The Last Waltz (1978, dir. Martin Scorsese)

The Last Waltz (1978, dir. Martin Scorsese)

What Is It?: Maybe the most acclaimed concert documentary of all time, filmed at the Thanksgiving Day, 1976 farewell concert of The Band.

What About It?: It's Music Week here at the Lost Classic and what better way to start it off than with this classic concert Rock Doc. Wildly overrated and far from perfect, there is still much amusement to be gleaned from many of the performances. Dr. John is ageless and terrific and Muddy Waters -- clearly enjoying himself -- hands in a great reading of "Mannish Boy". Hell, even Neil Diamond's inclusion, though somewhat baffling, makes some historical sense and the Lost Classic actually digs the tune (from Beautiful Noise, produced by Robbie Robertson a couple of years previous). Robertson, a close friend of Scorsese', is the embarrassingly obvious focus of the film: he's the only one having the time of his life, lucid in his anecdote-telling and visually ecstatic in his playing and singing (unheard -- allegedly his mic was turned off). This is his show and the handful of awkward scenes, misbegotten studio set pieces, and treacly and pretentious overtures it slows down, otherwise ...

Why Should I See It?: ... it's terrific. It was quite a party backstage and everyone is up, up, UP. Neil Young sings a vibrant "Helpless" with a rock of cocaine lodged in his nose (rotoscoped out for release), a disapproving Joni Mitchell sings "Coyote" and Bob Dylan comes off aloof and angry in an awesome hat. That, and The Band play all of their greatest songs, with a phenomenal performance of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" being the highlight.

What Else Is It Like?: Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock N' Roll, The Grateful Dead Movie, Festival Express.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

--ddt/pdx

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Bonus MP3:
The Weight - w/ Bob Dylan, Neil Young & The Band (03-23-75 San Francisco, CA) (from Move Around Brown)