film

As most of the best documentaries about big bands do, this documentar, released this year and directed by Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty, doesn't try to cover the entire story of the band. Rather, it zeroes in on the meteoric period from the band’s 1968 formation to their triumphant 1970 return to London’s Royal Albert Hall – the moment they became global superstars. 

Becoming Led Zeppelin is the first authorised documentary film about Led Zeppelin, and as such includes a wealth of rare or unseen archival footage, including previously unheard interviews with the band's late drummer John Bonham, early live performances, vintage footage and imagery, and high-fidelity audio transfers. There is also copious interview material with all three surviving members – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones – and the end result is a fascinating and satisfyingly rounded origin story.