Director Bernard MacMahon’s love of Led Zeppelin started when he was just 12 years old, after discovering a book about the band in a box of antique junk.
Turns out, it was the first ever book written about the rockers, and as fate would have it, MacMahon would go on to direct the first ever Led Zeppelin film, some 40 years later. 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' tells the untold story of how the four piece from London became the biggest band in the world - no small task.
In an interview with The Sound's Robert Taylor, MacMahon and producer Allison McGourty told the story of how they landed the job, discussed archival footage, and explained how the audience can make the most out of going to see the film.
Earning the band’s trust
Getting Led Zeppelin to agree to do the film was the first step. Their peers were doubtful, they said the band would "never agree", and called MacMahon and McGourty "absolutely mad" for trying. The duo ignored the doubt and stuck to their guns - making sure their research, scripts and storyboards were comprehensive. Their hard work landed them an interview with Jimmy Page.
"It was a bit like an exam, or an interview and there were some tests along the way," McGourty explained.
At one point, MacMahon mentioned the part of the film where the audience sees Robert Plant singing for the first time.
"And [Jimmy Page] said, "what was the name of that group that Robert was singing with when I first met him?" When MacMahon replied: "Obs-Tweedle" without missing a beat, Page told him "very good, carry on".
By the end of the seven-hour meeting, they had passed Page's test, which led to meetings with the other band members and John Bonham’s wife, Pat Bonham. MacMahon and McGourty’s impressive care for detail won the band’s trust, and they awarded them complete editorial control".
From the archives
Now the fun could start. Never-before-seen archival content was shared by all sides. Diaries from Page , unheard recordings made between Plant and Bonham, and surprise memorabilia from the directing team – some of which the band had not seen in years. What we get to see in the film is the band re-living their life "in real-time" prompting raw reactions to it all.
And they really are reliving every single moment.
“What you're actually seeing on the screen is, to our knowledge, everything that exists," MacMahon said.
“John Bonham’s sister found some eight millimeter video that her father, Jack Bonham, had recorded," he continued.
"And so we were able to include John Bonham equally alongside the other three living band members … We found a number of these recordings of him talking, different recordings of him speaking.”
MacMahon found these discoveries about the mysterious Bonham "miraculous".
“He was the one member that there was actually not much known about, really, before. [We got] childhood footage of him, you know, and so he feels as present as everyone else in the film.”
An immersive experience
Through the film, MacMahon and McGourty, have been a champion of all things Led Zeppelin, using it as a way to showcase the splendour of the band.
The performances and footage have been curated in a way that immerses the audience into the lives of Led Zeppelin. Bringing them into a “world where you feel you're at those concerts in 1969.”
MacMahon encouraged the audience to go and see it on the biggest screen possible, with the best sound system to truly make the most out of the film. Full of ‘blink and you’ll miss it moments’, the director calls it a "musical fantasia, a total trip", designed to be watched over and over again – and many fans have already.
"This film is made for cinema," MacMahon said.
