It’s finally happening. If you’re a fan of cinema, you probably own a few Criterion Collection film remasters and understand the significance of a new UHD 4K release of The Last Waltz which will be available in March 2022.
There’s no question that Criterion releases are expensive but the level of work that goes into each release makes many of them must-own films. I started buying Criterion Collection laserdiscs in 1989 and my collection has grown to over 300 titles and every month is like a trip to the candy store for movie aficionados. Criterion usually has a huge 30% sale in December so the timing of this couldn’t be better if you’re looking for Christmas/Chanukah gifts this year. The 30% discount applies to pre-sale titles like this one.
More than just one of the greatest concert films ever made, The Last Waltz is an at once ecstatic and elegiac summation of a vital era in American rock music. Invited to document the farewell performance of the legendary group the Band at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving, 1976, Martin Scorsese conceived a new kind of music documentary.
Enlisting seven camera operators (including renowned cinematographers Vilmos Zsigmond, László Kovács, and Michael Chapman) and art director Boris Leven to design the strikingly theatrical sets, Scorsese created a grandly immersive experience that brings viewers onstage and inside the music itself.
That music—as performed by the Band and a host of other generation-defining artists, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, the Staple Singers, Muddy Waters, and Neil Young—lives on as an almost religious expression of the transcendent possibilities of rock and roll.
Director-Approved Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by musician Robbie Robertson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Alternate uncompressed stereo soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries, featuring director Martin Scorsese; Robertson; other members of the Band; members of the production crew; and performers Dr. John, Ronnie Hawkins, and Mavis Staples
- New interview with Scorsese, conducted by critic David Fear
- Documentary from 2002 about the making of the film
- Outtakes
- Interview from 1978 with Scorsese and Robertson
- Trailer and TV spot
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Amanda Petrusich
For more information and to pre-order a copy: The Last Waltz
