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The
Last Waltz Review: Critique After over 15 years of the tough and rough life on the road, The Band comprising Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel decide to call it quits with an explosive final concert performance. On Thanksgiving Day, 1976, The Band assembles together at the Winterland auditorium in San Francisco - the site of their first performance of jazz - to play their last live performance. The idea accumulated, from inviting a few friends and acquaintances to join them onstage, to a full-scale display of rock-music event, with an audience that wanted to celebrate. It was evident that the concert warranted documentation for more than the 5,000 or so who were able to attend the event. With the scope of the attendance becoming clear, The Band sought out Martin Scorsese to film it. Aside from having a keen ear for music and putting it to good use in his own pictures, Scorsese had an affinity for the material. Scorsese of course quickly put his own stamp on the proceedings. He himself interviews the members of The Band, and the film switches between live concert footage, interviews and a few musical numbers. The singers talk about the history of Rock and their respective contribution to music. The film is an affectionate though hard-edged two-hour compression of that evening, the last time these musicians put their songs together for a concert performance. Guest performances from legends like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton to name just a few, make for a fine evening of music. The Last Waltz is a fine-looking, colour corrected film transfer approved by director Martin Scorsese with a new digital 5.1 surround audio mix supervised by producer Robbie Robertson, better known as the Band's chief songwriter and guitarist. Note that the film needs to be played loud to feel the full extent of the sound effects of the rock songs across the entire soundstage. The DVD adds a crisp anamorphic digital transfer and a clutch of features that represent satisfying enhancements to this superb concert documentary. Fox delivers a delightful transfer that is just amazing to watch. What makes it so remarkable is the care and planning, that went into the actual filming. With unique concert footage and short but constructive interviews, this rock solid documentary is effectively compelling. From a technical
perspective, the print is pristine with only a few shots suffering
from heavy grain. The Last Waltz is undoubtedly the greatest
and most authentic rock concert film ever made. Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of The Last Waltz and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline. |
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