The Last Waltz (1978)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Mardik Martin (treatment)

Release Date:

26 April 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

It Started as a Concert. It Became a Celebration. [original theatrical]

Plot:

A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.

Plot Keywords:

Band | Interview | Final Concert | Guitar | Concert Film

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Robbie Robertson	...	Himself - Lead Guitar / Vocal (as The Band)
Rick Danko	...	Himself - Bass & Violin & Vocal (as The Band)
Richard Manuel	...	Himself - Piano / Keyboards / Drums / Vocal (as The Band)
Levon Helm	...	Himself - Drums / Mandolin / Vocal (as The Band)
Garth Hudson	...	Himself - Organ / Accordion / Saxophone / Synthesizers (as The Band)
Eric Clapton	...	Himself - Performer
Neil Diamond	...	Himself - Performer
Bob Dylan	...	Himself - Performer
Joni Mitchell	...	Herself - Performer
Neil Young	...	Himself - Performer
Emmylou Harris	...	Herself - Performer
Ringo Starr	...	Himself - Performer
Paul Butterfield	...	Himself - Performer
Dr. John	...	Himself - Performer
Van Morrison	...	Himself - Performer

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Middle English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:S (cut) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:AL | UK:U | South Korea:12 | USA:PG (Approved No. 25097) | Brazil:Livre | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

FM Productions

Trivia:

The infamous cocaine drop hanging from Neil Young's left nostril was airbrushed out by Martin Scorsese.

Quotes:

Richard Manuel: [describing how The Band got its name] Well, we were The Hawks.
Robbie Robertson: And everything was fine, we were sailing along, and all of a sudden, one day The Hawks meant something else altogether.
Richard Manuel: And it was right in the middle of that whole psychedelia. Chocolate Subway, Marshmallow Overcoat. Those kind of names, you know?
Robbie Robertson: When we were working with Bob Dylan and we moved to Woodstock, everybody referred to us as the band. He called us the band, our friends called us the band, our neighbors called us the band.
Richard Manuel: We started out with The Crackers. We tried to call ourselves The Honkies. Everybody kind of backed off from that. It was too straight. So we decided just to call ourselves The Band.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood (2008)

Soundtrack:

Stagefright

Take a load off, Annie.

Either I'm getting older or the world's getting younger, but when a rock concert documentary film airs on TCM, there should be some sort of pause for a reality check. In a salute to WALTZ'S director Martin Scorsese, the film aired on TCM over the New Year's weekend. I hadn't seen it or thought about it in 25 years. And all I can say is that it hasn't lost any of its power. (And this from someone who's never been to a live rock concert.) The stars of the film- the all-purpose backup and touring band called 'The Band-' give a simple but enlightening insight to the mechanics of their 16 years on the road and how their Thanksgiving Day final concert in San Francisco turned into a revival-like celebration. Even though I grew up on jazz music more so than rock, I can fully appreciate The Band's intense, immense music background- influenced by everything from blues to country to folk music. As for the concert itself you have the likes of Neil Young, Ron Wood, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, and Dr. John (who gives a standout, honky-tonk performance of "Such A Night,") kickin' it on stage before it's all over. And if these live performances weren't enough, there are additional performances done on a sound stage with artists that weren't part of the live show woven into the 117-minute film: a fabulous folk/gospel jam session of the song "The Weight" teamed with the Staples Singers (lead by Mavis Staples, who sounds very Gladys Knight-like) and about thirty minutes later shifting gears into the lovely folk ballad "Evangeline," replete with fiddle, mandolin, and acoustic guitar from Emmylou Harris. Also cool is Muddy Waters bluesing on "Ain't that a Man," and the finale with all the artists of "I Shall Be Released." You just might be.