The Last Waltz

In the late 1960s, The Band achieved notoriety as Bob Dylan's backup group, but later rose to fame touring with their own music. The culmination was their 1976 farewell concert in San Francisco, the subject of this classic film directed by Martin Scorsese. "This film should be played loud" is the director's advice at the beginning of this two-hour documentary, and 30 years later, those words still ring true. Most of the film is a direct recording of the concert, during which a choice selection of famous guest musicians adds lustre to The Band's final stage dance: from Neil Young ("Thank you for having me"), Neil Diamond and Joni Mitchell, to Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. Utilising numerous camera angles, Scorsese manages to capture every facial expression and guitar movement in long, panning shots. He switches between the concert to studio recordings and interviews he conducted with band members at Shangri-La, their "home base." The members - Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson - provide lots of anecdotes, as well as a good reason to quit after 16 years: so as not to end up like other famous musicians who have burned out and faded away.