Greetings again from the darkness. I had not seen "The Last Waltz" since 1978 when I saw it at the college campus theatre with the worst possible picture and sound. At the time I thought it was OK and slightly interesting to see the list of guest performers. The 2002 re-release is FANTASTIC. The enhanced visual and audio are wonderful. Watching Muddy Waters quiver with emotion, Eric Clapton's fingers flying across the neck of his guitar while Robbie Robertson struggles to keep up, and Neil Diamond on the cusp of his "middle-aged women/all arena two decade tour" trying desperately to fit in with the real musicians all make this worth the price of admission. What a joy to see Neil Young (with Joni Mitchell on backup) play "Helpless" and seem to be having such a great time. While all the anger now Neil? This may be the last time Bob Dylan actually sang his songs. Now he just whines nasally. The real showstopper is Van Morrison belting out "Caravan" unlike any other. Watch for all of the onstage dynamics of an unrehearsed concert. Quite a difference from 'n Sync!! My favorite part is watching Robbie Robertson manuever for maximum camera time. He has always been the male Streisand ... desperate for privacy, but the ultimate promoter. Watching Scorcese interview Robertson at the beginning is very insightful. Robertson constants wants him to "ask that one again" so he can provide a "better" answer. Just a mesmerizing couple of hours that is well worth your time even if you never really understood "The Weight".

It's 1976 Thanksgiving. Director Martin Scorsese films the concert of The Band in San Francisco's Winterland. Band member Robbie Robertson tells Scorsese that after 16 years on the road, this is the final concert, "The Last Waltz". The concert include guests Ronnie Hawkins, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and many others.

The music is great. Fans should love this. It's got fun little stories like the band stealing baloney when they were struggling and broke. The concert film is expertly done especially for the era. The interviews are pretty straight forward without much flash. One could mistake this for Robbie Robertson and His Band. Robbie is in most of the interviews and is showcased for the film. That's the source of much tension for the Band. Nothing beats the music and the star performers keep coming.

I have heard a few songs by The Band, but I am certainly not a fan, so it would seem that "The Last Waltz" would be a hard-sell to me but it was not. First, I found I enjoyed most of the music throughout the film--especially since I like rock 'n blues (and there is a strong blues/rock as well as country rhythm to the songs). How can you complain when you get to hear the likes of Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Eric Clapton and many, many others performing with The Band. Second, and much more importantly, I was very, very impressed with the quality of the film work. This was NOT a typical concert film where they simply stick up a camera and record the performances. To know more about this, watch the DVD extra for "The Last Waltz"--"Revisiting The Last Waltz". In this documentary, Robbie Robertson (from The Band) and Martin Scorsese talk about how they made the film--and it was really impressive. Instead of just stationing guys with cameras, EVERYTHING was meticulously planned and the camera angles and techniques show it. In addition to the live concert footage (which is the best I've seen),you have a few numbers that were done very well in the studio as well as interesting interviews. All in all, it's the total package--a very impressive and exceptionally well made film. While the music might not be to your liking, you can't help but admire excellent film making.