Amazon.ca Canadian Essential
Universally acclaimed as one of the great concert films,
The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese's gorgeous account of the Band's star-studded 1976 farewell concert feels at times like a Canadian musical reunion, as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young join the Band in their celebration of a long life on the North American road. The movie captures some of the tensions between Hollywood-ready Robbie Robertson and his more inward bandmates, but its true glory is in the concert's camaraderie and good-natured one-upmanship, which drives great performances by Mitchell, Muddy Waters, the Staples Singers, and, best of all, Van Morrison's riveting "Caravan."
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Martin Scorsese's 1978 capsule history of
the Band is mixed with footage of the group's allegedly last performance (certainly their last performance as a quintet) in this particularly stylish concert film. Scorsese shoots the players and their sundry guests with the same flair and enthusiasm one can see in the later
The Color of Money or
Goodfellas. He also proves a good interviewer with Band members, particularly Robbie Robertson, whose sleepy-sexy good looks make a star-caliber impression in close-up. But the film's real hook is the stage show, which features a rotation of rock legends (Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and so on) playing with the Band before a wildly appreciative audience.
--Tom Keogh
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