IMDb > The Last Waltz (1978)
The Last Waltz
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The Last Waltz (1978) More at IMDbPro »

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The Last Waltz (1978) -- special ed. dvd

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   6,400 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Mardik Martin (treatment)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Last Waltz on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 April 1978 (USA) more
Tagline:
It Started as a Concert. It Became a Celebration. [original theatrical] more
Plot:
A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
A Classic more (101 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
117 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The infamous cocaine drop hanging from Neil Young's left nostril was airbrushed out by Martin Scorsese. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During Garth Hudson's solo in the song "Stagefright", the entire song cuts forward approximately 25 seconds. more
Quotes:
[singing]
Eric Clapton: Further on up the road / Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me / Further on up the road / Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me / Further on up the road / Baby, just you wait and see.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Such A Night more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
A Classic, 6 November 2002
Author: wdeadder from Toronto

Forget "Woodstock". Forget "Gimme Shelter". "Let It Be'? Forget that too. This is, truly, THE greatest rock and roll film ever made. Why? Well, try for a moment to forget that the actual performance itself features the great artists it does (including The Band) and focus on the film itself.

This film is shot in 35mm format which gives the picture pristine look (as opposed to all other previous rock films, which were shot on 16mm). But it's not just a spralling work, this is also well executed as well. By that, I mean the production value is outstanding. The lighting is unlike any rock concert I've seen (and I've seen many). The camera work is top-notch (apparently it was done by the best in Hollywood at the time). It's also easy to see that a great deal of planning went into the production. Other concert films (Woodstock, Monterey Pop) suffer from a "last minute scramble" look that simply isn't there with "Waltz".

Add to that the shear magnitude of what The Band had undertaken. Imagine learning, arranging and performing so many songs in so many styles by so many artists in one night with only one take of each allowed. When that is taken into consideration, you have to have a degree of respect for them. Of course, I'm bias. I'm Canadian, as were 4/5ths of The Band.

My only critique would be a technical one. It seems Rick Danko redubbed all of his bass playing. Whether this is attributed to a technical problem or unhappiness with his performance is unclear. However, what is clear is that what you hear the bass doing in the audio and what you see on the screen are completely different.

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