(4/12/13) I watched this tremendous film again and don't have much more to add other than, as far as concert films go, you can't do any better than this.
(2/3/11) The Band, though largely unfamiliar today, authored many great songs that still do hold familiarity including "The Weight", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and "Ophelia". They functioned as Bob Dylan's band when he was transitioning from acoustic to electric and aside from that they toured largely during the era until when. according to frontman Robbie Robertson, him and his bandmates were no longer cut out to be road dogs, fearing that continued touring would get the best of them. So on Thanksgiving 1976, they decided to throw a farewell concert and invited some of their friends to join them on stage. These mates, encompassing a wide spectrum of music, included Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters Ringo Starr, Ron Wood, and Dylan himself, among others. To top it off, they had recently acclaimed and musically inclined director Martin Scorsese film the concert. The result is a joyous collaboration of music and film, with wonderful songs and performances coupled with fine camerawork and entertaining interviews, conducted by Scorsese himself. The Last Waltz is a spectacular sendoff on all levels and one of the great concert films of all time.
