Featured Audience Ratings

• Bathsheba M

  
  Just saw this on the big screen for the first time in 2013. What an amazing lot of talent on one stage at one time. I saw it as a series at a local art house and there was a film professor from Local U pontificating before the film about how this movie made him hate Martin… More
  Just saw this on the big screen for the first time in 2013. What an amazing lot of talent on one stage at one time. I saw it as a series at a local art house and there was a film professor from Local U pontificating before the film about how this movie made him hate Martin Scorsese--said he was a big egomaniac--so I was interested to see what that was all about and all I can say is I'm glad I didn't become a film major if all film profs are such jackasses. Scorsese was basically invisible--he was just the guy the Band members were talking to, in fact he seemed a little nervous--the cinematography was beautiful and the music was out of this world. I had never heard Joni Mitchell sing Coyote. Wow. It was a real story, too, about why the band was breaking up after 16 years on the road. Probably the best documentary about a band I've seen.

• Chris W

  
  Thursday November 25th, 1976: Thanksgiving Day. On that night, one of the most momentous events in music history took place. For on that night, The Band decided to call it a day as a group and have a farewell concert at the Winterland in San Francisco to mark the occasion. They… More
  Thursday November 25th, 1976: Thanksgiving Day. On that night, one of the most momentous events in music history took place. For on that night, The Band decided to call it a day as a group and have a farewell concert at the Winterland in San Francisco to mark the occasion. They brought along with them some of their friends, influences, and collaborators. Martin Scorsese was brought along to document the occasion. This film, released two years later is the result. Well, not to diminish the impact, but it's only part of the result. All in all, the full uncut concert was five hours long. Man, I'd kill to see all of it. Too bad I'll probably never get the chance. Anyway, let's get on with it shall we. The guests musicians who all show up for varying lengths to jam include, among others: Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Dr. John, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton. Even poets like Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti show up to perform. I think it's pretty fair and obvious to say that obviously Robbie and Co. were familiar with the phrase "if you're gonna go out, go out with a bang". Not only is this an epic and brilliant concert, it's just a wonderful celebration of an interesting period of music during an even more interesting time for both music and society. The mid 70s were a curious time, and this film really helps capture the essence. All of these people onstage love msuic, but you can just tell they're all weary and burnt out, and in need of revitilization. If you only jsut listen to this great music, you can't tell it, but seeing it being performed, you can just tell that there's a lot of pain, frustration, and bitterness going on.Interspersed between the footage are typical interview/documentary type footage with help provide further insight into the msuic, the people, and the times, and it too, like the stage stuff, though great, is very bittersweet. You'd think that because I am a huge fan of Scorsese, a fan of 60s and 70s rock music (thus a fan of most people that are featured here), and have both a scholarly and general interest in the 70s that I probably would have already seen this movie lke 100 times by now. Surprisingly no. For whatever reason, I didn't get around to this until now. Obviously I'm happy I finally did it, but still, I can't help but feel like I'm less complete for having waited so long. Don't be like me and make that mistake. Go out and see this film as soon as you can. It's got great music, is fascinating to watch, and is shot and directed superbly. It easily earns all the acclaim it gets about being one of (if not the) finest concert film ever made.

• Graham J

  
  A great document of a great band.

• Lady D

  
  Martin Scorsese directs this part interview, part live show with members of ?The Band? on their last gig together after 18 years on the road. An impressive musical line up offers performances from Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Van Morrison etc etc. For those who enjoy… More
  Martin Scorsese directs this part interview, part live show with members of ?The Band? on their last gig together after 18 years on the road. An impressive musical line up offers performances from Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Van Morrison etc etc. For those who enjoy this era of music and the atmosphere of live singers who are some of the best musicians of our time, this footage really is a treat to see. The quality of performances are exceptional and I?ve no doubt that this will be one to play over and over.

• Stephen M

  
  Even with their final concert recorded for posterity in Scorsese's seminal film, The Band have still somehow managed to fade into relative obscurity: adored by the music cognoscenti, but hardly a household name. In their day, however, they were hugely influential, championed by… More
  Even with their final concert recorded for posterity in Scorsese's seminal film, The Band have still somehow managed to fade into relative obscurity: adored by the music cognoscenti, but hardly a household name. In their day, however, they were hugely influential, championed by pop (George Harrison), blues (Eric Clapton) and folk musicians (Fairport Convention) alike for their rustic approach. The awesome line-up of "The Last Waltz" attests to their genre-straddling influence and the respect of their peers; I doubt whether The Beatles could have got the likes of Dylan, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton and Van Morrison together in the same place. Highlights are numerous, but my absolute favourite moment (look out for it) is when Clapton's guitar strap falls off at the end of his first solo, and a lightning quick Robbie Robertson takes the lead while he sorts himself out. I'd love to know whether Clapton's low-key contribution was an act of modest deference, because there is no doubt that Robertson blows him off the stage. I have two criticisms: 1) the wonderful Richard Manuel, The Band's most distinctive, most soulful vocalist, is shamefully underrepresented, and 2) there's an unmistakable whiff of pretension about the interview inserts, which Rob Reiner (Marty DiBergi) pricelessly spoofed in "This Is Spinal Tap". If you don't like the music, you won't get much out of this film; if you do, chances are you'll love it.

• Michael G

  
  The songs were 50/50 for me as I've heard maybe 5 Band songs before seeing this, so I didn't have too much in the expectations dept. Some I absolutely loved and others I absolutely hated. I love Bob Dylan, but I hated him here. There wasn't enough interview footage in… More
  The songs were 50/50 for me as I've heard maybe 5 Band songs before seeing this, so I didn't have too much in the expectations dept. Some I absolutely loved and others I absolutely hated. I love Bob Dylan, but I hated him here. There wasn't enough interview footage in between songs, but it's a tough call when you're filming one of the biggest nights in rock history. Not Scorsese's most defining work, but he wasn't exactly the star here...

• Cindy I

  
  Pretty decent, but I'm not a really a fan of The Band.

• Matthew Y

  
  There's a reason why people call Martin Scorsese the greatest living filmmaker, its not just his directing talents but his remarkable fell for the camera that extends beyond feature length films but to documentaries, music videos and in the case of The Last Waltz the greatest… More
  There's a reason why people call Martin Scorsese the greatest living filmmaker, its not just his directing talents but his remarkable fell for the camera that extends beyond feature length films but to documentaries, music videos and in the case of The Last Waltz the greatest filmed account of a live performance. While the main stars are The Band and the numerous music legends that share the stage with them Scorsese manages to edit and construct it all together into a piece that goes beyond merely a show captured on film. I'm not a major fan of watching concerts on my TV but considering the epic nature and star power of this particular one it was able to capture my attention and hold my interest but what really sets it apart from just a visual to go with strong songs is the work of Scorsese. It's no fluke either as Marty's Rolling Stones film Shine a Light was equally enjoyable from a film standpoint. In summation all I can basically say about the movie is that if you're only going to watch one tape of a live concert, make damn sure that you make it The Last Waltz.

• John B

  
  A Toronto area theatre has made the wise decision to show th is film so that everyone can see it on the big screen. This is Scorsese doing the concert film correctly (unlike the disappointing Shine A Light). If you see the unremastered version, you can see the little residue of… More
  A Toronto area theatre has made the wise decision to show th is film so that everyone can see it on the big screen. This is Scorsese doing the concert film correctly (unlike the disappointing Shine A Light). If you see the unremastered version, you can see the little residue of something in Neil Young's nose. Somehow it vanishes in newer versions.

• Wu C

  
  Great concert doc. Scorsese does it right and scores some great footage.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings