Becoming Led Zeppelin

Becoming Led Zeppelin traces the journeys of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Robert Plant through their childhoods in post-war Britain, the music scene of the 1960s including Shirley Bassey performing the Goldfinger theme with Zeppelin members playing on it, their meeting in the summer of 1968 and meteoric ascendancy throughout 1969, culminating in 1970 when they become the No. 1 band in the world.{{cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |title='Becoming Led Zeppelin': Watch The First Clip From New Rock Doc About Iconic Brit Band — Venice Film Festival |url=https://deadline.com/video/becoming-led-zeppelin-watch-the-first-clip-from-new-rock-doc-about-iconic-brit-band-venice-film-festival/ |website=Deadline |date=4 September 2021 |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=2 March 2023}}

The story is told by the band members with the late Bonham represented by archival audio interviews. The film features full, never-before-seen footage of the band's early American and British concerts and unseen material from the band's personal archives.{{cite web |last=Triscari |first=Caleb |title=Watch the first teaser for upcoming documentary 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-the-first-teaser-for-upcoming-documentary-becoming-led-zeppelin-3037155 |website=NME |date=5 September 2021 |publisher=NME Networks |access-date=2 March 2023}}{{cite web |title=Becoming Led Zeplin |url=http://www.altitudefilment.com/film/sales/96/index.html |website=Altitude Fulfillment |publisher=Altitude Film Entertainment |access-date=2 March 2023}}

Becoming Led Zeppelin was researched and written by Bernard MacMahon with screenwriter and producer Allison McGourty, the two having worked together on American Epic—a series investigating American music styles.{{cite web |last1=La Biennale di Venezia |title=Becoming Led Zeppelin by Bernard MacMahon to screen out of competition |url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/becoming-led-zeppelin-bernard-macmahon-screen-out-competition |website=La Biennale di Venezia |date=3 August 2021 |access-date=2 March 2023}} Bandleader Jimmy Page and frontman Robert Plant were already fans of the series.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/02/14/becoming-led-zeppelin-documentary-inside-story/78388174007/ |last=della Cava |first=Marco |date=14 February 2025 |title='They always said 'No': Why Led Zeppelin's surviving members agreed to a documentary |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=20 March 2025}} Page told the filmmakers that he had turned down a lot of "pretty miserable" pitches over the years to make a documentary about Led Zeppelin. But from MacMahon and McGourty he received a deeply researched proposal focusing almost exclusively on the music and chronicling the band's birth in 1968 and its early rise. The film was developed on a storyboard and presented to the band members in a leather-bound book. Page commented, "When we first met, we were probably a little nervous of each other. But the conduit was the storyboard", adding "And I thought they've really got it, they really understand what it was about".{{cite news |last=Winfield |first=Nicole |title=Jimmy Page at Venice film fest to present Led Zeppelin doc |url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-jimmy-page-e06787a574b6f62a73b9860f1ce2a750 |access-date=2 March 2023 |work=AP News |publisher=Associated Press |date=4 September 2021}}

The film includes digitized audio from tapes held at The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) in Canberra from the Sydney radio station 2SM, including an audio interview with Sydney broadcaster Graeme Berry and John Bonham, who rarely gave interviews.{{cite web |title=NFSA Unearths Rare Led Zeppelin Interview |url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/nfsa-unearths-rare-led-zeppelin-interview |website=National Film and Sound Archive of Australia |access-date=29 March 2025}}

John Paul Jones gave his blessing, saying "the time was right for us to tell our own story for the first time in our own words" and that the time was right for the film to be made.{{cite web |last=Reilly |first=Nick |title=Whole Lotta Love! Led Zeppelin documentary announced to mark their 50th anniversary |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/whole-lotta-love-led-zeppelin-documentary-announced-to-mark-their-50th-anniversary-2485351 |website=NME |date=8 May 2019 |publisher=NME Networks |access-date=2 March 2023}} Plant cited American Epic as a reason for agreeing to participate in the film, "Seeing Will Shade, and so many other important early American musicians, brought to life on the big screen in American Epic inspired me to contribute to a very interesting and exciting story".{{cite web |last=White |first=Peter |title=Led Zeppelin Gets Feature Doc Treatment From Team Behind 'American Epic' – Cannes |url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/led-zeppelin-feature-doc-cannes-1202609671/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=8 May 2019 |publisher=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2 March 2023}}

