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Townshend, The Who's principal composer and lead guitarist, about compiling a collection of film clips to provide a historical reference for the band's fans.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

Pattie Boyd Pictures

Recorded This Day: Rock of All Ages (1969)

Badfinger sessions featuring Paul McCartney on piano
September 18, 1969, IBC Studios, London
Producers: Mal Evans, Paul McCartney

Recorded This Day: Birthday (1968)

September 18, 1968, 5:00 PM - 4:30 AM, EMI Studio 2
Producer: Chris Thomas

RM1 - mixed September 19, 1968:


RS1 - mixed October 14, 1968:

Did John Lennon Believe in God?

For his answer in 1972, watch his response in the clip below:


"Not really, no. I think there's like a oneness or whatever it is, underlying energy or whatever the hell it is, and I just don't accept the religions."

Recorded This Day: I Will (1968)

September 16, 1968, 7:00 PM - 3:00 AM, EMI Studio 2
Producer: Chris Thomas

Take 1:


Take 19 ("Can You Take Me Back"):


Take 30 ("Down in Havana"):


Takes 34-36 ("Step Inside Love"/"Los Paranoias"/"The Way You Look Tonight"):

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