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

Robbie Robertson's Stratocaster was bronzed for the concert.

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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

[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.

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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 Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Mystery Train"
Performed by Paul Butterfield with The Band

User Reviews

Some Diamonds

Standouts include-- Rick Danko performing a soulful rendition of "It makes no difference".

Eric Clapton jamming with Robbie Robertson shows that Robbie is an excellent, and I believe, under rated guitarist.

"The night they drove old Dixie down" is another great performance with Levon belting it out.

Bob Dylan on "I shall be released" and "Forever young" are moving even though he is obviously renown for his song writing and not vocal abilities.

Muddy Waters, Ronny Hawkins, and Van Morrison also deliver the goods.

There is some gray material, however, for me, the diamonds outweigh the granite.

If you like blues, country rock, or electric folk there will be something for you in this film.

The interviews are interesting but, of course, it's the music that makes the movie.

I rented this for $3 at Blockbuster on DVD. It was worth more.