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The Last Waltz (1978)

A decent historic look at 1960s music on its last leg

I have seen this film several times and will never tire of it. The music is fantastic, the performances are good, and Scorsese's overall intent is subtly presented. As the title suggests, this is a filmic record of The Band's final performance, but more importantly it is a window into the coming decline of contemporary popular music. It is the last stand of the glory days of old. The various performers that you see on stage are in the latter days of their once great careers, and even though many would continue on for years, even decades to come, the central premise that the late 70s was really the 60s on its deathbed rings true. This is especially notable in the various interviews, where we notice that the musicians themselves seem quite oblivious to the reality that their time is all but up in terms of their importance or prominence to the public. Robbie Robertson is asked by Scorsese if he thinks this is the end or not. Robertson replies that it is "the beginning of the end of the beginning." As the 80s would rapidly prove, Scorsese's thesis is accurate. The period that followed would prove to be less creative musically speaking but for a few bands like U2, etc., who would survive the downturn in the quality of the music that came out of that later period. Scorsese presents the music that he loves played by the principle people that we admired. In light of the transition that was taking place from disco and new wave to rap and worse, this film is more than a footnote to a once proud and glorious musical heritage. Don't listen to the detractors. Watch the movie, and listen to the performances. It is not the greatest film of its kind - I would rather watch The Song Remains the Same - but it is what it is, a film of the times made by a man who had sensitivity to the times, on time! Very often we don't notice that something is lost until after it happens. Scorsese noticed while it was happening, and that by itself is quite astute of him, and puts him in a league with journalists who have their ear to the ground.