[jcmccorm]

Oh boy. I picked this one up yesterday (thanks to whoever posted the "heads-up").


If you even *somewhat* like Rock&Roll, you need to go get this DVD. It's wonderful.


I've never been a really huge fan of "The Band", but I sure loved everything they did on this disk. That's not even counting the guests.


Video is really nice. It's anamorphic and isn't too soft for such an old film. The colors give away it's age a bit but there is nothing to complain about here.


Sound is DD5.1 and sounds great. I didn't notice too much what what was coming from the surround speakers, but maybe that's ok. It seems like most sound is sourced from the center and L/R. I've got a couple of disks that sound better, but much more that aren't as good as this.


Cary

 

[Mister E Man]

One of Scorsese's best IMHO!


I especially enjoy the performances of 'The Weight' (featuring the Staple Singers) and 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down'. What a show!




Honestly, I wasn't really into many of the artists that appear with The Band during this show, but I have come to appreciate all of them since. This movie was directly responsible for my interests in Neil Young, Van Morrison, and Mr. Zimmerman. Unfortunately, their career-highs occured before I was musically-conscious (or even born). While my musical tastes are varied, I can still enjoy a great performance such as this.


(It's sad that Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson are the only surviving members --- I did not know that until I read a recent review of the DVD)

 

[avguygeorge]

I saw this in 78 at a great Hollywood theater.(sound system). Actually I bought the vinyl on the way home. It was this film that made me realise how bad my sound was at home;cause it the theater it rocked.


These guys/performers, are all favorites of mine.


Got my copy at Curcit City for 14.99.(I never knew they sold software.) I've waited for this to come to DVD for a long time; BUT, I'll wait till the weekend to play it. Geo

 

[Dean Roddey]

Its a favorite of mine, and I have the VHS tape which I'd watched many, many times. I just ordered the DVD yersterday and I'm really looking forward to it. Its got some great performances, a little loose but very inspired and with a lot of emotion because of the nature of the event.

 

[Larry Geller]

Quote:

It's sad that Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson are the only surviving members --- I did not know that until I read a recent review of the DVD

This will come as quite a surprise to Garth Hudson

 

[Dean Roddey]

the rumors of whose death have been greatly exaggerated!

 

[Michael Sargent]

When you watch The Last Waltz, heed the advice on the title card and turn your system up loud. I normally watch movies with the volume set at -12, but for The Last Waltz I turned it up to -6. It sounded incredible! After two hours of rockin' and rollin' my amps were warm enough that you couldn't hold your fingers on them for more than about 10 seconds (which means they are hot, but not too hot). It was the music that was hot!


Very highly recommended.


Mike

 

[Gary McCoy]

I would like to heartily endorse the above opinions. The Last Waltz goes far beyond the average concert movie or the often-amatuerish footage shot to archive most live performances. The Band has long been one of my favorites but that happened afterwards, as I was pre-occupied with college, a military enlistment, marriage, and raising a kid when they were still touring.


Martin Scorcese shot the entire event in 35mm film using professional cameramen and after professional stage design and detailed storyboarding. Thus we have a unique hybrid of Hollywood movie production values and spontaneous live performances from the cream of the music profession, many of whom have never sounded better before or since. There is a vast array of talent and the material is mostly classic 60's rock&roll, but including jazz, blues, country, and folk. The fabulous performance by Muddy Waters is the one that comes to mind most often for me.


The actual concert footage is slightly over an hour long. Some footage was lost in changing the 20-minute capacity film canisters, and multiple camera motor failures occurred due to the overloaded electical system at that venerable SF landmark, Winterland. Scorcese intercut interviews with individual band members, plus some few with the entire band, plus three stage performances filmed after the concert, so the entire film is just short of two hours long. The three stage performances are 1) a soul number with The Band and The Staples 2) a folk music selection with an obviously nervous but radiant Emmylou Harris and The Band and 3) the last performance of The Band as a group, alone on stage.


IMHO this is the greatest concert ever filmed. It has far better camera work than classic pictures like Woodstock or Monterey Pop, but the esscence of the performances within the film are "live" and "real", something I never felt about This is Spinal Tap. As much as I love that movie, I could never forget that film was actors portraying musicians. The Last Waltz is fundamentally the most talented musicians of a given decade playing their hearts out, and is a great quality audio and video record of a real historical event.


This DVD is a keeper.


Gary