TITLE: The Last Waltz
YEAR OF MOVIE RELEASE: 1978
CONCERT DATE: 25 November 1976
CONCERT VENUE: Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco
DISTRIBUTOR: United Artists
TAGLINE: “It started as a concert. It became a celebration.”
DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese
STARRING: The Band — Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson
FEATURING: Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison, The Staple Singers, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, Ringo Starr and Ron Wood
PRODUCER CREDIT ON POSTER: Robbie Robertson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jonathan Taplin
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Michael Chapman
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY CREDITED ON POSTER: László Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Boris Leven
FORMAT: One Sheet
GENRE: Music / Documentary / Concert Film
COLLECTOR’S NOTE
The Last Waltz documents The Band’s farewell concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on American Thanksgiving, 25 November 1976. Released as a film in 1978, it combines concert performances with interviews and separately filmed musical sequences.
Its extensive guest list connects rock, blues, folk and country performers, giving the poster relevance across several music collections. This design makes those names part of the principal attraction, presenting the event as a shared celebration rather than focusing on a single star photograph. The distinction between the 1976 concert and the 1978 film release is useful when cataloguing related memorabilia.
POSTER DESIGN FEATURES
Oversized white serif lettering stacks THE LAST WALTZ across a dark brown-purple background. Sweeping decorative flourishes extend beneath the title, giving the typography an elegant, flowing character.
A small white illustration of five musicians taking a bow sits below the title. The minimal imagery allows the lettering and performer credits to dominate, creating a distinctive alternative to photographic concert-poster designs.
The italic phrases “It Started as a Concert” and “It Became a Celebration” frame the lower performer lists. White production credits, the Dolby Stereo mark and United Artists emblem complete the design, surrounded by a broad white border. An NRC classification marking appears beside the title flourish.