Paul McCartney & Friends: Rockestra Documentary Special (1978)

In His Life: The John Lennon Story

Oh My God

Oh My God asks people from all walks of life, from celebrities (including Ringo Starr), to the religious, to atheists and the common Man - the question - "What is God?"

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour - Full Movie

Concert for George

Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne. The profits from the event went to the Material World Charitable Foundation, an organization set up by Harrison.

Performances

The concert opened with a traditional Sanskrit invocation, the Sarve Shaam chant, followed by Indian music when Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi Shankar, played "Your Eyes." Next, Anoushka Shankar and Jeff Lynne performed "The Inner Light," followed by a Ravi Shankar composition "Arpan" (Sanskrit for 'to give'), specially written for the occasion. Next there was a comedy interlude with members of the Monty Python troupe (Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam along with Neil Innes) performing "Sit on My Face." Then Michael Palin came out as an over the top announcer who eventually states that he only ever wanted to be a lumberjack. He was then joined by the Pythons, Innes, Carol Cleveland and special guest Tom Hanks, to perform "The Lumberjack Song."

The remainder of the concert featured "George's Band" and included surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as musicians Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Billy Preston, Jools Holland, Albert Lee, Sam Brown, Gary Brooker, Joe Brown, Ray Cooper, Andy Fairweather-Low, Marc Mann, Harrison's son Dhani and several other musicians who appeared on Harrison's recordings over the years.

Between them they played a selection of mostly Harrison's songs, from both Beatle and post-Beatle eras, generally staying faithful to Harrison's original arrangements. Performances included Clapton and Preston on "Isn't It a Pity"; Starr on "Photograph"; McCartney and Clapton on "Something" (McCartney opening with a solo ukulele accompaniment which then shifts into a full band version featuring Clapton); Preston on "My Sweet Lord"; McCartney, Clapton and Starr reuniting on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" for the first time since they recorded the original Beatles version on 'The White Album' in 1968; and the performance of "Wah Wah."

Joe Brown closed the show with a very warming and apt rendition of "I'll See You in My Dreams" on ukulele, one of Harrison's favourite instruments.

The event was filmed and a motion picture version, directed by David Leland and photographed by Chris Menges was released on DVD on 17 November 2003. A compact disc version was also released on the same date; The Monty Python and Sam Brown tracks were not included on the CD.

Set list

1. "Sarve Shaam"
* Traditional prayer - including a dedication by Ravi Shankar
2. "Your Eyes" (Ravi Shankar) - 8:22
* Anoushka Shankar: sitar / Tanmoy Bose: tabla
3. "The Inner Light" (Harrison) - 3:01
* Anoushka Shankar: sitar / Jeff Lynne: lead vocal, acoustic guitar / Tanmoy Bose: tabla / Dhani Harrison: piano, backing vocals / Unidentified musician(s)
4. "Arpan" (Ravi Shankar) - 23:01
* Anoushka Shankar: sitar, conductor / Sukanya Shankar: vocal-shloka / M. Balanchandar: mridangam / Vishwa Mohan Bhatt: mohan vina / Tanmoy Bose: tabla, dholak / Chandrasekhar, Balu Raghuraman: violins / Eric Clapton: guitar / Pedro Eustache: wind instruments / Sunil Gupta: flute / Anuradha Krishamurthi, O.S. Arun: vocalists / Jane Lister: harp / Gaurav Mazumdar: sitar / Snehashish Mzumdar: mandolin / Ramesh Mishra: sarangi / Pirashanna Thevarajah: percussion / Kenji Ota: tanpura / Barry Phillips: cello / Rajendara Prasanna: shahnai / Emil Richards: marimba / Partho Sarathy: sarod / Hari Sivanesan, Sivaskti Sivanesan: veena / Boys and Girls Choir courtesy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan / English Chamber Choir / London Metropolitan Orchestra (Andrew Brown, Roger Chase, Chris Fish, Helen Hathorn, Lynda Houghton, Ian Humphries, Zoe Martlew, Stella Page, Debbie Widdup)
* Michael Kamen - string conductor, string arrangement
5. Comic Interlude including four members of Monty Python: Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam. Also performing: Neil Innes, Carol Cleveland and Tom Hanks.
* "Sit On My Face"
* "The Lumberjack Song"
6. "I Want to Tell You" (Harrison) - 2:52
* Jeff Lynne: lead vocal, guitar
7. "If I Needed Someone" (Harrison) - 2:28
* Eric Clapton: lead vocal, guitar
8. "Old Brown Shoe" (Harrison) - 3:48
* Gary Brooker: lead vocal, keyboards
9. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" (Harrison) - 3:29
* Jeff Lynne: lead vocal, guitar
10. "Beware Of Darkness" (Harrison) - 4:00
* Eric Clapton: lead vocal, guitar
11. "Here Comes the Sun" (Harrison) - 3:09
* Joe Brown: lead vocal, guitar / Neil Gauntlett: guitar / Dave 'Rico' Nilo: bass / Phil Capaldi: drums / Andy Fairweather-Low: guitar
12. "That's The Way It Goes" (Harrison) - 3:39
* Joe Brown: lead vocal, mandolin / Neil Gauntlett: guitar / Dave 'Rico' Nilo: bass / Phil Capaldi: drums
13. "Horse to the Water" (George Harrison/Dhani Harrison)
* Sam Brown: lead vocal / Jools Holland: piano / Jim Capaldi: drums
14. "Taxman" (Harrison) - 3:10
* Tom Petty: lead vocal, guitar / Mike Campbell: lead guitar / Benmont Tench: keyboards / Ron Blair: bass / Steve Ferrone: drums / Scott Thurston: additional guitar, background vocals
15. "I Need You" (Harrison) - 3:00
* Tom Petty: lead vocal, guitar / Mike Campbell: lead guitar / Benmont Tench: keyboards / Ron Blair: bass / Steve Ferrone: drums / Scott Thurston: additional guitar, background vocals
16. "Handle with Care" (George Harrison/Jeff Lynne/Roy Orbison/Tom Petty/Bob Dylan) - 3:27
* Tom Petty: lead vocal, guitar / Jeff Lynne: lead vocal / Dhani Harrison: guitar / Scott Thurston: background vocal, guitar, harmonica / Mike Campbell: lead guitar / Benmont Tench: keyboards / Ron Blair: bass / Steve Ferrone: drums / Jim Keltner: drums
17. "Isn't It a Pity" (Harrison) - 6:58
* Billy Preston: lead vocal, organ / Eric Clapton: lead vocal, lead guitar
18. "Photograph" (Starkey/Harrison) - 3:56
* Ringo Starr: lead vocal
19. "Honey Don't" (Carl Perkins) - 3:03
* Ringo Starr: lead vocal / Albert Lee: guitar solo / Gary Brooker: piano solo / Billy Preston: organ
20. "For You Blue" (Harrison) - 3:04
* Paul McCartney: lead vocal, acoustic guitar / Ringo Starr: drums / Marc Mann: slide guitar
21. "Something" (Harrison) - 4:25
* Paul McCartney: lead vocal, ukulele, acoustic guitar / Ringo Starr: drums / Eric Clapton: lead vocal, lead guitar / Marc Mann: guitar
22. "All Things Must Pass" (Harrison) - 3:33
* Paul McCartney: lead vocal, acoustic guitar / Ringo Starr: Drums
23. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Harrison) - 5:57
* Eric Clapton: lead vocal, lead guitar / Paul McCartney: piano, background vocals / Ringo Starr: drums
24. "My Sweet Lord" (Harrison) - 5:02
* Billy Preston: lead vocal, keyboards / Paul McCartney: piano
25. "Wah-Wah" (Harrison) - 6:06
* Jeff Lynne/Eric Clapton: lead vocal, guitar/Billy Preston: lead vocal/keyboards / Supergroup of Guest Musicians: all other instruments
26. "I'll See You in My Dreams" (Isham Jones/Gus Kahn) - 4:01
* Joe Brown: lead vocal, ukulele / Neil Gauntlett: acoustic guitar / Dave 'Rico' Nilo: bass / Jim Capaldi: drums

George's Band (after interlude) and guests

* Eric Clapton — guitars, musical director
* Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Joe Brown, Albert Lee, Marc Mann, Andy Fairweather-Low, Dhani Harrison — electric and acoustic guitars
* Gary Brooker, Jools Holland, Chris Stainton, Billy Preston, Paul McCartney — keyboards
* Dave Bronze, Klaus Voormann — bass
* Jim Capaldi, Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner, Henry Spinetti — drums
* Ray Cooper — percussion
* Jim Horn — alto saxophone
* Tom Scott — tenor saxophone
* Katie Kissoon, Tessa Niles, Sam Brown — backing vocals
* Ravi Shankar — sitar

Wikipedia

The Return of Bruno

The Return of Bruno is a 1987 comedic film, originally aired as a one-hour special on HBO and later released on VHS. It is a mockumentary starring Bruce Willis as his fictitious alter ego "Bruno Radolini," a legendary blues singer. A number of famous musicians such as Elton John, Phil Collins and Ringo Starr appear in the film as themselves, paying tribute to Radolini.

All the songs come from Willis' musical album The Return of Bruno.

Wikipedia

Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury, (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (lead guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen's initial works were chiefly glam rock, heavy metal and progressive rock orientated; however, with time, the band has incorporated diverse and innovative styles in their music, exploring the likes of vaudeville, electronic music and funk. The band digressed from using progressive themes in their music in the mid-1970s, with more conventional and radio-friendly works bringing them greater success. Throughout the 1970s, Queen disclosed the absence of synthesisers on their albums, yet their style continued to evolve. They eventually started using synthesisers in the 1980s, reflecting their experimental approach to music.

Brian May and Roger Taylor had been playing together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury (then known by his birth name of Farrokh, or Freddie, Bulsara) was a fan of Smile, and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. Mercury himself joined the band shortly thereafter, changed the name of the band to 'Queen' and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was recruited prior to recording their first album. Queen enjoyed success in the UK during the early 1970s, but it was the release of Sheer Heart Attack (1974) and A Night at the Opera (1975) that gained the band international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody," which stayed at number one in the UK charts for nine weeks. In 1991 Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since then May and Taylor have infrequently performed together, including a collaboration with Paul Rodgers under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers.

The band has released a total of 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles and 10 number one DVDs, and have sold over 300 million albums worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. They have been honoured with seven Ivor Novello awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Wikipedia

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine - Full Movie

The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - Full Movie

The Beatles - Help! - Full Movie

Alice in Wonderland (1985)

Alice in Wonderland is a 1985 film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. It was a two-part special made for television and used a huge all-star cast of notable actors and actresses. The role of Alice was played by Natalie Gregory. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast December 9, 1985, (part one) and December 10, 1985 (part two), at 8:00pm EST on CBS. The movie was released on DVD on August 1, 2006.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The first part opens with Alice (Natalie Gregory) helping Mother set the table for tea time. Although thankful for her daughter's help, Mother tells Alice that she is still not grown-up enough to join the adults at tea. Alice goes outside to see her sister (played by Gregory's real-life older sister Sharee Gregory), but gets bored at the "dull thought" of reading a book with no pictures. Her sister tells her that she will understand when she grows up, but Alice thinks she is already grown up (after all, she's seven and a half). While playing with her cat, Dinah, the White Rabbit comes running by, saying he's late. Wondering where he is going, Alice follows him until she falls down a dark rabbit hole, which takes her into Wonderland. Unlike the book and most movie versions, the rabbit hole appears here dark and frightening.

Alice finds herself in a hall with many doors, all of them locked. On a table is a key which Alice can use to open one small door. Yet the door is far too small to even fit her head in. A small bottle appears labeled "Drink Me." Doing this, she shrinks to the right size for the door, but can no longer reach the key to open it. A box of sweets appears labeled "Eat Me." Doing this, she grows to over nine feet tall. As she begins to cry, her tears fall on the floor and flow under the cracks. The White Rabbit appears, but frightened of the giant Alice, runs away dropping his fan and gloves. Using the fan makes Alice shrink again to a size small enough to crawl into one of the cracks, which takes her diving in her pool of tears.

While swimming in the pool of tears, she meets the Mouse, who tells her why he hates dogs and cats. Alice later catches up with the White Rabbit, and, in his house, curiously she finds another "drink me" bottle and chances it growing her full 9 foot character once again. Angry at Alice, the rabbit and his friends think that this is uncalled for and begins throwing stones at her which turn into cakes that causes her to shrink back to size. After running away she meets the Caterpillar and goes to the house of The Duchess. Finding the house too violent and hateful, she takes the Duchess' baby away, but it then turns into a pig. She meets the Cheshire Cat, who gives her directions to see either the March Hare or the Mad Hatter, but warns Alice that they, along with everyone else, are mad. Alice visits the garden of the Queen of Hearts, who always yells "Off with her Head!" and plays croquet, or at least watches the others play. She visits The Gryphon as well as the Mock Turtle, but then she is called to attend a trial.

The trial deals with the Knave of Hearts, who is accused of having stolen The Queen's tarts. There is no proof that he did it, but again there is no proof that he did not do it, nor is there proof that anybody did it, which proves him guilty, according to the Queen. Alice argues with the ways of the court, but inexplicably begins to grow larger again. The Queen becoming angry, yells "Off with her Head!" and has the guards chase the giant Alice, who is hardly afraid of them as "they're nothing but a pack of cards". Alice keeps running until she trips and falls and finds herself back home, in her normal size.

She runs happily back home, but finds that nobody is there and nobody can hear her. Hearing her cat Dinah, she sees her in the other side of a mirror, along with her parents, who can only see their own reflections and can't see or hear their daughter. Alice doesn't know how to get through to the other side. She notices a strange book next to her and starts reading it. There is a poem called Jabberwocky about a scary monster. Trying to deny her fears, she gets very scared as the room becomes dark and the Jabberwocky monster appears in the house. This marks the end of the first part.

Through the Looking Glass

The second part opens with the Jabberwocky scaring Alice. But as Alice wishes it away, it disappears. Yet, she is informed by The Owl in a painting that it may come back any time and reveals to her that it is a creation of Alice's own fears.

After an interesting conversation with talking flowers, Alice meets The Red Queen, who is taking the place of one of the pawns/children of The White Queen on the chess board. Alice plays a pawn, but finds herself now on the second square, from where she must reach the eighth square to become a queen. The Red Queen tells her that only if she becomes a queen she may go home.

On the way to the eighth square, Alice meets many various characters and visits many places. She goes on a train that doesn't stop, along with The Goat, The Horse, and The Gentleman in Paper Suit. She meets The Gnat king, as well as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, who sing the story of "The Walrus and the Carpenter". She bumps into The White Queen, who speaks about the ways of the land and ends up turning herself into a sheep. She is then chased by a giant bird, which she initially thought was the Jabberwocky, and meets Humpty Dumpty. The Jabberwocky appears again, and Alice flees when it pursues her after knocking Humpty Dumpty off a wall. Alice then meets The White King and his Messenger, who bring Alice to see the Lion and the Unicorn, who are fighting for the crown. The combatants call a temporary truce and are intrigued by Alice, whom they perceive as a "fabulous monster". Alice flees the group after a deafening barrage of drums begins to play, which she is apparently the only one to hear. Thereafter, she meets The White Knight, who sings and dances with her. Finally, Alice reaches the eighth square and finds her way to her castle, where a great feast in her honor takes place, with many of the characters she met previously on her journey.

Alice appreciates the feast but tells everybody that what she really wants is to go home. A present is then brought to her, out of which comes The Jabberwocky. The beast starts frightening and terrorizing everyone in the castle. The White Knight tries to rescue Alice, but fails. Alice manages to find her way back to the mirror and into her home, where she gets to confront The Jabberwocky. Telling him that he is just in her imagination and that she does not believe in him, he finally disappears. After this, Mother walks in and tells her daughter that she is finally old enough to join the grown-ups at tea time. Alice then sees the Wonderland characters in the mirror, and they sing farewell to her. Tearfully, Alice waves them goodbye as the movie ends.

Cast

Alice in Wonderland (In Alphabetical Order)

* Sheila Allen as Mother
* Scott Baio as Pat the Pig
* Billy Braver as The Eaglet
* Red Buttons as The White Rabbit
* Sid Caesar as The Gryphon
* Sammy Davis, Jr. as The Caterpillar/Father William
* Charles Dougherty as The Duck
* Natalie Gregory as Alice
* Sharee Gregory as Sister
* Sherman Hemsley as The Mouse
* Arte Johnson as The Dormouse
* Roddy McDowall as The March Hare
* Jayne Meadows as The Queen of Hearts
* Robert Morley as The King of Hearts
* Anthony Newley as The Mad Hatter
* Donald O'Connor as The Lory Bird
* Ernie Orsatti as Bill the Lizard
* Martha Raye as The Duchess
* Imogene Coca as The Cook
* Telly Savalas as The Cheshire Cat
* Ringo Starr as The Mock Turtle
* Shelley Winters as The Dodo Bird

Alice Through the Looking Glass (In Alphabetical Order)

* Sheila Allen as Mother
* Steve Allen as The Gentleman in Paper Suit
* Ernest Borgnine as The Lion
* Beau Bridges as The Unicorn
* Lloyd Bridges as The White Knight
* Red Buttons as The White Rabbit
* Carol Channing as The White Queen
* Patrick Culliton as The Red King
* Patrick Duffy as The Goat
* George Gobel as The Gnat
* Eydie Gormé as Tweedle Dee
* Natalie Gregory as Alice
* Merv Griffin as The Conductor
* Ann Jillian as The Red Queen
* Arte Johnson as The Dormouse
* Harvey Korman as The White King
* Steve Lawrence as Tweedle Dum
* Karl Malden as The Walrus
* Don Matheson as The Red Knight
* Roddy McDowall as The March Hare
* Jayne Meadows as The Queen of Hearts
* Donna Mills as The Rose
* Pat Morita as The Horse
* Robert Morley as The King of Hearts
* Anthony Newley as The Mad Hatter
* Louis Nye as The Carpenter
* John Stamos as The Messenger
* Sally Struthers as The Tiger Lily
* Jack Warden as The Owl
* Jonathan Winters as Humpty Dumpty

Notes

* Heather O'Rourke had originally won the part of Alice, and even appeared in a few early promotional images for the film, but she later turned it down because of a salary dispute. The part of Alice would eventually go to Gregory.
* Roddy McDowall would later play the role of the Mad Hatter in Batman: The Animated Series.
* For this television adaptation, Alice's nationality was changed from British to American.
* For the 1990s US home video release, each part was released separately in slightly re-edited form. Part one ended with an onscreen quote from the final chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland rather than the original cliffhanger, while part two began with a "prologue" of sorts (the final minutes of part one) and was retitled Alice Through the Looking Glass for release.
* Gillian Lynne of Cats fame was brought in to complete the choreography after the original stager was jettisoned.
* This was Irwin Allen's final TV movie.
* Ringo Starr and Lloyd Bridges would meet each other in Shining Time Station.
* Anthony Newley and Johnny Depp share more than the character of the Mad Hatter in common. It was Newley who penned the original songs for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and who was also in the running to play Wonka. Depp played Wonka in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)

Wikipedia

Water (1985)

Water is a 1985 comedy film scripted by Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais, directed by Clement, and starring Michael Caine. This HandMade Films production was released in U.S. theatres in April 1986 by Atlantic Releasing.

Plot summary

The story is set in the fictional Caribbean British colony of Cascara. Widely ignored by the British Government, media and general public, local Governor Baxter Thwaites is having an easy life in his small and peaceful colony. That peace is disturbed when an abandoned oil rig starts delivering water - at the standard of the finest table water brands. Different parties, including Downing Street, the Cascara Liberation Front, the White House and the Cubans take interest in the future of the island and threaten to destroy the cosy way of life enjoyed by the island's inhabitants.

Other information

The film stars Caine as Baxter Thwaites as a Governor who has 'gone native' (similarly to his role in The Honorary Consul) and Billy Connolly as local biracial activist Delgado, supported by the last performance of Leonard Rossiter as Sir Malcolm Leveridge and one of the last performances of Fulton Mackay.

Water was produced by George Harrison and is unusual in that it features a performance at the end by a (fictional) charity band "The Singing Rebels" featuring both Harrison and Ringo Starr, rarely seen together in film or television performances since the break-up of the Beatles, together with Jon Lord, Eric Clapton, and Connolly on vocals (The Rebels being the name of the "band" Harrison played in with his brother prior to joining up with McCartney and Lennon). The song performed by the group at the end of the film, "Freedom", was released as a music video. The soundtrack featured reggae music by Eddy Grant and Harrison himself, with Billy Connolly contributing additional songs. Most of the movie was filmed in and around Soufrière, Saint Lucia, with some scenes shot in Devon, England and at Lee International Studios.

The BBC television presenter Paul Heiney had a small part in the film as part of the In at the Deep End series.

Water was first released on home video by Paramount Home Video on 1 February 1987. The film received its first DVD edition in North America in 2006, courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Cast

* Michael Caine as Governor Baxter Thwaites
* Valerie Perrine as Pamela Weintraub
* Brenda Vaccaro as Dolores Thwaites
* Leonard Rossiter as Sir Malcolm Leveridge
* Billy Connolly as Delgado Fitzhugh
* Dennis Dugan as Rob Waring
* Fulton Mackay as Reverend Eric
* Jimmie Walker as Jay Jay
* Dick Shawn as Deke Halliday
* Fred Gwynne as Franklin Spender
* Trevor Laird as Pepito
* Alan Igbon as Cuban
* Stephen M Booker as Helicopter Pilot

Reception

The movie received a mixed review in the New York Times, which read in part "The folks who packaged this put-on operated on the theory that a lot of eccentric people doing nutty things produce hilarity. The ingredient missing from the fitfully amusing conglomeration of characters is a character for the whole. In kidding everything, the movie leaves us uncertain about whether anything is being seriously kidded."

Despite being poorly received on its release, the film was noted for its script which addressed the confusion arising from the effects of colonialism on West Indian islands, spoofing the attitudes of both the locals and the representatives of Her Majesty's Government.

Wikipedia

The Cooler (1982)

Mini-film by Ringo Starr consisting of promo videos of "Private Property," "Sure To Fall," and "Attention." Also starring Barbara Bach, Paul McCartney, and Linda McCartney.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World Part 1 Review

Part 1 of the Martin Scorsese documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World was broadcast on HBO last night. Overall, I thought the film was excellent and well worth watching. Here are some of the aspects to the film I enjoyed:

- the new interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Martin, Eric Clapton, Pattie Boyd, Astrid Kirchherr, Klaus Voormann and George's family
- the archival footage: lots of unseen and upgraded clips, including the George Harrison/John Lennon interview on David Frost from 1967, the It's the Beatles special from 1963 (in better quality than I've ever seen), home movies and there's even footage of George Harrison watching the Beatles' promo clip of "This Boy" from the mid-1970s.
- many rare and unseen photos, narrated on occasion by Dhani Harrison using George's letters to his parents

Definitely recommended for fans as there is plenty new here to enjoy.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Film Surveys The Life And Times Of The Iconic Musician

NEW YORK, July 13, 2011 – HBO has acquired the North American TV rights to Martin Scorsese’s GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD from Grove Street Pictures. The film was produced by Scorsese (through his Sikelia Productions banner), Olivia Harrison (through her Grove Street Pictures banner) and Nigel Sinclair (through Exclusive’s documentary label, Spitfire Pictures). Margaret Bodde served as executive producer on the film, which was edited by David Tedeschi, who previously worked with Scorsese, Bodde and Sinclair on “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan,” and with Scorsese and Bodde on “Public Speaking.” Tedeschi also edited Scorsese’s Rolling Stones concert film “Shine a Light.” The documentary will debut in two parts – on Oct. 5 and 6, 2011 – exclusively on HBO.

GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD focuses the imaginative and inspired eye of one of cinema’s most preeminent filmmakers on one of the world’s most influential men. The film takes viewers on the musical and spiritual voyage that was George Harrison’s life, much of it told in his own words. The result is deeply moving and touches each viewer in unique and individual ways.

Academy Award®-winning director Martin Scorsese traces Harrison’s life from his musical beginnings in Liverpool through his life as a musician, a seeker, a philanthropist and a filmmaker, weaving together interviews with Harrison and his closest friends, performances, home movies and photographs. Much of the material in the film has never been seen or heard before. The result is a rare glimpse into the mind and soul of one of the most talented artists of his generation and a profoundly intimate and affecting work of cinema.

The film includes interviews with Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, George Martin, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty, Phil Spector, Ringo Starr and Jackie Stewart. They speak honestly and frankly about George’s many talents and contradictions.

“When Martin Scorsese brings a project to HBO, we all know it is going to be very special, and he has added to that body of work with this monumental film on George Harrison,” says Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. “From rock‘n’roll icon to moviemaker, to spiritual seeker and humanitarian, George Harrison was a true renaissance man. This amazing film will illuminate every aspect of Harrison’s remarkable, multifaceted life.”

Comments Scorsese, “Like so many millions of people, I first came to know George through the music, which was the soundtrack of our world. The Beatles’ music, those beautifully lyrical guitar breaks and solos, those unforgettable songs of George’s like ‘I Me Mine’ or ‘If I Needed Someone,’ and the images, in magazines, on album covers, the TV appearances, the newsreel footage, the Richard Lester movies; and then there was the world after the Beatles, when George and his music seemed to open up and flower. I will never forget the first time I heard ‘All Things Must Pass,’ the overwhelming feeling of taking in that all glorious music for the first time. It was like walking into a cathedral. George was making spiritually awake music – we all heard and felt it – and I think that was the reason that he came to occupy a very special place in our lives. So when I was offered the chance to make this picture, I jumped at it. Spending time with Olivia, interviewing so many of George’s closest friends, reviewing all that footage, some of it never seen before, and listening to all of that magnificent music – it was a joy, and an experience I’ll always treasure.

Notes Olivia Harrison, “Martin Scorsese’s intuition towards George was evident the first time we met to discuss this project. He sensed what George was about: his music, his strong beliefs, his art, his place in the Beatles’ story and his extraordinary life afterwards. Marty’s wonderful film has found all of that and more.

“I always hoped HBO would be our North American partners because of their respect for artistry. I am doubly happy to be working with their excellent team.”

“This film was an extraordinary journey for all involved and it has been a sheer pleasure working with Martin Scorsese and Olivia Harrison to bring the amazing story and legacy of George Harrison to life. We have found the perfect partner in HBO Documentary Films and are proud to have them on board to bring this incredible film to North American audiences,” adds Nigel Sinclair.

Exclusive Films International, the international sales and marketing arm of Exclusive, represents worldwide rights, excluding the U.S. Scott Pascucci serves as executive producer for Grove Street and is coordinating all aspects of the film’s distribution for Grove Street.

Additionally, in late September, Abrams Books will publish Olivia Harrison’s “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” a personal archive of photographs, letters, diaries and memorabilia from George’s life that reveals the arc of his life, from his guitar-obsessed boyhood in Liverpool, to the astonishment of the Beatles years, to his days as an independent musician and bohemian squire. The book release is intended to coincide with the release of Scorsese’s film.

Scorsese’s upcoming feature, “Hugo,” a 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s children’s book, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Chloe Moretz and Asa Butterfield, is due to be released in the U.S. by Paramount Pictures in Nov. 2011. In 1976, Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and it was followed by a series of outstanding successes, including “New York, New York,” “Raging Bull,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “GoodFellas,” “Casino,” “Kundun,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Gangs of New York” and “The Aviator.” Scorsese’s feature “The Departed” was released to critical acclaim in Oct. 2006, and would go on to win several Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director. “Shine a Light,” Scorsese’s documentary of the Rolling Stones in concert, was released worldwide in April 2008. His most recent feature was the acclaimed psychological drama “Shutter Island.”

Scorsese’s artistic excellence has been recognized with many honors, including the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival, the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, a Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, he has also been a staunch advocate for film preservation. He is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture history, and in 2007, he launched the World Cinema Foundation (for which he serves as both founder and chair), dedicated to the preservation and restoration of neglected films from around the world.

Olivia Harrison is a producer and philanthropist. She administers the Material World Charitable Foundation, and received a Grammy Award for her video of the 2002 “Concert for George,” which she organized to benefit the Foundation in memory of her husband. She also administers the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, and received the 2010 UNICEF Spirit Of Compassion Award in recognition of her family’s assistance to the children of Bangladesh.

Nigel Sinclair is a Grammy Award-winning producer, and serves as CEO of Exclusive Media Group, which includes the documentary production outfit Spitfire Pictures.

ABOUT HBO
Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing the two pay television services – HBO® and Cinemax® – to approximately 85 million subscribers worldwide. The services offer the most popular subscription video-on-demand products, HBO On Demand® and Cinemax On Demand® as well as HBO GO® and MAX GO®, HD feeds and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO branded television networks, along with the subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand and HBO GO, bring HBO services to over 60 countries. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.

ABOUT SIKELIA
Sikelia Productions is the production entity for the critically acclaimed, Academy Award®-winning director Martin Scorsese. The company oversees all of Scorsese’s projects, including “The Aviator” (2004), “The Departed” (2006; Academy Award® winner, Best Picture, 2007), “Shutter Island” (2010), the hit HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” and “Hugo” (Nov. 2011). Sikelia is currently in pre-production with Scorsese’s next feature film, “Silence.” In addition to GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, Sikelia’s documentaries include “A Letter to Elia” (2010), “Public Speaking” (2010) and “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan” (2005), among others.

ABOUT SPITFIRE PICTURES
Spitfire Pictures is the documentary production arm of Exclusive. Recent releases for Spitfire Pictures include Oscar®-winning filmmaker James Moll’s full-length feature documentary “Foo Fighters: Back and Forth,” Paul Crowder’s Billy Joel documentary “The Last Play at Shea” and, in 2005, Scorsese’s Grammy, Peabody and duPont Award-winning documentary “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.”

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George Harrison: Living in the Material World Trailer

Caveman

Caveman is a 1981 American slapstick comedy film financed by George Harrison, written and directed by Carl Gottlieb and starring Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Dennis Quaid and Shelley Long.

Plot

Atouk is a bullied and scrawny caveman living in "One Zillion BC – October 9th" (apparently in memory of John Lennon, who was killed 5 months before the film's release, he was Ringo Starr's friend and bandmate with The Beatles, whose birthday was October 9). He lusts after the beautiful but shallow Lana, who is the mate of Tonda, their tribe's physically imposing leader. After being banished along with his friend Lar, Atouk falls in with a band of assorted misfits, among them the comely Tala and the elderly blind man Gog. The group has ongoing encounters with hungry dinosaurs, and rescues Lar from a "nearby ice age," where they encounter an abominable snowman. In the course of these adventures they discover sedative drugs, fire, cooking, music, and learn how to walk fully upright. Atouk uses these advancements to lead an attack on Tonda, overthrowing him and becoming the tribe's new leader. He discards Lana and takes Tala as his mate, and they live happily ever after.

Production

The movie was filmed in Durango, Durango, Mexico, using the Sierra De Organos near Sombrerete, Zacatecas, Mexico for exteriors, and features stop-motion animated dinosaurs constructed by Jim Danforth, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex which in one scene becomes intoxicated by a Cannabis-type drug, animated by Randall W. Cook. Danforth was a major participant in the special effects sequences, but left the film "about two-thirds of the way" (his words) through the work because the Directors Guild of America prohibited his contracted on-screen credit, co-direction with Carl Gottlieb. Consequently, Danforth's name does not appear on the film.

The film's dialog is almost entirely in "caveman" language, such as:

* "alunda" – love
* "bobo" – friend
* "haraka" – fire
* "macha" – monster
* "nya" – no/not
* "ool" – food
* "pooka" – broken
* "ugh" – like
* "zug zug" – sex

At some showings audiences were issued a translation pamphlet for 30 "caveman words." The only English dialog present is used for comedic effect, when it is spoken by a caveman played by Evan Kim who speaks modern English but is understood by none of the other characters. Being a Korean caveman, by speaking English, he appears to be more advanced than the rest. At her audition Shelley Long says she did not speak any English, but responded to everything with grunts.

Barbara Bach and Ringo Starr first met on the set of Caveman, and married just over a year later.

Cast

* Ringo Starr as Atouk
* Dennis Quaid as Lar
* Shelley Long as Tala
* Jack Gilford as Gog
* Barbara Bach as Lana
* Evan C. Kim as Nook
* Carl Lumbly as Bork
* John Matuszak as Tonda
* Avery Schreiber as Ock
* Richard Moll as Abominable Snowman

Wikipedia

The Kids Are Alright

The Kids Are Alright is a rockumentary film about the English rock band The Who, including live performances, promotional films and interviews from 1964 to 1978.

Production

The film was primarily the work of American fan Jeff Stein who, despite having no previous experience in movie-making, convinced the band to support the project and served as the film's director. Stein had produced a book of photographs from the band's 1970 tour when he was just 17. In 1975, he approached Pete Townshend, The Who's principal composer and lead guitarist, about compiling a collection of film clips to provide a historical reference for the band's fans. Townshend initially rejected the idea, but was persuaded by the group's manager, Bill Curbishley, to give their cooperation.

When Stein and his film editor, Ed Rothkowitz, soon previewed a 17-minute compilation of clips from their US television appearances to the band and their wives, they could hardly believe the reaction. "Townshend was on the floor, banging his head. He and Moon were hysterical. Daltrey's wife was laughing so hard she knocked over the coffee table in the screening room. Their reaction was unbelievable. They loved it. That's when they were really convinced that the movie was worth doing."

Stein knew that many of the band's best performances and most memorable moments had either never been recorded or been lost, erased or discarded. For more than two years, he collected movie, television and fan film footage in England, the US, Sweden, Germany, France, Australia, Norway and Finland, in some cases actually rescuing footage from the trash. Nevertheless, there were gaps in the depiction of the band's catalog and persona that required the shooting of new material. This began on 20 July 1977 at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex, England with the playing of the song "Barbara Ann" at Stein's request. The film crew then spent five days chronicling the daily life of drummer Keith Moon at his Malibu, California home, including his 31st birthday party. Finally, Stein attempted on several occasions to record performances of songs that were not covered by the archival footage, particularly "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". The final recordings were made on 25 May 1978, but unfortunately, most of the original reels of this show were lost. A version of "My Wife" was recorded at the Gaumont State in Kilburn in December 1977, and, although not included in the film, it appeared on the soundtrack album.

The sound editing was supervised by bassist John Entwistle and, with the exception of a 1965 performance of "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" where Entwistle had to replace a missing bass track, and the footage of Moon smashing a drum kit - as the original 8mm footage was silent, Moon overdubbed drum sounds - most of the sound was authentic. Entwistle did fight for - and won - getting him and Pete to overdub their backing vocals on the Woodstock footage because Entwistle deemed the original gig's backup vocals "dire." During the process of sound editing, on 7 September 1978, Keith Moon died. All of the band members except Townshend had seen a rough cut of the film just a week before and, after Moon's death, they were determined not to change anything.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 1979. The Who promoted the release of the film with some live performances with their new drummer, former Small Faces and Faces drummer Kenney Jones.

An album was released as a soundtrack in June 1979 that included some songs and performances from the movie. The album reached #2 in the UK, and fared better in the US where it peaked at #2 on the Billboard album charts and went Platinum.

Contents

The Kids Are Alright premiered in the US on 15 June 1979 in the middle of the disaster film era that started with films like Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. In this environment, the original press kit for The Kids Are Alright drew on the band's destructive reputation and called it "the world's first rock 'n' roll disaster movie."

With the collection of material he included, Stein attempted to create not a linear, chronological documentary, but "a celluloid rock 'n' roll revival meeting" and "a hair-raising rollercoaster ride" that was worthy of the band's reputation. The performances which comprise the body of the film are organized around a number of playful encounters by the band members with various variety and talk show hosts, Pete Townshend's playful relationship with his fans, admirers and critics, and the endless antics of Keith Moon.

Television shows and interviews

The film starts with a bang — literally — at the band's only US variety show appearance. On 15 September 1967, The Who appeared on the CBS show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in Los Angeles following the end of their first US tour. They lip-synched the songs "I Can See For Miles" and "My Generation" and flustered host Tommy Smothers by refusing to follow the script as he tried to converse with them before "My Generation". Moon made the biggest impact, however, when the destructive nature of his on-stage persona reached its highest level. After The Who's performance of "My Generation", they began smashing their instruments. Moon packed explosive charge in his bass drum which set Townshend's hair on fire and rendered him temporarily deaf for 20 minutes, while cymbal shrapnel left a gash in Moon's arm. Townshend then took the acoustic guitar Smothers was holding and smashed it to bits on the ground. Smothers was completely frustrated, but the audience thought the whole performance was staged.

Clips of a 1973 interview from London Weekend Television's Russell Harty Plus appear six times throughout the film. While Harty delves into the background of the members' lives, Moon again steals the show as he rips off Townshend's shirt sleeve and then promptly strips down to his underwear.

One of the TV interviews included in the film features Ken Russell, the director of the film Tommy, who makes his mark with his exaggeratedly passionate plea: "I think that Townshend, The Who, Roger Daltrey, Entwistle, Moon could rise this country out of its decadent ambient state better than Wilson or all of those crappy people could ever hope to achieve!"

An early performance from ABC television's Shindig! and one of only two surviving tapes from the group's many appearances on the British program Ready Steady Go!, both recorded in 1965, are included along with numerous interview clips from BBC Radio, as well as mostly b/w interviews, stage and blue-screen performances (such as of Tommy, Can You Hear Me?) on the music programme Beat-Club recorded at the Radio Bremen studios in Hamburg, Germany. Segments filmed in each of the band member's homes include several conversations between Moon and fellow drummer Ringo Starr.

Large concerts

Performances from three of the band's largest concert appearances bear witness to the band's progression from the British mod scene to global superstardom:

* Their reluctant gig at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on 17 August 1969 was not an artistic success in the eyes of the band, but it helped Tommy become a critical blockbuster. Warner Bros. allowed Jeff Stein to look through their 400,000 feet of film from the three-day festival. Stein, then, reconstructed a "new" cut of the Who's song highlights (as opposed to the "split-screen" images from the original Woodstock film). He chose three songs: "Sparks", "Pinball Wizard", and "See Me, Feel Me". He also added a snippet of "My Generation" when Townshend smashed his guitar following a brief excerpt of "Naked Eye".
* The group's 1975 US tour reached its peak before a crowd of 75,962 at the Pontiac Silverdome on 6 December. The images in the film were broadcast to large screens in the stadium so those in the far reaches could actually see the band members on stage. From this appears the "Roadrunner/My Generation Blues" medley. However, the soundtrack includes "Join Together" which precedes "Roadrunner".
* While it appears near the end of the film, the band's appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival on 18 June 1967 brought about their first big media exposure in the United States. In the film, The Who's Monterey Pop appearance cuts away to footage from past concerts depicting the band destroying their equipment before returning to the destructive end of "My Generation". This performance does not appear on the soundtrack.

Discarded footage

At least three chapters in the film preserve performances that were discarded or thought to be lost:

* When the English National Opera allowed the band to play in the London Coliseum on 14 December 1969, the show was recorded for later release. The poor quality of the footage, however, made it expendable to the group and Jeff Stein retrieved the footage from a trash dump. The band's rendition of "Young Man Blues" is included in the film.
* A promotional film for the song "Happy Jack" was shot on 19 December 1966 for a BBC Television series called Sound and Picture City but the show was never aired.
* The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus was to be a television special featuring a variety of rock bands and circus performers, but after the filming the Rolling Stones felt their own performance was substandard and the project was shelved. The film includes a rousing performance of the group's first "rock opera" — A Quick One, While He's Away — shot on 10 December 1968. Originally, the clip's picture was cropped and bordered by flashing lights to compensate with the film's copy. After the Stones' former label, ABKCO, released the "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" on DVD, Stein extracted the Who's performance from the DVD and inserted it back in.

Moon's final performances

The film incidentally became a sort of "time capsule" for the band, after Keith Moon died only one week after he'd seen the rough cut of the film with Roger Daltrey. Moon, according to Daltrey, was deeply shocked by how much he'd changed physically in just 15 years, "from a young good-looking boy to a spitting image of Robert Newton". After Moon's death, the rough cut didn't suffer a single change, since neither Jeff Stein nor the rest of the band wanted to turn the movie into an homage to remember Moon's passing, but to celebrate his life and career with The Who.

Moon's last performances with the band were:

* The clip for Who Are You -- Last studio performance. Jeff Stein wanted to show The Who recording in the studio, even though the band had already finished recording the song. Stein planned to have the band mime over the original recording, but The Who played it live at the Ramport Studios, London, on 9 May 1978. The only playback tracks were Entwistle's bass guitar, the acoustic guitar solo in the middle, the backing vocals and synthesizer track.
* The show at Shepperton Studios, London, on 25 May 1978—Last live performance.

DVD edition

For many years the film was released on VHS in an edited 90-minute form, extracted from a TV broadcast copy made in the 1980's. Several scenes were removed and the audio had several pitch problems and dropouts.

In 2003, a DVD edition of the film was released. The film had been transferred from the restored 35mm interpositive and the audio was extensively restored. In addition to the original film, with English subtitles, on-screen liner notes, commentary with Jeff Stein and DVD producer John Albarian, and a 27-page booklet, the DVD contained a bonus disc with over three hours of additional materials:

* "SEE MY WAY": Q&A with director Jeff Stein
* "BEHIND BLUE EYES": Q&A with Roger Daltrey
* "MIRACLE CURE": Documentary on the restoration of The Kids Are Alright
* "GETTING IN TUNE": Audio comparison (old vs new)
* "TRICK OF THE LIGHT": Video comparison (old vs new)
* "THE WHO'S LONDON": A tour of Who locations in London
* "THE OX": Isolated tracks of John Entwistle for Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again
* "ANYTIME YOU WANT ME": Multi-angle feature for Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again
* "PURE AND EASY": Trivia game. The prize: A rare radio trailer of Ringo Starr promoting The Kids Are Alright
* "IT'S HARD": Trivia game. The prize: A slide show to the Who Are You 5.1 studio mix

The DVD was released by Pioneer Home Entertainment. The digitally-restored version of the film was premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2003 with Daltrey, Lewis, Stein and Albarian in attendance.

Trivia

* In the scene where John Entwistle shoots up gold discs with a shotgun, then with a Tommy gun, those discs weren't his, according to Entwistle himself. They were Roger Daltrey's.
* On that same scene, Entwistle's seemingly endless collection of bass guitars were positioned around the staircase especially for that shot.
* The "Shepperton gig" probably had more songs than just Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again, according to DVD producer John Albarian - most likely a full-set -, but the reels of that show are presumed too deteriorated for a complete restoration.
* There were two takes of Won't Get Fooled Again. The first take didn't make it because the band simply ended the song, which looked "lame", in the words of director Jeff Stein. The one that made it to the final cut was the second take, but the middle section of the performance - Keith's drum fill and Roger's scream - required around 15 takes, which becomes obvious when the film and soundtrack versions are compared. The laser light show was also added in post-production, as it is missing from the multi-angle performance in the DVD bonus features.
* According to Roger Daltrey, Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney were at the same episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour when Keith Moon's bass drum exploded. And when it did, Davis immediately fainted and "fell on her arse", while Rooney clapped his hands and "screamed for more".
* The sounds on the 8mm film scene where Moon smashes his "Pictures of Lily" drumkit were created in studio by Stein and others, since the original 8mm film didn't capture the sound.
* During the "Keith Moon Montage", there's a photo of a room trashed by Keith, and a quote on it from an "anonymous hotel staff-person": "Excuse me, sir, but someone has just blown-up the toilet." It was also meant to be the promotional poster for the film, according to director Stein, with the title: "Keith Moon slept here."
* Award-winning sound mixer Ted Hall, of POP Sound, worked on turning the original sound of the movie into a 5.1 mix. He died at the age of 48 on 26 July 2008.

Credits

* Starring: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend
* Appearing: Tommy Smothers, Jimmy O'Neill, Russell Harty, Melvyn Bragg, Ringo Starr, Mary Ann Zabresky, Michael Leckebusch, Barry Fantoni, Jeremy Paxman, Bob Pridden, Keith Richards, Garry McDonald (as Norman Gunston), Steve Martin, Rick Danko (who appears in the credits despite his scene being cut), Ken Russell
* Executive Producer: Sydney Rose
* Produced by: Bill Curbishley, Tony Klinger
* Associate Producers: Jeff Stein, Ed Rothkowitz, The Who
* Edited by: Ed Rothkowitz
* Musical Director: John Entwistle
* Written and Directed by: Jeff Stein

Quotations

* "Most rock films are pretentious. They're made for the sole purpose of making Robert Plant's dick look big. This is totally the opposite. Within the first half hour we're made to look like complete idiots." – Roger Daltrey
* "I felt like the monument on the cover of Who's Next." – Jeff Stein, on how he felt after filming "The Kids Are Alright"
* "A definitive end? What do you want me to do? Go out there and fall asleep on stage? Maybe I should go out there and die during my last solo? Or maybe I should hit that motherfucker who's been yelling for 'Magic Bus' over the head with me guitar?" – Pete Townshend's angry response to Jeff Stein's request for an encore of Won't Get Fooled Again
* "...Yeah, that'd be fine." – Jeff Stein's reported answer to Townshend

Wikipedia

The Last Waltz

The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian rock group, The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as the end of The Band's illustrious touring career, and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young.

The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. The film features concert performances, scenes shot on a studio soundstage and interviews by Scorsese with members of The Band. A triple-LP soundtrack recording, produced by Rob Fraboni, was issued in 1978. The film was released on DVD in 2002 as was a four-CD box set of the concert and related studio recordings.

The Last Waltz is hailed as one of the greatest concert films ever made, although it has been criticized for its focus on Robbie Robertson.

Film synopsis

Beginning with a title card saying "This film should be played loud!" the concert documentary is an essay on The Band's influences and their career. The group – Rick Danko on bass, violin and vocals, Levon Helm on drums, mandolin and vocals, Garth Hudson on keyboards and saxophone, Richard Manuel on keyboards, percussion and vocals, and guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson – started out in the late 1950s as a rock and roll band led by Ronnie Hawkins, and Hawkins himself appears as the first guest. The group backed Bob Dylan in the 1960s, and Dylan performs with The Band towards the end of the concert.

Various other artists perform with The Band: Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dr. John, Neil Diamond and Eric Clapton. Genres covered include blues, rock and roll, New Orleans R&B, Tin Pan Alley pop, folk and rock. Further genres are explored in segments filmed later on a sound stage with Emmylou Harris (country) and The Staple Singers (soul and gospel).

The film begins with The Band performing the last song of the evening, their cover version of the Marvin Gaye hit "Don't Do It", as an encore. The film then flashes back to the beginning of the show and follows it more or less chronologically. The Band is backed by a large horn section and performs many of its hit songs, including "Up on Cripple Creek", "Stage Fright" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".

The live songs are interspersed with the studio segments and interviews with director Martin Scorsese, in which The Band's members reminisce about the group's history. Robertson talks about Hudson joining the band on the condition that the other members pay him $10 a week each for music lessons. The classically trained Hudson could then tell his parents that he was a music teacher instead of merely a rock and roll musician. Robertson also describes the surreal experience of playing in a burnt-out nightclub owned by Jack Ruby.

Manuel recalls that some of the early names for The Band included "The Honkies" and "The Crackers". Because they were simply referred to as "The Band" by Dylan and their friends and neighbors in Woodstock, New York, they figured that was just what they would call themselves.

Danko is seen giving Scorsese a tour of The Band's Shangri-La studio, and he plays the director a recording of "Sip the Wine", a track from his then-forthcoming 1977 solo album Rick Danko.

A recurring theme brought up in the interviews with Robertson is that the concert marks an end of an era for The Band, that after 16 years on the road, it is time for a change. "That's what The Last Waltz is: 16 years on the road. The numbers start to scare you," Robertson tells Scorsese. "I mean, I couldn't live with 20 years on the road. I don't think I could even discuss it."

Origins

The idea for a farewell concert came about early in 1976 after Richard Manuel was seriously injured in a boating accident. Robbie Robertson then began giving thought to leaving the road, envisioning The Band becoming a studio-only band, similar to The Beatles' decision to stop playing live shows in 1966.

Though the other band members did not agree with Robertson's decision, the concert was set at Bill Graham's Winterland Ballroom, where The Band had made its debut as a group in 1969. Originally, The Band was to perform on its own, but then the notion of inviting Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan was hatched and the guest list grew to include other performers.

Concert

Promoted and organized by Bill Graham, who had a long association with The Band, the concert was an elaborate affair. Starting at 5:00 p.m., the audience of 5,000 was served turkey dinners. There was ballroom dancing with music by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. Poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure gave readings.

The Band started its concert at around 9:00 p.m., opening with "Up on Cripple Creek," during the wind-down of which vocalist/drummer Levon Helm called out a humorous "I sure wish I could yodel!" This was followed by 11 more of The Band's most popular songs, including "The Shape I'm In", "This Wheel's on Fire" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". They were backed by a large horn section with charts arranged by Allen Toussaint and other musicians.

They were then joined by a succession of guest artists, starting with Ronnie Hawkins. As The Hawks, The Band served as Hawkins' backing band in the early 1960s. Dr. John took a seat at the piano for his signature song, "Such a Night". He then switched to guitar and joined Bobby Charles on "Down South in New Orleans".

A blues set was next with harmonica player Paul Butterfield, Muddy Waters, pianist Pinetop Perkins and Eric Clapton. As Clapton was taking his first solo on "Further on Up the Road", his guitar strap came loose. Clapton said "Hold on," but Robertson picked up the solo without missing a beat.

Neil Young followed, singing "Helpless" with backing vocals by Joni Mitchell who remained off stage. According to Robertson's commentary on The Last Waltz DVD, this was so her later appearance in the show would have more of an impact. Mitchell came on after Young and sang three songs, two with the backing of Dr. John on congas.

Neil Diamond was next, introducing his "Dry Your Eyes" by saying, "I'm only gonna do one song, but I'm gonna do it good." Diamond had been invited to perform by Robertson, who wanted the songwriters of Tin Pan Alley to be represented. Robertson had also produced Diamond's album Beautiful Noise the same year and co-wrote "Dry Your Eyes," which during the concert he hailed as a "great song." In his autobiography, Levon Helm was critical of the inclusion of Diamond, not discerning any musical connection to The Band. Reportedly, when Diamond came off stage he remarked to Dylan, "Follow that," to which Dylan responded, "What do I have to do, go on stage and fall asleep?"

Van Morrison then performed two songs, a special arrangement of "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" as a duet with Richard Manuel and his own show-stopper, "Caravan".

Canadians Young and Mitchell were then invited back out to help The Band perform "Acadian Driftwood", an ode to the Acadians of Canadian history. The Band then performed a short set of some more of its songs before Bob Dylan came on stage to lead his former backing band through four songs.

The Band and all its guests, with the addition of Ringo Starr on drums and Ronnie Wood on guitar, then sang "I Shall Be Released" as a closing number. Dylan, who wrote the song, and Manuel, whose falsetto rendition had made the song famous on Music from Big Pink, shared lead vocals, although Manuel cannot be clearly seen in the film and switched between his normal and falsetto voices between verses.

Two loose jam sessions then formed. "Jam #1" featured The Band minus Richard Manuel playing with Neil Young, Ronnie Wood and Eric Clapton on guitar, Dr. John on piano, Paul Butterfield on harmonica and Ringo Starr on drums. It was followed by "Jam #2" with the same personnel minus Robertson and Danko. Stephen Stills, who showed up late, took a guitar solo and Carl Radle joined on bass.

The Band then came out at around 2:15 a.m. to perform an encore, "Don't Do It". It was the last time the group performed with its classic lineup. It reformed without Robertson in 1980 and headlined at The Roxy in Los Angeles with Scottish group Blue supporting, guests were Dr John and Joe Cocker. Rick Danko later performed at various LA venues along with Blue and it was at his invitation they recorded their 'LA Sessions' album at Shangri-La Studios.

Concert filming

Robertson initially wanted to record the concert on 16 mm film. He recruited Martin Scorsese to direct based on his use of music in Mean Streets. Under Scorsese, the film grew into a full-scale studio production with seven 35 mm cameras.

The cameras were operated by several cinematographers, including Michael Chapman (Raging Bull), Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and László Kovács (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces). The stage and lighting were designed by Boris Leven, who had been the production designer on such musical films as West Side Story and The Sound of Music. With Bill Graham's assistance, the set from the San Francisco Opera's production of La traviata was rented as a backdrop for the stage. Crystal chandeliers were also hung over the stage.

Scorsese meticulously storyboarded the songs, setting up lighting and camera cues to fit the lyrics of the songs. But despite his planning, in the rigors of the live concert setting, with the loud rock music and the hours spent filming the show, there were unscripted film reloads and camera malfunctions. It was not possible for all songs to be covered. At one point, all the cameras except László Kovács' were shut down as Muddy Waters was to perform "Mannish Boy." Kovács, frustrated by Scorsese's constant instructions, had removed his communications headset earlier in the evening and had not heard the orders to stop filming. As Scorsese frantically tried to get other cameras up, Kovács was already rolling and able to capture the iconic song by the blues legend. "It was just luck," Scorsese recalled in the DVD documentary, The Last Waltz Revisited.

Notably omitted from the film is Stephen Stills, who only performed in a jam session. Both jam sessions were omitted from the film entirely.

Negotiations with Dylan

While Bob Dylan had agreed to perform in concert, he did not want his appearance filmed because he feared it would detract from his own film project Renaldo and Clara. Warner Bros. had agreed to finance the filming of The Last Waltz with the understanding that Dylan would be involved in the film and soundtrack. Backstage negotiations took place during an intermission.

Robertson assured Dylan that the concert film's release would be delayed until after his film, and with that Dylan relented and agreed to be filmed. Promoter Bill Graham was also involved in the talks. "Somebody working with Bob said 'We're not filming this.' And Bill just said, 'Get out of here, or I'll kill you'," Robertson is quoted in the liner notes of the 2002 album re-issue as saying, "It all worked out."

According to Scorsese, Dylan made the stipulation that only two of his songs could be filmed: "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" and "Forever Young". "When Dylan got on stage, the sound was so loud, I didn't know what to shoot," Scorsese later recalled. "Bill Graham was next to me shouting, 'Shoot him! Shoot him! He comes from the same streets as you. Don't let him push you around.' Fortunately, we got our cues right and we shot the two songs that were used in the film."

Drug use

Scorsese has admitted that during this period, he was using cocaine heavily. Drugs were present in large quantities during the concert. Backstage, a room was painted white and decorated with noses from plastic masks while an audio tape of sniffing noises played in the background. A large blob of cocaine hanging from Neil Young's nose was edited out in post-production through rotoscoping.

Post-concert production

Following the concert, Scorsese filmed for several days on an MGM studio soundstage, with The Band, The Staple Singers and Emmylou Harris. The Band's performance of "The Weight" with The Staple Singers was included in the film instead of the concert version. The Band and Harris performed "Evangeline", which was also included in the film. Interviews with group members were conducted by Scorsese at The Band's Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California. Additionally, Robertson composed The Last Waltz Suite, parts of which were used as a film score.

Due to Scorsese's commitments to work on New York, New York and another documentary, American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince, the film's release was delayed until 1978.

During the editing process, Scorsese and Robertson became friends, and frequently collaborated on further projects, with Robertson acting as music producer and consultant on Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Departed and Shutter Island.

Critical reception

The film has been hailed critically, listed among the greatest concert films. Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Wilmington calls it "the greatest rock concert movie ever made – and maybe the best rock movie, period." Terry Lawson of the Detroit Free Press comments that "This is one of the great movie experiences." Total Film considers it "the greatest concert film ever shot." On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 97% (fresh) rating with just one negative review out of 37 total, from Janet Maslin of The New York Times. She states that it "articulates so little of the end-of-an-era feeling it hints at ... that it's impossible to view The Last Waltz as anything but an also-ran." Music critic Robert Christgau gives the soundtrack a "B+", saying "the movie improves when you can't see it." He praises the blues numbers by Muddy Waters and Paul Butterfield, the horn arrangements by Allen Toussaint, and the "blistering if messy" guitar duet by Robertson and Eric Clapton.

Criticism by Levon Helm

Levon Helm, in his 1993 autobiography This Wheel's on Fire, expresses serious reservations about Scorsese's handling of the film, claiming that Scorsese and Robbie Robertson (who produced the film) conspired to make The Band look like Robbie Robertson's sidemen. He states that Robertson, who is depicted singing powerful backing vocals, was actually singing into a microphone that was turned off throughout most of the concert (a typical practice during their live performances), and that, except for his drums and vocals, all of the soundtrack was overdubbed.

He complains about Manuel's and Hudson's minimal screen time, such as when Manuel sings during the closing number "I Shall Be Released", but Manuel is hidden behind the phalanx of guest performers. There are several shots catching Ronnie Hawkins looking around but not singing, yet Manuel remains invisible. However, during the same segment, in the background, it appears that a cameraman is attempting to get a shot of Manuel at the piano but gives up due to technical problems or the impossibility of the shot.

Helm went as far as saying that Last Waltz was "the biggest fuckin' rip-off that ever happened to The Band," citing that they never received any money for the various home videos, DVDs and soundtracks released by Warner Bros. after the project.

DVD release

For the concert's 25th anniversary in 2002, the film was remastered and a new theatrical print was made for a limited release to promote the release of the DVD and four-CD box set of the film soundtrack. It opened in San Francisco's Castro Theatre, with the release later expanded to 15 theaters.

The DVD features a commentary track by Robertson and Scorsese, a featurette, Revisiting The Last Waltz, and a gallery of images from the concert, the studio filming and the film premiere. A bonus scene is footage of "Jam #2", which is cut short because they had run out of replacement sound sychronizers for the cameras after ten hours of continuous filming.

The original 2002 DVD release was packaged as a "special edition." In addition to the extra features on the disc, the Amaray case came in a foil-embossed cardboard sleeve, and inside was an eight-page booklet, featuring a five-page essay by Robertson entitled "The End of a Musical Journey." Also included was a US$5 rebate coupon for the four-CD box set. In 2005, the DVD was re-issued with different artwork and stripped of the outer foil packaging, inner booklet and coupon; the disc's contents remained unchanged.

In 2006, The Last Waltz was among the first 20 titles released in Sony's high definition Blu-ray DVD format. The soundtracks on the Blu-ray release consist of an uncompressed 5.1 Linear PCM track, a very high fidelity format, and a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The external description on the box for the Blu-ray disc that lists DTS Master Audio as one of the available audio soundtracks is in error.

Albums

The original soundtrack album was a three-LP album released on April 16, 1978 (later as a two-disc CD). It has many songs not in the film, including "Down South in New Orleans" with Bobby Charles and Dr. John on guitar, "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" by Van Morrison, "Life is a Carnival" by The Band, and "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" by Bob Dylan.

In 2002, a four-CD box set was released, as was a DVD-Audio edition. Robbie Robertson produced the album, remastering all the songs. The set includes 16 previously unreleased songs from the concert, as well as takes from rehearsals. Among the additions are Louis Jordan's "Caldonia" by Muddy Waters, the concert version of "The Weight", "Jam #1" and "Jam #2" in their entirety, and extended sets with Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.

The soundtrack recordings underwent post-concert production featuring heavy use of overdubbing and re-sequencing. Bootleg collectors have circulated an original line recording of the concert as a more accurate and complete document of the event. It includes songs not available in the film or the official album releases, including "Georgia on My Mind", "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)", the complete "Chest Fever" and the live version of "Evangeline."

Performers

The Band

* Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, vocals
* Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, vocals
* Garth Hudson – organ, piano, accordion, synthesizers, soprano saxophone
* Richard Manuel – piano, organ, drums, clavinet, dobro, vocals
* Robbie Robertson – guitar, piano, vocals

Horn section

* Rich Cooper – trumpet, flugelhorn
* James Gordon – flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet
* Jerry Hey – trumpet, flugelhorn
* Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass clarinet
* Charlie Keagle – clarinet, flute, saxophone
* Tom Malone – trombone, euphonium, alto flute
* Larry Packer – electric violin
* Horns arranged by Henry Glover, Garth Hudson, Howard Johnson, Tom Malone, John Simon and Allen Toussaint

Other musicians

* Bob Margolin – guitar (Muddy Waters)
* Dennis St. John – drums (Neil Diamond)
* John Simon – piano on "Tura Lura Lural" & "Georgia On My Mind"

Guests

* Paul Butterfield – harmonica, vocals
* Bobby Charles – vocals
* Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
* Neil Diamond – guitar, vocals
* Dr. John – piano, guitar, congas, vocals
* Bob Dylan – guitar, vocals
* Bill Graham – master of ceremonies
* Emmylou Harris – acoustic guitar, vocals
* Ronnie Hawkins – vocals
* Joni Mitchell – acoustic guitar, vocals
* Van Morrison – vocals
* Pinetop Perkins – piano, vocals
* Carl Radle – bass
* Cleotha Staples – backing vocals
* Mavis Staples – vocals
* Roebuck "Pops" Staples – guitar, vocals
* Yvonne Staples – backing vocals
* Ringo Starr – drums
* Stephen Stills – guitar
* Muddy Waters – vocals
* Ronnie Wood – guitar
* Neil Young – guitars, harmonica, vocals

In popular culture

* Filmmaker Maziar Bahari selected The Last Waltz among his top ten classics from the history of documentary for screening at the 2007 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

* Craig Finn and lead guitarist Tad Kubler developed the idea of The Hold Steady when, while watching The Band concert film The Last Waltz, Finn asked Kubler, "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?"

Wikipedia