This music documentary made movie featuring The Band and many other famous musical groups and performers was directed by legendary director Martin Scorcese….so, we thought we’d tell some things about Scorcese…..as the music speaks for itself.
Martin Scorsese is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film historian….whose career spans more than 50 years…..with a body of work that addresses such themes as Sicilian-American identity….Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption….faith….machismo….modern crime and gang conflict.
Martin Scorsese was part of the New Hollywood wave of film making….as he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinematic history. He is a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema….while having won an Academy Award….a Palme d’Or Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award Silver Lion….a Grammy Award….Emmys….Golden Globes….BAFTAs and DGA Awards.
He has directed works such as the crime film Mean Streets (1973)….the vigilante-thriller Taxi Driver (1976) ….the biographical sports drama Raging Bull (1980)….the black comedies The King of Comedy (1983), and AfterHours (1985)….the religious epic drama The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)….the crime film Goodfellas (1990)….the psychological thriller Cape Fear (1991)….and the crime film Casino(1995)….to which he collaborated on with actor and close friend Robert De Niro on several. Scorsese has also been noted for his successful collaborations with actor Leonardo DiCaprio….having directed him in five films such as Gangs of New York (2002) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)….while their third film together, The Departed (2006), won Scorsese the Academy Award for Best Director….in addition to the film winning the award for Best Picture. Their collaborations have resulted in numerous Academy Award nominations for both as well as them winning several other prestigious awards.
Scorsese’s other film work includes the biographical drama The Aviator (2004)….the psychological thriller Shutter Island (2010)….the historical adventure drama Hugo (2011)….and the religious epic Silence (2016). His work in television includes the pilot episodes of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl….the latter of which he also co-created. With eight Best Director nominations, he is the most nominated living director and is tied with Billy Wilder for the second-most nominations overall. As a fan of rock music….he has directed several documentaries on the subject including The Last Waltz (1978)….No Direction Home (2005)….Shine a Light (2008)….and George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011).
As seen in this video herewith….The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band….which was held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976 at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as The Band’s “farewell concert appearance” and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests including Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Wood, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Joni Mitchell, and The Staple Singers. The musical director for the concert was The Band’s original record producer, John Simon.
