Rating: 
Summary: THE BAND, THE BEST
Review: I AM WISHING TO PURCHASE THE "MOVIE" "THE LAST WALTZ" PRODUCED BY MARTIN SCH.... WITH INTERVIEWS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BAND AND THEIR GUESTS. WHICH ONE DO I BUY? IS THE MOVIE IN THE [BOX SET]? I ALREADY HAVE THE AUDIO DVD. YOUR COMMENTS WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.SHARRON
Rating:
Summary: The Best Concert Film Ever!
Review: "The Last Waltz" is simply a beautiful film. I'm not really a big fan of "The Band" except for a few songs. I enjoyed the bonus features & Scorsese's commentary from the DVD. It was a treat to see "The Band" backing Dylan, Neil Young, and Muddy Waters.
Rating: 
Summary: Good...not GREAT
Review: Let's get something straight. The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock movies are far superior concert films. This "greatest concert film of all time" hype was cooked up by the producers of this film and critics, the same bunch who are complicitus in fanning Michael Jackson's ego as the self-proclaimed "King of Pop". There are three great moments in the film:
1)Neil Young
2)Van Morrison
3)The Band singing "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" The rest of the film is a little too reverential for a band that had only two classic albums. For guys in their thirties, the band move and talk like weary seventy year olds. If they were so tired of "the road", why did they continue performing after this film was made. Get a real job like everyone else! The symphony additions and the cheesy trappings of the "Last Waltz" set up is a little too stuffy for a great bar band.
Rating:
Summary: A testament on how corporations have destroyed music
Review: Here is a concert that took place over 20 years ago and the music is fresh and enjoyable as if was when it was new. Even more important here is a group of musicians who were on the road for years, working clubs and bars that had a chance to become a success due to their musical ability not what company they were with. Not one person in this concert could become a success today. Imagine any member of The Band, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and any of the other players, on this special night, trying to make it in the business today. These people were not placed together to saturate a demographic. They were not assembled for a particular look to please the 12 to 15 year old female audiences. They were not a promotion by a record company or radio conglomerate to build up a profit base in a particular section of the country who haven't been buying enough records of a particular type in the last three months. These are a bunch of guys who got together to play music, get laid and party and are thrilled that you could come along for the ride. This is a look back on what was going on before music was a global business that completely controlled what was to be deemed talent.
I didn't mean to use the context of a movie review to spout off about what is going on today in the music business but the whole time I was watching I was plagued with the idea that the future generations would not have a Bob Dylan or Robbie Robertson to take inspiration from. Can the Backstreet Boys inspire you with their musical ability or Britney Spears, who can't even perform live, make you want to learn an instrument? I'm sure that there are many new talents, Alicia Keys and Creed come to mind, (both of whom were rejected by every major label) out there but will they get the exposure to effect the future as these people did; only time will tell.
This DVD release came out when there is a `revival' of the older 70's and 80's bands so it is actually timely. The reason of course for this revival of `oldies' is because there is so little in the way of creative music going on now and the copyrights have run out on the songs so for the most part the cooperations rake in all or most of the revenues from these greatest hits copulations.
The movie itself was a great mixture of interviews and the concert itself. The interviews were some single and some group but all very short glimpses into the character of each of these persons as part of the band. There were two songs that were done in the studio that really emphasized the roots that this music came from, Gospel (Staples) and Country (Harris) but both of these went with the flow. This is a concert of `imperfect' music with a sound from ordinary folks playing songs that most anybody with some guitar training could master quickly. This was an affirmation that this band, as a total, was certainly greater that each of its parts. A great way to spend an evening with a six-pack, a pizza and your system turned up loud.
Rating:
Summary: The Amazing Band
Review: This was truly one of the best documentary films I've ever seen. I saw it on TMC last night it was so amazing. It left me wanting more of the Band.
Rating:
Summary: what music should really be
Review: Just watching and listening to the various folks playing here lets one understand what real music is all about. The footage is great and the sound is awesome (although the bass on the DVD and the remastered box set is a lttle thinner than previously). Listening/watching Joni sing Coyote is worth the price alone...what a voice and what a song. How come no one writes stuff like this anymore
Rating:
Summary: Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train
Review: The first thing that you will notice about this film is how well it looks and sounds. I'm only 19 and anything from 1976 (when this was filmed) I'd expected to just look okay and sound decent. But the audio is possibly the best around on a music DVD that i've heard (roger waters: in the flesh also is of pristine quality)and the film, which was shot using 35mm by Martin Scorsese looks awesome.
I've heard some of the songs off the last waltz album and i thought it was good, but when i put in the DVD and put on the 5.1 surround sound i was literally blown away. I never heard anything like it in my life. The guests appearances are amazing, every single one. All in all it's a fabulous DVD and if you're a fan of The Band it's an absolute must have, and I recommend it for all fans of rock and roll.
p.s. YOU HAVE to hear "the night they drove old dixie down" at full blast and in surround sound. Quite possibly the best thing i've ever heard.
Rating:
Summary: The Band is THE band
Review: The unsung heros of the hippie musicians blast into your head with the greatest concert film of all time. It was directed by Scorcese for christ sake. How a band made up of Canadians (save leon helm) managed to capture the sound of a wandering American life so well is as much a mystery to me as the Kennedy assasination. They groove and make you think, then calm your soul. My advice: watch them do Caravan with Van Morrison about 20 times while drinking cheap beer, and you'll understand what it is to love Rock and Roll.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Waltz
Review: The Last Waltz is one of the greatest concerts of all times. It is a part of history. Practically every great muscisian that ever existed performed in this movie. Okay well maybe not every great muscisian but there certainly are a handful of good ones featered in this film including: Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton,and of course The Band, etc....... And the performanced are outstanding. This concert is so great it almost rivals the first Woodstock.
Rating:
Summary: Celebration of Traditions in Music and Cinema
Review: This is a documentary of how a group of musicians celebrated their contributions to preserving American musical traditions, and a story that showcases the gifts of an important American filmmaker. The Band were and are unique in the history of popular music, for many reasons I can't explain adequately here (or anywhere). As a team, they were the vehicle for traditions and values that were larger than each member, but still part of their everyday lives and work. There is a maturity, wisdom, and authenticity in their sound I haven't found elsewhere. This movie captures all that beautifully in images that glow with the energy of Martin Scorsese's vision. The DVD would be indispensable even without the extras, but they embroider an already luxurious experience. My favorites are the audio commentaries from Robbie Robertson, Martin Scorsese, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and others. The least effective extra is the archival "jam footage," a classic case of "you had to be there." The graceful but forceful editing that makes the Band's performances in the rest of the film so involving is missing here. It is difficult to narrow down the best performances, but the ones I return to most are: "Cripple Creek," "It Makes No Difference," "Stage Fright," "Dixie," and "Ophelia" by The Band, and "Caravan" and "Mannish Boy" by guests Van Morrison and Muddy Waters.
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