Yesterday, after a while, my partner and I went to a live gig, because due to the restrictions imposed Covid-19 in our country, we did not have the opportunity to enjoy live music for so long. The band played blues, rock and very interesting covers of Marley. But they also played a song that was the occasion for today's post.
"The weight" was one of the greatest hits of -perhaps- one of the greatest band in rock and blues:
The band
Their name came quite naturally as they were sessions musicians that played with many, many well known artists, but mostly with Bob Dylan, who was their mentor. They were there when Dylan went electric (1965-1967), and thanks to him "The Band" managed to record their first album in 1968, "Music from Big Pink" that is still considered as one of the most influential almbums in rock history.
(For Dylan's and/or The Band 's fans, this record was a result of the "Basement Tapes", songs and melodies that The Band along with Dylan improvised in the pink house of Danko, one of The Band members).
That album, and generally The Band influenced since then many artists, such as Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, even the Beatles and Rolling Stones.
And now you may ask..."What does this have to do with cinema?"
Well, the answer is quite simple, because The Band's last concert, that took place on 25/11/76 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, a music feast with all their friends, famous musicians and singers that they had worked together, was filmed and directed by no other that Martin Scorsese.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you :
The Last waltz (1978)
Martin Scorsese had a huge volume of work in front of him. The band's guests were so many and so were the songs that the band had to say causing the concert to last more than 7 hours (of course this certainly could not be shown in cinemas). He chose the duration of the music of the film to be around 1 1/2 hours and the rest through interviews to present the members of the band to tell their story, their relationship with music, their thoughts.
As mentioned before, Scorsese had to choose from the rich material he had at his disposal. In fact, in the final editing, the order of the songs changed, causing the last song, the encore, that the band played "Don't do it" by Marvin Gaye to be the first we hear in the movie. This was also the introduction of the group members: Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Holm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson.
Scorsese tried to include most of the participants. And they were so many : Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Muddy Waters, the poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure and many others. And, of course, the great Bob Dylan. (Rumors say that Dylan, even though had agreed to play in the concert that he didn't want to be recorded and he was convinced with the help of an old friend of his)
Bob Dylan
Muddy Waters
Neil Young
Van Morrison
So, if you ask me, is it a good film?
Some consider to be one of the greatest concert films of all time, others say that it was the Woodstock of the 1970s. Frankly, if I have to speak in cinema terms, then I must admit that it's not that good film. The angles of the shooting sometimes are strange, making it difficult for the viewer, the lighting during the intrerviews is dim, giving an essence of dark atmoshpere, in most of the concert we hear but we can't see the audience, the band members seemed tired and so seem some of the guests (If we believe the rumors, there were a lot drugs around, during the filming)
In this film you can see the end of an era. Don't forget, it was the farewell concert of a group. "The last waltz" of the group, as the titles indicates.
But is it worth watching? F@$*&, yeah! In these 116 minutes you can see the history of rock and roll, together on a stage. Take the last song (in the film, not in the concert). There on that scene are: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morisson, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Eric Clapton and the others singing the hymn: "I shall be released". Is that enough? No, watch closely... On the scene there are also Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones) and Ringo Star (The Beatles). A super star gathering that hadn't happened since the Woodstock era, if I'm not mistaken.
So, buckle up and enjoy this film. Oh, and forget to do what the title card said in the beginning:
Thank you for reading!
