Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
Tayyab Torres
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
grantss
The greatest ever concert movie.The Band - Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson - were Bob Dylan's backing band in the 1960s before releasing their first album, Music from Big Pink, in 1968. In November 1976 they gave their last concert and decided to invite a few fiends to perform at it. What friends they were! Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Hawkins, Paul Butterfield, Dr John, The Staple Sisters, Ron Wood, Muddy Waters. Incredible music, performed by extremely talented artists.To make things even better, the movie is directed by Martin Scorsese. He doesn't just include music, but also interviews with The Band. From this you understand their history, their motivations and why they stopped touring.Superb.
chrisrocco
I have not read all of them but I have read many of the negative reviews and try (really hard) to understand the reviewer's point of view. Yes, Martin Scorsese has done much better work and yes, "tiresome" comes to mind when watching some of the less-than-stellar performances but, if you were born in the 7 years from 1948 to 1955, this film is an irreplaceable cinematic classic of that era. The setting was unique, the cast was the era's finest of that genre and the technical value was up to date for when it was made. Sure, if the Band had decided to "retire" 10 years later, we would have seen a completely different film. But they didn't and this is what we got.I saw The Band, live, at Sunday Break II @ the Steiner Ranch outside of Austin, Texas in the late 70s. They were "dots on the horizon" and their music entertaining but, every time I watch this film (I have seen it 4 or 5 times) I find another gem. Whether it is from a recently departed blues man or a band member himself, the film brings back an age that is long gone but, because of films like this one, not forgotten.
Robyn Nesbitt (nesfilmreviews)
"We wanted it to be more than a final concert. We wanted it to be a celebration."-Robbie RobertsonIn the fall of 1976, the band known simply as The Band (Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel) had been touring for almost 16 years. They had started out backing Ronnie Hawkins, ended up backing Bob Dylan, and in between had several hit records of their own. Their farewell performance at the Winterland Theatre in San Francisco included a star-studded line up of guest performers, and is filmed in accordance with a 300-page shooting script compiled by director Martin Scorsese, which includes revealing interviews with the members as well. The film is a technical breakthrough; it went far beyond the boundaries Woodstock had set for live-action footage. The film is a legendary benchmark for rock documentaries. Scorsese ensures that the music speaks for itself."The Last Waltz" is a passionate, symbolic toast to the glories of American rock & roll. Especially for those artists in the 1960s who took rock from its primitive foundations to a sturdier, more flexible form of music and expression. Although the quintet wrote many songs that helped define the era (e.g., The Weight, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down), several of the most inspirational songs in "The Last Waltz" are by other artists. The Band wraps itself around the style and talents of each guest artist, but never strays too far from its folk and blues roots. A wide range of musical guests: Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dr. John, Emmylou Harris among many others. Martin Scorsese masterfully captures their interactions on stage, while off stage he interviews each member sharing their experiences from sixteen years on the road. While it certainly helps to be a fan of The Band, it's not essential in order to appreciate the film's eloquent accomplishments. From a technical perspective, it's undoubtedly one of the most impressive and authentic concert films ever made.
sme_no_densetsu
For their final show (circa 1976) The Band assembled an all-star cast of musicians and had Martin Scorcese film the event. The results are at times brilliant and at times tiresome.Considering that Scorcese was in the director's chair it's no surprise that the direction is better than you would normally expect for a concert film. The only exception is the Muddy Waters performance which, due to a miscommunication, was lucky to have been caught on film at all.The music of The Band (and their guests) may not be to everyone's taste but if you're a fan then you won't be disappointed, at least by The Band's performances. On the other hand, Neil Diamond is out of place, Van Morrison over-sings terribly on his own "Caravan" and some of the other performances are comparatively lackluster. The most interesting thing, for me, was discovering that Robbie Robertson is underrated as a guitarist.The documentary segments are interesting but the studio performances don't come close to matching the fervor of the live performances. The two-hour running time is a little disconcerting as well, considering that there are bound to be at least a handful of performances that you won't enjoy as much as the others. In my case, most of my favorite performances are over before the halfway point.
