Rating: 
Summary: The best of the best
Review: Simply put this dvd excels in every aspect. Not only does it contain a fantastic array of great musicians, but the concert itself is a celebration of The Bands career and it shows. Unlike other bands which have broken up with great animosity, this film is about going out on top. Everybody in the film it quite obviously enjoying themselves tremendously and as Robbie Robertson stated, it was like they were in a zone - and they were. Their play is fantastic. I never get tired of watching it as it clearly is a celebration of a great band going out on top with their friends and great fellow musicians in attendance. Finally, the digital remastering is great. With the appropriate sound system - you are in the audience.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: There is no lost concert footage added to this release- this is the same film released theatrically. The bonus jam included is just not interesting- but the performances -of the Band and guests Clapton, Young, Muddy, Van, and of course the closer with Dylan- make this worth having.
Look for Clapton's guitar strap breaking during his set, Dylan recognizing someone 'out there' and breaking into a grin, watch Muddy Waters get more and more animated as "Mannish Boy' keeps building, etc. And seeing the Band perform great versions of "Shape I'm In", "Makes No Difference","Cripple Creek" just demonstrates how great this ensemble was. Its also quite compelling seeing the late Rick Danko and Richard Manuel in these performances.
Rating:
Summary: Bar none, the BEST rock show/documentary I have ever seen
Review: This DVD has just about everything going for it. Magnificent camera work (thank you Mr Scorsese), witty humor, hilarious stories from the road of old, superb musicianship, crystal clear video, stellar sound, and one of the greatest all around concerts I have ever seen, live in person, or on film. I saw it in the movies in 1979 I think, and that was the one and only time until now. I had forgotten how good it was.....or maybe I just didn't realize it back then.First the obvious. I had seen the Band on numerous occasions in the past, but I can't remember ever seeing them this good. It was as if, knowing this was thier last show, they had decided beforehand to come out that night and play like they never had before. Levon? what a voice and solid backbeat. Richard? sometimes you forget who sings certain Band hits until you see this film. Garth? a style unlike anyone I have ever heard. Rick? looking like he was having an absolute ball on stage, and also the voice behind many of thier memorable numbers.....& Robbie....what can I say? The guy is just stealing the show, with his personality, and stellar guitar playing. To all you (myself included) guitar players out there striving to get always better, just watch this guy! Secondly, the sprecial friends. Dr. John, Niel Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Bobby D, Paul Butterfield, Emmylou Harris, the Staples, Niel Diamond, all turning in moving performances, not to mention a fantastic horn section.....and of course ...Clapton. I guess my only complaint about this DVD is that Eric gets only one number, yet on it, he and the boys just tear up the house on "Further On Up The Road". (I dare you to try to listen to the last 1 1/2 minutes of that without your foot stomping on the floor and without you realizing it!). The running commentary between Scorsese and the boys (mostly Robbie and Levon, but all have much to contribute) is often humorous, sometimes moving, and sometimes downright sad in thier reflections of the past. I'm rambling now....sorry.....just do yourself a favor, and go out and buy this DVD....you won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: I Don't Get The Hype
Review: This is a dreary and depressing DVD. I have tried to watch it several times with an open mind and I still can't understand why it has such a high rating. The performances are mostly too laid back. In my opinion, this is what was wrong with most music from that era.
Rating: 
Summary: When I Paint My Masterpiece...
Review: Yes, this is a sensational rock documentary. It was a seminal movie, and many of the filming and edits techniques that are (or were) a staple on MTV and VH-1 had their origins here. It's certainly on the short list of best rock and roll movies ever made. Yes, the list of artists is stunning, and many of their performances were even more memorable at the time than they seem now: Van Morrison and Bob Dylan coming out of retirement (or at least seclusion), Emmy Lou Harris moving away from the Nashville machine. You can even forgive Neil Diamond. And yes, The Band was far more important and influential than their two original studio albums might suggest. As Eric Clapton said later, "I heard an album called 'Music from the Big Pink' and it changed my life." But the movie and this DVD are bittersweet. Not just because it was the last time that Robbie Robertson was on stage with the other members, not just because of the tragedies that came afterwards. Read Levon Helm's "This Wheel's on Fire" for another view of this movie, the director and Robbie Robertson. Maybe The Band was already breaking up when "The Last Waltz" was made, but there can't be any question that the making of the movie hastened the process. It's all gone now past any redemption. They were much better together than they have ever been apart. And that knowledge colors every frame.
Rating:
Summary: I defy you to watch this without tapping your feet
Review: The first tunes on this disc are just mesmerizing and catchy as all get out, so much so that I just had to jump up and type this review! The sound is unbelievably good for something so old. It blows away "Rock of Ages" in terms of clarity and balance. Somehow it has been balanced so you can hear each voice and instrument-and I'm only running two channels at the moment, to boot. I could blab on about all kinds of extra material (except for a choice of stereo vs. Dolby etc which I don't see anywhere) but I won't. Just get it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Sit down for a few
Review: When I first saw this film years ago I was intrigued. I even looked around myself to ask, have I got anything better to do? No. This is worth a sit - get your booze, your cigs, take the phone off the hook and let this story and song play out. As far as the film itself, I believe this is what put Martin Scorsese on the map of the great directors. I also believe this is the best Documentary/Rockumentary, whatever or however you want to refer it as in a genre'. Even if you're not a fan of The Band, I don't think there is a better film to help an audience understand what it's like to tour, be on the road, or the going ons of a concert. This film just does it all. So sit down for a few. I recommend this film to be shown to kids in a music or film class in high schools maybe even some colleges. It's a great presentation with some great cameo appearances by the best names in the music business, back then (1978) and are legneds to this day; Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, and some memorable tunes as well.
I would recommend this film if you're stressed out, don't want to deal with TV, but would like to watch something to help you veg out, take your mind off things, and maybe feel recharged afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: The best rock film of all time.
Review: Listening to Martin Scorsese's interview on this DVD, it's no surprise how beautiful The Last Waltz turned out to be. Scorsese had always loved music and used it well in his films, and The Last Waltz should be required viewing for every music video director today. Scorsese can cut maniacally with the best of them (witness Mean Streets and Bringing Out the Dead), but on The Last Waltz, he wisely recedes into the background and lets his subjects speak for themselves. And the subject is music -- lots of it, some of the best ever recorded, and the film also catches the musicians responsible at the height of their powers. I wasn't even that big of a fan of The Band, but this film changed me -- and I can't say any other visual work has ever achieved that in me to this degree. The Last Waltz shows The Band was that rare coming together of equals. What other rock group can boast of having four vocalists of such unique persuasions? And instrumentally The Band was really the cream of the crop -- Levon Helm and Rick Danko's irresistible grooves; Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel's dual keyboards (not to mention their more unusual instrumental contributions); and Robbie Robertson shows his fieriest playing in this film -- his gutsy playing overshadowed even Eric Clapton (who was beginning to show his more 'professorial' side at this point). And matched against the guest stars, the group achieved pure magic. My favourite number has to be the matching of Helm's gritty, masculine voice and Richard Manuel's bonkers drumming against Emmylou Harris' angelic croon in "Evangeline", but it could easily have been Van Morrison's devastating "Caravan", which seemed to stun even The Band itself, Neil Young with an aching rendition of "Helpless", or the mass gathering on "I Shall Be Released". On The Band's own numbers "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "It Makes No Difference" and "Ophelia" were all tremendously moving, while the two studio numbers ("The Weight" and the almost mythical, gorgeous "Waltz" ending) were simply magnificent. Scorsese's handling of the documentary sections shows the ultimate in bottom-line storytelling. Most filmmakers would have raised eyebrows at the concept of jump-cutting interview audio without regard to image, but Scorsese triumphs by making these sections tight and meaningful so that the awkwardness of the jump-cuts becomes a non-issue. And the celebrated shooting -- meticulously planned and storyboarded, featuring some of the best camera, lighting and design talent in the industry -- shows how concert films should be done. As Scorsese says, no need for stock audience cutaways, fast montages or thrashing bodies; just powerful music, impassioned performances and a camera that knows where to be at any given point. This film is, to me, in a class all by itself -- other concert films such as Woodstock and The Monterey Pop Festival have tended to leave me indifferent (even if I do like some of their artists). The Last Waltz is the hands-down winner on all fronts -- visual, musical, and narrative.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this.
Review: The finest of all rock 'n' roll films. This work captures everything there is to love about music, and presents it to the audience in a wonderfully moving way. I, myself, have been known to binge on this film watching it more than 2 times a day on occasion. I have felt joy, sadness, anger, and even jelousy while watching The Last Waltz. It says everything about an entire generation, and a subculture that lives on still today in just a few hours time. If you are a fan of The Band, get it. If you are not a fan of The Band, get it. If you never listen to another piece of sound advice in your entire life, take this tip from me... BUY THIS FILM. And as always..enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: The Day the Music Died:
Review: In '72' the meaning within Don McCleans "American Pie" lyrics were difficult to grasp for many of us of that generation - I was 25 yrs old back in that day. After watching "The Last Waltz" I know exactly what he meant. When put against the backdrop of that period, and before, todays music and musicians are plastic entertainment at best. The Last Waltz moved me from my recliner and made me dance. I haven't done that in years. Today it is all about 'packaging'. Today's country music is nothing more than 'rock-a-billy, two-step, gee he sounds just like Garth Brooks'stuff. And Rock and Roll lives only on oldies stations. Maybe I'm just an 'old fart' but for me the music of today is dead. A perfect example of what I'm talking about was on display at Super Bowl XXXVII. I could feel the music when Santana played pre-game. I don't even know who that Madonna look-a-like was "singing" with, I guess that was Sting, at half-time, but what was that "SOS". Maybe 'Same Old Sh_t'. And Bon Jovi at post-game? Give me a break. Santana should have been the feature, not the warm up. And the other's could have stayed home. I saw The Last Waltz on Encore but am going to buy the DVD and a copy for each of my son's so they will always know what music is when it is good.
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