At first, the viewer sees nothing but a blank screen and hears only the voices of Rick Danko, Martin Scorsese and another member of the film crew as they run through a first take, Danko manages to only utter one word "cutthroat"
The Last Waltz dragged on. With the concert wrapped and filming complete at the MGM soundstage, Martin Scorsese wanted to now add a series of interviews to further contextualize the footage shot. With the go-ahead and more budget from the studio interviews were filmed.
Filming took place at The Band's clubhouse Shangri-La and most evenings didn't start until well after midnight. The goal was to reminisce about the “good old days” and play some instruments. It becomes quite evident through the various interviews littered between the concert footage, that much was being left unsaid. It’s no surprise at this point The Band minus Robertson was uneasy with the whole proposition. In exchange, we get a series of uneven interviews but enough to glean new information and explore the everchanging dynamics of The Band, their relationships with each other and the music.
Part of Panteon Podcasts
The Band: A History is produced, written and hosted by Tyrell William Lisson with additional research and writing by Alex McGillivray and post-production sound and editing by Michael Koehler.