GamerTab That was an excellent one.

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

kingbk-2 This review is going to appear lower than what I say here. I like The Band. I love the variety of genres that are in their mix of rock. Blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, folk and jazz are all apparent in their sound. I've heard how good of a rock documentary this is (and how much of it was used as inspiration for the film "This is Spinal Tap") so I was looking forward to watching this. Instead, what you get is the Robbie Robertson ego trip, a film he made against the wishes of his fellow band members, in order to launch his career in Hollywood. That's why, while this is suppose to be a "farewell show", it never feels that way. Instead, it feels like a band at a crossroads with one of their key members ready to call it a day with the others ready to continue on. Levon Helm would confirm all of this in future interviews where he stated he was upset about the film. So what's good about the film?The music is solid and well done. You can't complain about that. - Some of the guests hit it out of the park (Muddy Waters and Joni Mitchell in particular are outstanding) - The cinematography is gorgeousWhat I don't like:The focus on Robbie as the "leader" is wrong. The Band was always a very democratic unit where all members were on equal footing. This film makes it seem like Robbie was the leader and the other members the sidemen. Kind of like what happened to Sting and the Police, Phil Collins and Genesis, Peter Cetera and Chicago, etc. This had a biased edit in place. - The inter spicing of concert footage with some "studio" performances was clunky and odd at times. Why, if the focus was the farewell concert, was it necessary to have closed studio performances? Seemed oddly out of place - Some of the guests seemed there to collect a paycheck and leave. Neil Young looked atrocious. Van Morrison seemed like he'd rather be anywhere else. - The interviews are pretty basic and insignificant - The boozyness and cocaine haze is scattered all over the place. I know drugs are a part of "rock and roll" but it gets a bit much after a while. It gets hard to take them seriously. - The conflict between Robbie and the others permeates throughout the film. One guy is ready to call it a day, the other four are not, and it's pretty obvious. Overall, it's a good film, but not this legendary thing that many make it out to be. I love good rock music, and The Band had good music, but the pedestal this film continually gets placed on is somewhat undeserved. Watch it for context, but understand the flaws as well.

paudie This is one of the best movies ever about music. There is no way it could have been anything other than brilliant. It is directed by one of the all time great cinema directors (Martin Scorsese). It features the farewell concert of one of the top rock and roll bands of the 60's and 70's (The Band). It shows them playing with some of the top performers of that era (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters). It also has revealing interviews with Band members about their careers and life on the road.The Band are possibly overlooked in rock history because they broke up in the late 70's but this movie certainly shows their talent in all its glory. The musical versatility of Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel is a joy to see, both when performing as a group and with guest stars.As well as concert footage from the farewell gig at San Francisco's Winterland theatre there are two music numbers recorded in a studio setting. One of these is a brilliant version of "Evangaline" with Emmylou Harris.The interviews by Scorcese with group members are also a treat. At times, they appear to under the influence of unknown substances (especially Danko and Manuel, both no longer with us) but this only adds to the feeling that we are getting a glimpse into life on the road back in the wild days of 70's rock & roll. Robertson seems to be the "leader" of the group and interviews with him are interesting as they reveal his reasoning behind the split. It seems he couldn't take much more of life on the road.Definitely a must see for any fan of this era rock and roll.

disdressed12 this documentary chronicling the last concert of the rock group the Band,directed by Martin Scorsese is nothing short of brilliant.the music is(not only from the Band,but from guest performers)is first rate.the movie flows perfectly and when it was over,i couldn't believe how quickly the time seemed to go.and i wished it hadn't ended.i'm no filmmaker,but i do know that Scorsese seems to capture the essence of the show perfectly,all the cameras in the right angles.the lighting was also perfect,which is a testament to he lighting crew.the sound crew also outdid themselves.i thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this documentary.for me,The Last Waltz is an easy 10/10

tracyfigueira Back before disco, back before punk, back before MTV, music didn't suck. At least not like it does today. Youngsters who cut their teeth on Britney Spears wouldn't know a good tune if it jumped out and clubbed them on their heads. I know I sound like an old geezer, but bear with me. The Band was one of my two favorite rock 'n' roll groups of all time (the other is the Doors) and their farewell concert, staged at San Francisco's Winterland on Thanksgiving, 1976, may well have been the definitive moment of rock 'n' roll history, much more than Woodstock, Altamount, or even Elvis's first appearance on Ed Sullivan. Probably no musicians in history received as much hatred as The Band, who became a lightning rod for folk music purists who blamed them for Bob Dylan's defection. By 1976, however, the early 60s folk revival was little more than a footnote in music history. Although Dylan's set closed the show, he and The Band shared the spotlight with a veritable Who's Who of music greats: Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Doctor John, Neil Diamond (I normally cannot stand him--I loved his set here!), Muddy Waters, and the man who gave The Band their start, rockabilly great Ronnie Hawkins (The Band started out as the Hawks). The film contains several musical highlights not part of the actual concert, which were filmed on a soundstage later (Emmylou Harris, the Staple Family). Director Martin Scorcese's backstage interviews are humorous and nostalgic but leave unsaid the friction and inner turmoil that led to The Band's break-up. This is a great film with great music. What more needs to be said?