The Last Waltz (1978)

Wonderful character development!

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

For a fan not only of "The Band" , "The Band's final show coinciding with the closing of the famous "Winterland" music hall. A must see not only for fan's of "The Band" but music fans in general. Amongst members of "The Band" (Levon Helm,Rick Danko,Garth Hudson,Richard Samuel and the reason for the groups final show,Robbie Robertson) "The Kast Waltz" has a packed show of other all star musicians of the era. From Ronnie Hawkins who gave "The Band" their first job; "The Waltz" ( "The Band's" final show and closing of Winterland) Eric Clapton,Paul Butterfield,Joni Mitchell,"The Staple Singers",Muddy Waters, Dr.John and Neil Diamond ( the most criticized choice for this film/show ) director Martin Scorcese combines "The Band's" final show ( with all members Robbie Robertson! ) the closing of the famous "Winterland" and some history behind one of the longest touring bands of all time, save "The Grateful Dead", as a Rockumentary, A ten star film, a must see!

Back before disco, back before punk, back before MTV, music didn't suck. At least not like it does today. Youngsters who cut their teeth on Britney Spears wouldn't know a good tune if it jumped out and clubbed them on their heads. I know I sound like an old geezer, but bear with me. The Band was one of my two favorite rock 'n' roll groups of all time (the other is the Doors) and their farewell concert, staged at San Francisco's Winterland on Thanksgiving, 1976, may well have been the definitive moment of rock 'n' roll history, much more than Woodstock, Altamount, or even Elvis's first appearance on Ed Sullivan. Probably no musicians in history received as much hatred as The Band, who became a lightning rod for folk music purists who blamed them for Bob Dylan's defection. By 1976, however, the early 60s folk revival was little more than a footnote in music history. Although Dylan's set closed the show, he and The Band shared the spotlight with a veritable Who's Who of music greats: Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Doctor John, Neil Diamond (I normally cannot stand him--I loved his set here!), Muddy Waters, and the man who gave The Band their start, rockabilly great Ronnie Hawkins (The Band started out as the Hawks). The film contains several musical highlights not part of the actual concert, which were filmed on a soundstage later (Emmylou Harris, the Staple Family). Director Martin Scorcese's backstage interviews are humorous and nostalgic but leave unsaid the friction and inner turmoil that led to The Band's break-up. This is a great film with great music. What more needs to be said?

For their final show (circa 1976) The Band assembled an all-star cast of musicians and had Martin Scorcese film the event. The results are at times brilliant and at times tiresome.Considering that Scorcese was in the director's chair it's no surprise that the direction is better than you would normally expect for a concert film. The only exception is the Muddy Waters performance which, due to a miscommunication, was lucky to have been caught on film at all.The music of The Band (and their guests) may not be to everyone's taste but if you're a fan then you won't be disappointed, at least by The Band's performances. On the other hand, Neil Diamond is out of place, Van Morrison over-sings terribly on his own "Caravan" and some of the other performances are comparatively lackluster. The most interesting thing, for me, was discovering that Robbie Robertson is underrated as a guitarist.The documentary segments are interesting but the studio performances don't come close to matching the fervor of the live performances. The two-hour running time is a little disconcerting as well, considering that there are bound to be at least a handful of performances that you won't enjoy as much as the others. In my case, most of my favorite performances are over before the halfway point.

I first saw this film on its original theatrical release in Dallas, TX, 1978. Now watching it for the umpeenth time now, 2007, in Philadelphia, PA and this is one of those "timeless classics" that never gets old. The artists far outweigh any of the new talent coming into play currently. Please do not misunderstand me, I am a huge fan of Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, etc., but, I think that Clapton, The Band, Dylan, EmmyLou Harris, Joni Mitchell, et al, are the essence of music. Perhaps because I grew up with them, As I sit here on my sofa listening to Dylan, it brings back memories of numerous concerts, etc, that just cn't be relived nowadays. I find this film a true trip into the past of fond memories and classic music. This film will remain forever a classic history of Rock and Roll legends and should not be missed.