Originally conceived as an afterthought to record the last concert of The Band (featuring the legendary Levon Helm and Canuck co-founders Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel), the archival video project eventually blossomed into a 35mm feature film, directed by one of America's then 'hot and young' filmmakers (Martin Scorsese), photographed by top Hollywood cinematographers (Michael Chapman, Vilmos Zsigmond, Laszlo Kovacs, Hiro Narita), with production designed by a legendary Academy Award-winning set designer (Boris Leven).
Director Scorsese was in the midst of shooting his troubled epic musical "New York, New York" in 1976 when he was contacted to directed The Band's farewell concert in San Francisco. Using precise, manic-obsessive production planning, Scorsese organized the 7 hour "weekend shoot" with lead cinematographer Chapman, and followed The Band's key guidelines that the film unobtrusively focus on the performers and the music; essentially refuting the standard inter-cutting between audience and band members. The reason why this remains an influential concert film becomes rapidly clear: with multiple cameras favorably aimed at bandmates, the looks, nods, and sheer joy of performing with peers and idols reveal the simplicity and beauty that musicians experiences when the energy is rollin' high; if you've ever wanted to know how a band feels while the audience is having a great time out in the darkened arena, this is one presents it with graceful intimacy, and sublime respect.
Even if you're not familiar with The Band's music, or favor just a handful of the legendary guest artists, the skill and beauty of "The Last Waltz" is thoroughly engaging. MGM's disc offers 2 excellent commentary tracks which present distinctive histories of the concert.
Director Scorsese is fairly sparse on the first track, but producer Robbie Robertson shows himself to be an able raconteur of the film's genesis, production (remembering almost all of the key personnel) and insight at his younger years, with memorable portraits of guest musicians who played a pivotal role at one time in The Band's history. Robertson frequently recalls with amusement how the audience cheered with shock and wonderment each time a guest would pop out on stage for a set with The Band, and the DVD's secondary commentary track follows that same formula (which won't be spoiled in this review), as many surviving musicians pop up to say hello, talk a bit about the music, but mostly offer a great combination of musical insight and hysterical anecdotes. The DVD's menu rightfully keeps the track's participants ambiguous, although a selectable title option will display a speaker's name, as several reappear throughout the tightly edited track.
The DVD's behind-the-scenes featurette presents a concise recapitulation of the Robertson/Scorsese commentary track, with graphic examples of Boris Leven's beautiful sketches, and the finely detailed 'shooting script' - basically lyric sheets, peppered with Scorsese's detailed filming designs. (Curiously, Scorsese's passages feel like expanded material from his commentary, and one wonders if the audio track was compiled from the video interview.)
The DVD transfer is first-rate, with a rich patina of colours from Boris Leven's production design, combining the skeletal elements from the San Francisco Opera's production of "La Traviata," and chandeliers from "Gone With The Wind." The performances in front of the draped Traviata arches were photographed using a simplistic lighting scheme, incorporating shades of deep red, amber and violet, plus several behind-the-band tracking and static shots; the latter high-contrast photography is razor sharp, with no artifacting in the solid blacks.
"THIS MOVIE SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD!" is how the flick starts, and the 5.1 mix broadens the scope of the music, expanding the sound field to suit a spread out home surround sound setup. Those with a rudimentary system will benefit from the 2.0 mix, which remains aggressive, and balances a good range of low and high level activity.
The extras include a previously unseen jam session that preceded the "I Shall Be Released" set, with everybody on stage for a big finale. The lengthy improve session (presented full screen) ultimately outran the camera magazines, and though edited footage covers 90% of the set, the audio continues to the very end, in selectable 5.1 or 2.0 mixes. Some of the shots appear a bit stretched, but it isn't heavily distracting.
An impressive and engaging set of still and art galleries chronicle the Concert (71 images), the filmed Studio Shoots (39), the New York City Premiere (10), and follow the Poster/Lobby Cards (13) used for the ad campaign. The anamorphic theatrical trailer and full screen tv spot - both in average condition - round out this immensely enjoyable disc.
© 2002 Mark R. Hasan
|