bending art and, ultimately, the glam-rock genre as a whole. Early on, the film cuts to elaborate backstage costume changes between sets, highlighting a playlist that includes such classics as "Changes," "Space Oddity," "Time," and "Suffragette City." In this comprehensive document of a seminal performer in music history, director D.A. Pennebaker captures the enigmatic singer's smoldering brilliance like a Hubble photograph of a supernova; it is essential viewing for Bowie fans and music historians alike. (official distributor synopsis)