George Michael: The Faith Tour is a wonderfully moody and transcendent experience. The archival footage is beautifully shot on film and has the perfect mix of close-ups of the performance and wide shots of the crowd to make the audience feel immersed. The deep blue hues and saturated look are reminiscent of the style of the time.
The opening crafts the story of how meaningful the concert was. Audiences will really enjoy the excellent music and how emotionally resonant and transcendent the concert feels.
The film is directed by Andy Morahan and David Austin. Morahan directed the music videos for “Faith”, “Father Figure” and “Careless Whisper”. Austin is a longtime collaborator and friend of Michael who previously directed George Michael: Freedom Uncut. The concert footage was shot with 14 cameras on 35mm film across two nights in May 1988, at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris during the European leg of the Faith Tour. It is produced by George Michael Entertainment and Mercury Studios in association with Globe Originals. The theatrical version opens with the short film Finding Faith, directed by Mary McCartney.
The restored footage looks absolutely stunning. The 35mm original gives the images a saturated quality and deep blue tones that match the period. Close-ups of Michael sit alongside wider shots that follow him and move through the audience. The combination keeps the scale of the arena visible while still showing details of his performance. The result is that the concert feels present rather than distant.
The music featured in the film reminds us of how resonant Michael’s discography was, and how cohesively it comes together in this concert. Michael performs material from Faith and earlier work, including “I Want Your Sex”, “Father Figure”, “Everything She Wants”, “I’m Your Man”, “One More Try”, “Careless Whisper” and “Faith”, plus covers of “Love’s in Need of Love Today” and “Lady Marmalade”. The set is varied and tells a complete story that shows why the concert was worthy of turning into a film.
The opening short Finding Faith is another aspect that makes the film worthwhile. The short uses previously unheard interview audio from Michael recorded between 1986 and 1988, along with photographs by Herb Ritts and behind-the-scenes footage from the “Faith” music video. Michael talks about the album as the most personal thing he had done after leaving Wham! and about the meaning of the title. While it’s a brief moment, it explains why these particular shows mattered to him so much and sets important context for the remainder of the film.
With a string of concert films doing well in cinemas recently, including the Talking Heads concert film, Taylor Swift Eras film, and the recent James Cameron-directed Billie Eilish film, it’s worth noting why certain concerts are worthy of being turned into theatrical events. For the Faith tour, that’s clearly because of how meaningful the cornet was in George Michael’s journey as a pivotal moment in his career. Michael was 24, the Faith album had already sold heavily, it was after he’d left Wham! to chart his own path, and served as a cohesive performance of his greatest songs. What audiences see here is arguably Michael at his best, in footage that has not been released before. What is on screen is the performance itself, shot and restored so that the music, the stage and the crowd all come together in unison. It only helps that the visual artistry of how the footage was shot on film with such stylish flair and beautiful composition.
George Michael: The Faith Tour is in Australian cinemas November 5th.
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