When
people hear the name “Martin Scorsese” the first thing they tend to think of is
gangster movies. Making gems such as “Mean Streets,” “Goodfellas,” “Casino” and
“The Departed” will do that. Apart from the gangster element, all of these
movies have another thing in common: kick-ass soundtracks. Having lived through
the 1960s, Scorsese knows good music, which he has shown in documentaries such
as “Shine a Light,” “The Blues” and “The Last Waltz.” That last one was shot in
1978 and features the final concert of The Band who were accompanied on stage
by performers such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Ringo Starr. Here
is a movie for lovers of rock history and great filmmaking.
The
original plan was for me to watch this great rock doc during one of the
showings of the film club in the university of Sherbrooke in 2010. It would
have been perfect since it was supposed to be the last evening. We would watch
“The Last Waltz” before waltzing out of university and going our separate ways,
but for some reason the guy in charge couldn’t get his hands on a copy so we
watched “Ed Wood” instead. Also a good movie, but it’s a shame we couldn’t
watch “The Last Waltz” because as the opening title card says, “This movie
should be played loud!” Instead I ended up watching with the volume on medium
on the Movie Network on a Friday night. Not as memorable, but definitely worth
watching.
As
the movie takes place in 1978 and I was born in 1986 I was not familiar with
The Band, but I am familiar with most of the people who were on stage with them
for their last performance together at the Winterland Ballroom in San
Francisco. The complete list of artists who were on stage with them that night
includes: Muddy Waters, Ringo Starr, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Van
Morrison, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, The Staple
Singers and Bob Dylan. Now, wouldn’t you like a time machine and get tickets
for that?
But
then again, that is why we have recording technology: to preserve special
moments. When the person doing the recording is Scorsese, you know you will
have a heck of a good show on screen. This being a documentary, there are
segments where Scorsese interviews members of The Band to discuss life on the
road and why they have decided to call it quits after 16 years.
There
are interesting insights, such as how Bob Dylan was responsible for their
rather generic name. There is also a certain sense of dread in the interviews,
as the group mentions the dangers of being on the road for such a long time.
They recall the lives it has claimed: Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley and Jimi
Hendrix.
Scorsese
and The Band’s songwriter and occasional vocalist Robbie Robertson collaborated
musically on many other projects, such as “Mean Streets,” “Casino,” Gangs of
New York” and “The Departed.” Most notably, “The Departed” features a 1990
version of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” performed by Van Morrison and The
Band.
I did
not get to see “The Last Waltz” on the big screen, but I did see “Shine a
Light” in cinema. Also shot by Scorsese it is similar in format as he records a
concert by The Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in 2006.
Whereas The Band chose to stop after 16 years, the Stones have been going at it
for 50 years.
Although
it clearly marks the end of an era in rock’n’roll history, fans of great music
and great concert films should see “The Last Waltz” even if they have never
heard of The Band. They should then watch “Shine a Light” to compare how one
great band chose to stop, and one has been touring on and off for half a
century. Bonus: the man who gave the world “Casino” made both of them.
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