The Last Dance and The Last Waltz

A few things I've watched recently that might be of interest...

The Last Dance (2020)

If basketball was your thing in the 90s - and especially if you followed Michael Jordan and the Bulls teams of that era - "The Last Dance" is a 10 part documentary from ESPN that follows that team throughout their two three-peat runs. It's extremely well done, interviewing all the people involved now, with the benefit of hindsight and the benefit of so much time elapsing that they can speak freely about what was really going down. The main focus of the series is the last season the Bulls were all together (1997-1998) but in each episode it will flip between the "present" and the "past" so that eventually the entire era will be covered.

The split timeline is a little disorienting but I get it, it allows for more of the "cliffhanger", "let's make them binge watch it" style that keeps you wanting more.

Extremely interesting, highly recommended.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (2019)

Apparently there's a "new" documentary about The Band and it flew under my radar until now. This is another Martin Scorcese project and, therefore, focuses a great deal on Robbie Robertson rather than treating the group equally. You might say the documentary is about the entire band but from Robbie's perspective.

After "The Last Waltz", my knee-jerk reaction to Robbie Robertson-centrism is to wince but, after all, the book "This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band" and the documentary "Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm" told other sides of the story so it's only fair to get Robbie's.

A lot of time is spent on the relationship between Robertson and Levon Helm - how they were closer than brothers back in the day but then grew apart, eventually turning into something approaching enemies. This is, again Robbie, telling his side, justifying himself. The problem with Robbie's perspective, though - and this documentary - is that he's struggling to grasp Levon's point of view and then and then arguing against his own vague theories. This makes his arguments seem disingenuous, at best.

Why would you not read Levon's book, or watch his documentary, or read the articles where you can get specific quotes, the thoughts stated by Levon himself and respond to those? We live in the age of the printed word and have lived there for hundreds of years. Let's get Robertson's side, sure, but how much more valuable would the documentary be if it provided an exchange of ideas between Robbie and Levon that neither got in their lifetimes?

As it is, the film leaves the conflict to everyone's imagination. "Oh, there are two sides to history and who can say who is right and who is wrong?, etc." And it will probably stay that way forever. There may be a hint though in the fact that, as long as we're forced into the realm of imagination, we have to wonder why it appears one side is dodging the issue.

In the end, I don't know who's right or wrong or even where the gray area stops. My head tends to think Robertson may be right but my heart is still with Levon and the rest of the band. Overall, a well-made documentary worth watching if you're interested. The music and video footage are amazing.