Martin Scorsese grew up listening to seminal rock DJ Alan Freed and from Mean Streets onward, his movies have been driven by the power of rock ’n’ roll. His love of music is innate and instinctual, so it was particularly fortuitous that when The Band decided to hang it up after seventeen years on the road, they chose Scorsese to film their farewell concert. From their beginnings in 1959 backing up Ronnie Hawkins, through the years with Bob Dylan, to a career on their own, The Band created an original style of rock music that drew from folk, country, gospel, and rhythm and blues. This last concert was held at Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving in 1976. The film intercuts the glorious music from one of the all-time great lineups with interviews with members of The Band as they talk with feeling about their lives and music. The Last Waltz is an elegiac masterpiece that captures a special moment in musical history.