You of course have to like the music to enjoy the film. Not just The Band, but Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, and more. But if you do enjoy this type of Seventies rock/blues this is one of the better concert films I've seen. Of course Martin Scorsese probably has a lot to do with that. Apparently the filming was well-planned with a full crew, not just pointing a camera at the stage and letting it run. That can work well, too, sometimes, but this was masterfully done. Particularly interesting was Levon Helm, singing the songs he wrote while playing drums. While it was sad that The Band was breaking up, most Sixties and Seventies rock band that have kept on plugging, are not at all good anymore. Stones and The Who, I'm looking at you.

Last Waltz, The (1978) **** (out of 4) Martin Scorsese's terrific documentary covering The Band's farewell performance at the Warfield in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day 1976. The pure size of this concert is something rather amazing. Not only do you get The Band doing their classics but they're joined on stage by the likes of Ronnie Hawkins (Who Do You Love), Neil Young (Helpless), Dr. John (Such a Night), Neil Diamond (Dry Your Eyes), Joni Mitchell (Coyote), Muddy Waters (Mannish Boy), Eric Clapton (Further On Up the Road), Van Morrison (Caravan) and a large finale with Bob Dylan (Forever Young, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, I Shall Be Released). Among The Band's classics are Up on Cripple Creek, Stagefright, The Shape I'm In, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and a studio version of The Weight. Strictly speaking of the music, it's clearly wonderful with everyone giving it their all and clearly they all know that they're involved in something extremely special. Some of the highlights include Young's "Helpless", Muddy Water's "Mannish Boy" and of course the finale with Bob Dylan who had used The Band (known as The Hawks) as his backup band and also used them for the album Planet Waves. The second aspect of the film are the interviews that Scorsese does with the group, which covers the start of their career, the girls on the road, their influences and even some moments which are clearly dark times for the group including why this was going to be the final show. I've heard many people talk about how depressing the film is because you are actually seeing their last show but while it's true it sucks the group never got back together, I think it's a little unfair to blame the movie. The movie is technically brilliant on all levels and you really have to give Scorsese and company credit for being able to pull it off. Of course, your appreciation of The Band's music is probably going to determine how much of this you actually enjoy. If you're a fan then this film is almost like a dream and especially with all of the talent involved.

In the words of Robbie Robertson, "The Last Waltz" began as a concert and turned into a celebration. There is no word that can be used to describe "The Last Waltz" better than 'celebration'. This is a celebration of The Band, and of music, specifically American music, which The Band loved and played so many styles of."The Last Waltz" is a concert film, and there's a common sentiment outside of the rock fan community that such films can never be true art films. If proof exists that this is not true, "The Last Waltz" is it. The film is brilliantly directed by Martin Scorsese, who captures this incredibly powerful and remarkable performance with skill that can't be described as anything other than amazing. This film looks absolutely stunning. What else can one ask for other than a film that looks pristine and beautiful, and contains some of the best music ever written? Scorsese is a smart filmmaker and knows that he could add to the film by including short interview segments with the members of The Band, all of which are relevant to and enhance the film.The beauty of "The Last Waltz" is its simplicity. The Band were probably the most unpretentious major musical group there has ever been. They were interested in nothing other than playing good music, and Scorsese, at least in this instance, is not interested in doing anything other than creating a simple, true document of a memorable, great musical event. That's what he does, he captures a brilliant concert where the addition of celebrity musical guests does not cheapen it at all, but makes it a true celebration of music. Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Neil Young... the list goes on and on. Phenomenal musicianship, phenomenal film-making, a phenomenal film all around. One of the best and most joyous films ever made. 10/10

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.