A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.
- Director
- Writer
- Mardik Martin(treatment)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writer
- Mardik Martin(treatment)
- Stars
- Awards
- 3 wins & 3 nominations
Videos1
- Director
- Writer
- Mardik Martin(treatment)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
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. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>
- Taglines
- It Started as a Concert. It Became a Celebration. [original theatrical]
- Genres
- Certificate
- PG
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaDuring his opening guitar solo in "Further On Up the Road", Eric Clapton's guitar strap came off. To compensate while he fixed it, Robbie Robertson spontaneously played a brief solo of his own.
- GoofsDuring Garth Hudson's solo in the song "Stagefright", the entire song cuts forward approximately 25 seconds.
- Crazy creditsAt the beginning of the film it just says: "THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD!"
- Alternate versionsThe DVD features an outtake of the jam session onstage towards the end of the concert.
- ConnectionsEdited into Once Were Brothers (2019)
Top review
raw onstage performances
Greetings again from the darkness. I had not seen "The Last Waltz" since 1978 when I saw it at the college campus theatre with the worst possible picture and sound. At the time I thought it was OK and slightly interesting to see the list of guest performers. The 2002 re-release is FANTASTIC. The enhanced visual and audio are wonderful. Watching Muddy Waters quiver with emotion, Eric Clapton's fingers flying across the neck of his guitar while Robbie Robertson struggles to keep up, and Neil Diamond on the cusp of his "middle-aged women/all arena two decade tour" trying desperately to fit in with the real musicians all make this worth the price of admission. What a joy to see Neil Young (with Joni Mitchell on backup) play "Helpless" and seem to be having such a great time. While all the anger now Neil? This may be the last time Bob Dylan actually sang his songs. Now he just whines nasally. The real showstopper is Van Morrison belting out "Caravan" unlike any other. Watch for all of the onstage dynamics of an unrehearsed concert. Quite a difference from 'n Sync!! My favorite part is watching Robbie Robertson manuever for maximum camera time. He has always been the male Streisand ... desperate for privacy, but the ultimate promoter. Watching Scorcese interview Robertson at the beginning is very insightful. Robertson constants wants him to "ask that one again" so he can provide a "better" answer. Just a mesmerizing couple of hours that is well worth your time even if you never really understood "The Weight".
helpful•70
- ferguson-6
- Apr 30, 2002
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $322,313
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $16,151
- Apr 7, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $340,687
- Runtime1 hour 57 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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