The Last Waltz

Martin Scorsese's documentary of the 1976 final performance of the legendary Sixties rock group The Band is at once a show featuring some of the greatest rock performers of their generation and a bittersweet look back at an era that was just beginning to fade. As Scorsese guides the group through ...more

Scorsese begins his movie with the last song the Band performed that day because he is establishing that the subject of The Last Waltz is not primarily the Band or its members, but the songs themselves. By giving the emotional payoff for the players right at the top of the film, Scorsese allows the audience to concentrate on the music that fills the rest of the film. Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson each have memorable moments in front of the camera ...more