The Last Waltz
Directed by Martin Scorsese
1978/US
IMDb Page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime
Levon Helm – Drums: [Talking about the region around Memphis, Tennessee where Levon grew up] That’s kind of the middle of the country, you know. back there. So, when bluegrass or country music, you know, if it comes down to that area and if it mixes there with rhythm and dances, then you’ve got a combination of all those different kinds of music. Country. Bluegrass. Blues music.
Martin Scorsese – Interviewer: The melting pot.
Levon Helm – Drums: Show music.
Martin Scorsese – Interviewer: What’s it called then?
Levon Helm – Drums: Rock-n-Roll.
Martin Scorsese – Interviewer: Rock-n-Roll, yes, for sure, exactly.
Scorsese’s beautiful rockumentary captures some of the best musicians of the 70’s, i.e. of all time.
This is a record of The Band’s farewell concert. It is hardly needed to write a review. Let’s just take a look at just part of the line-up: The Band, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. All these performers and more were in their prime and the music is fantastic. They play together and alone. The members of The Band tell Scorsese war stories of the road in between.
Here is Levon Helm of The Band belting out “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (`1978).
Joni Mitchell backs up Neil Young as he sings “Helpless”.
The entire line-up gets together with Bob Dylan for “I Shall Be Released”.
As far as I am concerned this is a must-see.
The Band performs “The Weight” with The Staple Singers
