Well, I got myself the Region 1 import edition of Martin Scorcese's 1978 film "The Last Waltz". For those of you who don't know, it's a film of The Band's final concert at San Francisco in 1976. Robbie Roberton, the egotistical guitarist and chief songwriter had decided, after sixteen years on the road, to call it quits and invite a few famous friends to play alongside The Band at a farewell show.

All the perormances caught on film (35mm, no less - the concert was the first to be shot in it) are top-knotch, the best being The Band's own pieces - Up On Cripple Creek, The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down are almost tear-jerkingly brilliant (as is their cover of Marvin Gaye's funky Dont Do It). Other goodies include Van Morrison's Caravan, Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy, Bob Dylan's wistful Forever Young, Neil Young's Helpless and Joni Mitchell's Cayote.

Punctuating the concert footage are interview segments - obviously dominated by Robertson with his self-mythologicising tales of life on the road. It is in these interviews that you can sense some friction between him and the rest of his bandmates. The story has it that the other members of The Band didn't want to quit just yet and were pissed off at Robertson for throwing in the towel - Levon Helm, the drummer (who to this day hates Robertson), comes across as bitter and resentful; Organist Garth Hudson is, as always, a brilliant man of few words; the late pianist Richard Manuel came across as too tired/drunk/stoned to give anything resembling a legible answer; the late bassist Rick Danko was also out of his mind, yet in better shape. But all in all, this behind-the-scenes soap opera adds another dimension to the movie and only increases the viewer's appreciation of it as a document of what an amazing group The Band were and of how it could all fall to pieces in the end. Of course, the Band would later regroup without Robbie, but their new music would never reach the heights of their seminal first pair of albums - the ethereal, rootsy "Music From The Big Pink" and the splendid Americana of "The Band (Brown Album)".

The Region 1 import has some juicy extras:

- 2 Commentary tracks, the first featuring Robertson and Scorcese (though not together), the second Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, producer John Simon, friends, guests, crew and journalists (including Greil Marcus). Both are really nice and imformative, and both parties have their own interesting behind-the-scenes stories to tell.

- A 20-minute "Making Of" starring Robbie Robertson and Martin Scorcese, which after viewing their commentary, comes across as extraneous, but still quite good in its own right.

- Outtake footage - this is a 12-minute after-show jam featuring members of The Band and guests. Pretty damn good, if viewed in moderation.

- Period-piece trailers - interesting, to say the least

- Photo Gallery (self-explanatory)

So, in conclusion, whether you're a fan of The Band or a lover of good ole rock 'n' roll, The Last Waltz is a must have for the DVD collection.