The Last Waltz (1978)

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

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Mardik Martin (treatment)

Stars:

Robbie Robertson, Neil Young, Van Morrison

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
The Band	...	Themselves
Rick Danko	...	Himself - Bass & Violin & Vocal (as The Band)
Robbie Robertson	...	Himself - The Band: Lead Guitar & Vocal
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

Storyline

Thanksgiving, 1976, San Francisco's Winterland: the Band performs its last concert after 16 years on the road. Some numbers they do alone, some songs include guest artists from Ronnie Hawkins (their first boss, when they were the Hawks) to Bob Dylan (their last, when as his backup and as a solo group, they came into their own). Scorsese's camera explores the interactions onstage in the making of music. Offstage, he interviews the Band's five members, focusing on the nature of life on the road. The friendships, the harmonies, the hijinks, and the wear and tear add up to a last waltz.

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Plot Keywords:

band | interview | concert film | final concert | guitar | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English Middle English

Release Date:

26 April 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

El último vals

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$16,151 (USA) (5 April 2002)

Gross:

$321,952 (USA) (24 May 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

FM Productions, Last Waltz Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot on Thanksgiving 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, Ca.

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Goofs

During Garth Hudson's solo in the song "Stagefright", the entire song cuts forward approximately 25 seconds.

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Quotes

[Speaking about Ronnie Hawkins]
Himself: He called me up, and I said, "Sure I'd like a job. What does it mean? What do I do?" And he said, "Well, son, you won't make much money, but you'll get more pussy than Frank Sinatra."

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Crazy Credits

During the United Artists opening logo the sound of the filmmakers getting ready to shoot the first sequence of the film (Rick Danko playing pool, which it leads right into) can be heard.

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Martin Scorsese (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Don't Do It"
Performed by The Band

User Reviews

Out of the Shadow of Woodstock

Martin Scorsese's documentary has been labelled a time capsule of an era, and whilst this type of reference usually sounds overstated, there is no doubting the accomplishment of this film as an event. Many use the documentary 'Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music' as the ultimate example of a music-doco, but whilst the music in The Last Waltz is actually on par with the great performances of Woodstock (bar Jimi Hendrix[there's no substitute]), the thing which elevates The Last Waltz is the photography.

This was the first music doco to be shot on 35mm and watching the concert, you'd think that each performance was carefully choregraphed over a few weeks of shooting rather than over one night. Special thanks must be given to Cinematogrpaher Michael Chapman for his efforts on this film. The look of the film is what elevates it's overall appeal, because the music was always going to be epic, especially with the cavalcade of great names performing. This is just great filmmaking from contemporary cinema's most accomplished filmmaker. And how about that haunting theme that both starts and ends the film. Just great.