The film was announced in 2019, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the release of the band's first album.{{cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Jackson |title=The first-ever band-sanctioned Led Zeppelin documentary has been completed |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/led-zeppelin-sanctioned-documentary |website=Guitar World |date=4 August 2021 |publisher=Future Publishing |access-date=25 February 2023}}

In May 2024, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film in North and Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia (excluding Japan), and the Benelux. In June 2024, it was announced that Tohokushinsha Film had acquired the rights for Japan, Madman Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand, NonStop for Scandinavia and the Baltics, Cinemart for Czechia and Slovakia, and MCF for formerly Yugoslavian areas. On December 5, 2024, a teaser trailer was released, and it was announced the film would premiere in IMAX in the United States and Canada on February 7, 2025. In the UK Sony Pictures announced an exclusive IMAX release for February 5, 2025 with a general UK cinema release commencing February 7, 2025.{{cite web |last1=Colothan |first1=Scott |title=Becoming Led Zeppelin gets UK release date and new full-length trailer |url=https://hellorayo.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/becoming-led-zeppelin-uk-release-date/ |website=Rayo |publisher=Bauer Media Group |access-date=7 February 2025}} The film would then have a wider release in the United States on February 14, 2025.{{cite web|url=https://rockcellarmagazine.com/becoming-led-zeppelin-interview-filmmakers-bernard-macmahon-allison-mccgourty/|title='Becoming Led Zeppelin' Filmmakers Recall Bringing the Band's Rock Superhero Origin Story to Life (in Theaters Now)|first=Ed|last=Rampell|publisher=Rock Cellar Magazine|date=February 14, 2025|accessdate=February 20, 2025}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|83||40|consensus=Presenting the origins of Led Zeppelin with laser focus, this doc isn't the definitive document on the band but blows the roof off with its killer soundtrack.|ref=yes|access-date=25 April 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose|64|12|ref=yes|access-date=20 February 2025}}

Variety noted that the work-in-progress screening at the Venice Film Festival "premiered to bursts of rapturous applause across its 137-minute runtime".{{cite web |last=Ravindran |first=Manori |title=Jimmy Page Gets Whole Lotta Love at Venice for First Led Zeppelin Documentary |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/global/led-zeppelin-jimmy-page-documentary-1235056465/ |website=Variety |date=4 September 2021 |publisher=Variety Media |access-date=2 March 2023}} Rolling Stone described the rough cut of the film as "revelatory",{{cite magazine |last=Fear |first=David |title='Becoming Led Zeppelin': What's In The Authorized Documentary? |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/led-zeppelin-documentary-review-1219811/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=5 September 2021 |publisher=Penske Business Media |access-date=25 February 2023}} and The Hollywood Reporter described it as "an eye-opening delight", adding that sections of the rough cut "could be cut without damaging the film".{{cite web |last=DeFore |first=John |title= Becoming Led Zeppelin: Film Review -Venice 2021 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/becoming-led-zeppelin-venice-2021-1235008677/ |website=Hollywood Reporter |date=4 September 2021 |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=25 February 2023}} Steve Pond of The Wrap described the rough cut as "potent as hell and as excessive as Physical Graffiti, the 1975 album whose excess was pretty much inseparable from its power".{{cite web |last=Pond |first=Steve |title='Becoming Led Zeppelin' Film Review: Like the Band, the Movie Is Potent and Excessive |url=https://www.thewrap.com/becoming-led-zeppelin-review-venice-film-festival/ |website=The Wrap |date=4 September 2021 |access-date=2 March 2023}}

Most of the negative review comments focused on the new interviews, which were described as shallow, "boring," and lacking interaction between the surviving members.{{cite web |last=Pond |first=Steve |title='Becoming Led Zeppelin' Film Review: Like the Band, the Movie Is Potent and Excessive |url=https://www.thewrap.com/becoming-led-zeppelin-review-venice-film-festival/ |website=The Wrap |date=4 September 2021 |access-date=2 March 2023}}

As of May 22, 2025, Becoming Led Zeppelin has grossed $13.2 million worldwide, including $10.4 million in the United States.

• {{Annotated link|Celebration Day (film)|Celebration Day}}
• {{Annotated link|The Song Remains the Same (film)|The Song Remains the Same}}

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Category:2025 films

Category:2025 documentary films

Category:American musical documentary films

Category:British musical documentary films

Category:Big Beach (company) films

Category:Documentary films about musical groups

Category:Documentary films about rock music and musicians

Category:Films directed by Bernard MacMahon (filmmaker)

Category:Led Zeppelin

Category:Sony Pictures Classics films

Category:IMAX films