Rating: 9.4
The Last Waltz (1978)
FM Productions

Description

It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Join an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars as they celebrate The Band's historic 1976 farewell performance. Directed by Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas), The Last Waltz is not only "the most beautiful rock film evermade" (New York Times) it's "one of the most important cultural events of the last two decades" (Rolling Stone)!


Collected reviews and ratings

10 Variety

The Last Waltz is an outstanding rock documentary of the last concert by The Band on Thanksgiving 1976 at Winterland in San Francisco.
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10 New York Times | Elvis Mitchell

Part of the pleasure of watching the new print of ''The Last Waltz'' is to see Martin Scorsese fall in love with his subject, the Band. And part of the pleasure is in watching Robbie Robertson, the group's leader, seduce Mr. Scorsese.
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10 Washington Post | Richard Harrington

Is "The Last Waltz" the greatest rock movie of all time? It makes its case persuasively in a restoration overseen by director Martin Scorsese and producer Robbie Robertson that's been released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the concert it made famous.
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10 digitallyobsessed.com | Jon Danziger

So The Last Waltz is an affectionate though hard-edged two-hour compression of that evening, the last time these guys put their songs through their paces.
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10 The Digital Bits | Matt Rowe

The Last Waltz, a farewell to one of rock's most prolific acts, is a concert film/documentary extraordinaire that ends up becoming a celebration for an era. Helmed by Martin Scorsese, this paean becomes something more than celluloid; it becomes a song unto itself.
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10 Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

Even the film's advocates are divided: "It's the music that makes it great!" "No, it's what Scorsese did with the music on film!" Know what? They're both right.
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10 Salon.com | Bill Wyman

"The Last Waltz," as the pristine DVD version attests, is the single best movie about rock 'n' roll and only rock 'n' roll ever made.
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9.0 filmcritic.com | David Bezanson

The anecdotes and Robertson’s myth-making commentary are entertaining and respectful. The result is one of the best concert films in rock music history.
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6.0 efilmcritic.com

A concert film, above all, should communicate something of the immediacy and excitement of live performance. And here The Last Waltz, though certainly well recorded, falls short.
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