The Last Waltz (1978)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

For a fan not only of "The Band" , "The Band's final show coinciding with the closing of the famous "Winterland" music hall. A must see not only for fan's of "The Band" but music fans in general. Amongst members of "The Band" (Levon Helm,Rick Danko,Garth Hudson,Richard Samuel and the reason for the groups final show,Robbie Robertson) "The Kast Waltz" has a packed show of other all star musicians of the era. From Ronnie Hawkins who gave "The Band" their first job; "The Waltz" ( "The Band's" final show and closing of Winterland) Eric Clapton,Paul Butterfield,Joni Mitchell,"The Staple Singers",Muddy Waters, Dr.John and Neil Diamond ( the most criticized choice for this film/show ) director Martin Scorcese combines "The Band's" final show ( with all members Robbie Robertson! ) the closing of the famous "Winterland" and some history behind one of the longest touring bands of all time, save "The Grateful Dead", as a Rockumentary, A ten star film, a must see!

It's 1976 Thanksgiving. Director Martin Scorsese films the concert of The Band in San Francisco's Winterland. Band member Robbie Robertson tells Scorsese that after 16 years on the road, this is the final concert, "The Last Waltz". The concert include guests Ronnie Hawkins, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and many others.The music is great. Fans should love this. It's got fun little stories like the band stealing baloney when they were struggling and broke. The concert film is expertly done especially for the era. The interviews are pretty straight forward without much flash. One could mistake this for Robbie Robertson and His Band. Robbie is in most of the interviews and is showcased for the film. That's the source of much tension for the Band. Nothing beats the music and the star performers keep coming.

I had never seen this entire film, hailed by many as one of- if not the greatest- concert film of all time; but finally got to see in it's entirety here recently off Netflix. "The Last Waltz" was a concert by that Canadian rock group the Band, held on America's Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. It was advertised as the Band's "farewell concert appearance", and the concert saw the Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, Neil Diamond, Bobby Charles, The Staple Singers, Eric Clapton, as well as two artists the Band was actually the back-up band for at one time- Ronnie Hawkins, and later Bob Dylan. The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary released in 1978.I read all kinds of stories about the goings-on with this concert- the clashes between front men Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, the legal issues that came up with Dylan's appearance in the film, and all that cocaine??!! LOL Apparently Neil Young's nose was covered in it in a shot, which was later edited out of the film-??? Director Scorsese even admitted he was a cocaine addict when he shot this film. And just a heads-up: apparently this movie is now streaming on Netflix and there have been some issues with the audio during the interview scenes between the performances. I heard this may have had something to do with some legal issues, but not sure-??-and not sure if the problem has been fixed as of yet. No matter- see this for the great musical performances- a once-in-your-lifetime event!...

I have heard a few songs by The Band, but I am certainly not a fan, so it would seem that "The Last Waltz" would be a hard-sell to me but it was not. First, I found I enjoyed most of the music throughout the film--especially since I like rock 'n blues (and there is a strong blues/rock as well as country rhythm to the songs). How can you complain when you get to hear the likes of Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Eric Clapton and many, many others performing with The Band. Second, and much more importantly, I was very, very impressed with the quality of the film work. This was NOT a typical concert film where they simply stick up a camera and record the performances. To know more about this, watch the DVD extra for "The Last Waltz"--"Revisiting The Last Waltz". In this documentary, Robbie Robertson (from The Band) and Martin Scorsese talk about how they made the film--and it was really impressive. Instead of just stationing guys with cameras, EVERYTHING was meticulously planned and the camera angles and techniques show it. In addition to the live concert footage (which is the best I've seen), you have a few numbers that were done very well in the studio as well as interesting interviews. All in all, it's the total package--a very impressive and exceptionally well made film. While the music might not be to your liking, you can't help but admire excellent film making.