George Michael: The Faith Tour

The theatrical concert movie genre has had something of a revival in recent years. While contemporary pop acts such as Billie Eilish and Harry Styles have had their big-screen moments, older concerts have also been unearthed, such as Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. It is in this mould that one finds George Michael: The Faith Tour, which was shot across two nights at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in 1988. Expertly restored and remastered, it transforms a defining cultural moment into a spectacular cinematic experience.

In a short prologue film from photographer Mary McCartney, Michael offers vivid insights into his life at this pivotal point, his narration juxtaposed with a selection of the artist’s most iconic photos. Fading into a black screen against a sea of reverberating screams, what follows is a captivating document of Michael at his soaring best.

The film’s scope treads a fine balance of intimacy and enormity. Documented on 35mm using 14 cameras, the footage ranges from panning shots of the wild crowd to candid close-ups of the singer. Perhaps the most striking shot comes during a medley of I Want Your Sex, when the camera is positioned amongst the crowd, akin to how concertgoers in the future would document live performances. In this instance, it adds to the authenticity of the immersion.

On that note, prior to the screening, directors Andy Morahan and David Austin emphasised the importance of the film as an old-school concert experience before the ubiquity of phones (back then it was lighters, not screens, that illuminated a venue). Accordingly, the pair urged the audience to put their devices away so they could enjoy the concert as the Parisian crowd did almost 40 years ago. The filmmakers’ wishes were soon unheeded by a handful of audience members within eyeshot.

But the auditorium was otherwise alive with dutiful fans mirroring the 1988 crowd with their exuberance. And, admittedly, it’s a film for the fans. Had it been interspersed with Michael’s ruminations on fame (in the style of McCartney’s short), it would undoubtedly have appealed to more casual viewers.

Nonetheless, as a time capsule of a pop icon ascending the upper echelons of stardom, this is a finely edited, fascinating concert film. A reminder of a simpler era now lost to an engrossment in technology over being present, it’s a fitting tribute to a sorely missed legend who can never be replicated.

Antonia Georgiou

George Michael: The Faith Tour is released nationwide on 4^th November 2026.

Watch the trailer for George Michael: The Faith Tour here: