The Band: The Last Waltz

When Martin Scorcese's The Last Waltz was released 30 years ago, it was ballyhooed as the greatest concert film ever created. With little competition emerging in this fledging genre, the superlative was well deserved. Thirty years and dozens of "rockumentaries" later, The Last Waltz retains its title as the greatest of all time. The insight fans have gained after repeated viewings makes the rock doc even more poignant as a glimpse into the romanticized days of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, shot by a man determined to portray his leading man with the same swagger and panache as a matinee idol. Scorcese captures the final, 1976 concert from The Band at San Francisco's Winterland theatre. The group that had previously been known as Bob Dylan's backup lackeys had spent the past decade emerging as prominent voices in their own... [read full story]