The Last Waltz (Special Edition)
Product Details | Similar Products | Customer Reviews | Starring: ~ Robbie Robertson, Muddy Waters Neil Young Van Morrison Neil Diamond List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $10.99 You Save: $3.99 (27%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours  |
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 | Product Details: Studio: MGM Region: 1 Rating:   Sales Rank: 774 | | Look for similar DVDs by genre: | | Customers who bought this item also bought: | | Customer Reviews: Love The Band, but the flaws in this film - and DVD version - can't be ignored (20 August 2010)Let me just preface that I am a huge fan of The Band. I always preferred them to bands like Grateful Dead. Levon Helm's voice came straight out of the smoky, Civil War-era hills. While this movie looks good and sounds good, the abundance of post-gig doctoring (overdubs) hampers this document, in my book. Watch the left hand of the late, great bassist Rick Danko (RIP) during the Eric Clapton song - the shot where Danko is left (closest to the camera), with Robertson in the middle and Clapton on the right (background). Danko's hand (both of them, actually) don't match the sound. According to Levon Helm, the film was riddled with overdubs, but not by Helm. In Helm's autobiography, he talks about how he refused to record overdubs for his drumming and his voice for the movie. While I'm sure that much of the soundtrack is live, there's a good portion that isn't (much of it is evidenced by Danko's hands; curiously, Robertson's back or side is aimed at the camera for some of his soloing, too, which might raise some suspicion, although his frontal shots seem live), and for a musician, watching their hands not matching up to the sonics, well, it's a flaw that dampens the experience. I know almost every live album and DVD has some post-production tampering, but "The Last Waltz" has too many blatant examples. And speaking of the visuals, what is up with this DVD version's crop job? Originally, Scorsese's film crew, despite all the coke, did a pretty decent job of framing the musicians with the cameras, although now the fake letterboxing mat (black bars slapped onto the top and bottom of an already cropped, if not completely pan-and-scan/full-frame image, render Danko's bass and Robertson's guitar invisible for way too long. Here's hoping that a true widescreen version of this - and Pink Floyd's "Live at Pompeii" - is reissued on DVD, with the full film negative image on the disc. Again, I love The Band. They - and The Band's fans - a DVD reissue done right. :) The Last Waltz/Blu-Ray (11 August 2010)Simply superb in every respect. I was not ready for the film quality...it is so good. The audio quality is extremely good even with multiple singers/instruments competing for your attention. My home theater room/components let this group and guest performers put on a final performance worth watching over and over. If you love great music and great performances, you are missing a treat by not adding this disc to your music/concert library. Video Commemorates the End of An Age of Music (03 August 2010)One of my favorite movies, the Last Waltz is the perfect blend of live recorded concert footage and interviews with The Band. Scorsese pulls it all together masterfully and the soundtrack is a must have. Artists such as Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Van Morrison, The Staple Singers, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and others join The Band for their final concert tour with amazing live and pre-recorded sets performing The Band's core songlist as well as the other artists material. A great concert and a great movie. If you enjoy the music of this era, then you should consider purchasing this film (and the soundtrack too). Blue Ray? HD? (18 June 2010)I already have a dvd in my collection for this excellent concert. I purchased the blue-ray version expecting superior quality in picture and sound. No deal. Simply take a look of the interview of Robbie Robertson by Scorsese and you'll find there's no difference with the regular version of dvd. Why bother, I mean the folks who put this blue-ray together? The Last Waltz (01 June 2010)I had borrowed this DVD from a friend, but only got around to watching it months later. After viewing it, I knew that I wanted a copy for myself and also ordered one for my son, since I knew he would enjoy seeing all those old rock stars at a much younger age. Plus the music is great. |
