Film Forum

U.S., 1978,
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Approx. 117 min. 4K restoration.

What started as a concert became a celebration as an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars commemorate The Band’s farewell. On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, the legendary rock group The Band (Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel) took the stage for the very last time at the Winterland Theatre in San Francisco, joined by musical contemporaries Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Ronnie Hawkins, The Staples, Ron Wood, Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Stephen Stills, among others. With an intricate 300-page shooting script, director Martin Scorsese, director of photography Michael Chapman, and a team of seven cameramen (including legends Vilmos Zsigmond and László Kovács) shot the landmark live concert in 35mm. Produced by legendary rock promoter Bill Graham (of Fillmore East and West fame), the concert was billed as “The Last Waltz,” perhaps as a final statement on what is arguably the most powerful and innovative era in rock history.

A PARK CIRCUS RELEASE

Reviews

“THE GREATEST CONCERT MOVIE OF ALL TIME. As far as farewells go, this one was major, and it might have been relegated to the you-had-to-like-have-been-there-man history books had a bearded, jittery Martin Scorsese not decided to ditch some responsibilities and call in some favors. The idea was to simply record the evening for posterity, though the then-35-year-old filmmaker had a few ideas of his own to add into the mix. What he ended up with was the definitive document of these American-music scholars, an epitaph to a specific era of rock history.”
– David Fear, Rolling Stone

“There are few concert movies that were filmed with such abiding feeling and respect. It’s of a potent vintage that goes down deceptively smoother with age… The movie also offers the magic of Levon Helm, the group's drummer (and sometime mandolin player) who was just as gifted a storyteller as Mr. Robertson; the jagged beauty of Mr. Helm's voice, in contrast to the rich, controlled drollery of Mr. Robertson's, is mesmerizing.” 
– Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times

“A labor of love, one of the most immaculately filmed rock concerts.”
– Philip French, The Guardian

“A lavish, dynamic act of fan worship… A heady time-capsule.”
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Consummately stylish film-making. Scorsese intersperses it with fragments of interview, shot around pool tables and bars, treating Robbie Robertson and the others for all the world like refugees from one of his own movies.”
– Tony Rayns, Time Out

“Arguably the most beautiful of rock movies... the musical highlights – ‘The Weight’ with the Staple Singers, Van Morrison’s firebolt ‘Caravan’, every Levon Helm vocal – still astound.” 
– Tom Huddleston, Time Out