Word: winterland
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Last Waltz--The Band in that fateful last performance at Frisco's Winterland, turned into an eminently enjoyable, if somewhat self-congratulatory, evening of musical entertainment. Every big name you can think of is here, but the film is really all about The Band and their feelings about giving up life on the road after 16 years. The interviews are interesting and often humorous, and most of the music is simply great. If you like anything about The Band, or even if you're just curious...
...strung out for two years, for example, that he got out of bed as seldom as possible) a devotion to excellence. Given these factors and the group's immense popularity, (The Band's last concert, a gala Thanksgiving Day bash, was attended by 500 people at San Francisco's Winterland last year) this much-heralded "Last Waltz" gig would make a great concert film, right...
...better off closing with the final number of the concert, the full-company rendition of "I Shall Be Released." The desired arty effect appears both pretentious and rather silly. In another inexplicable scene, The Band plays a pretty song with EmmyLou Harris, but it is not part of the Winterland concert. Rather, it takes place in a studio, attended only by the film crew and sound technicians. For some unknown reason this nice but incongruous scene is jammed between interview footage and part of the real concert. Another Scorsese transition down the drain...
...rock-concert movie−no more, no less−that could be the best such film ever made. The reasons for its success are simple. Director Martin Scorsese had the good fortune to record a remarkable concert, The Band's final outing at San Francisco's Winterland in 1976, and he had the good sense to record it with care. For once we are spared sloppy home-movie camera work and endless shots of the blissed-out fans: Scorsese and his team of cinematographers use film to enhance the music rather than smother it. While The Last Waltz...
...demonstrates a literary appreciation of American myth and a ravenous affection for American pop songs; jazz, folk, hillbilly, soul and country music are all part of The Band's mix. In The Last Waltz, the group performs most of its best-known numbers. At times its members share Winterland's stage with such past associates and current cronies as Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison and Emmylou Harris...