At the start of Martin Scorsese’s 1978 masterpiece The Last Waltz, the now iconic instruction THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD pops up in block capitals. It’s advice well worth taking.

What follows is nearly two hours of breathtaking performances by a who’s who of legends from the era, including The Band, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters and, for the finale, Bob Dylan.

The quality of the music, the elegance of the film itself, and its bumpy origin story make it arguably the greatest rock movie of all time.

The film, which is receiving a special showing 4k remastered showing this weekend at Cremorne’s Hayden Orpheum, chronicles the farewell performance on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, of The Band.

The group, a ragtag bunch of Canadians with a drummer from America’s Deep South, formed in the 1950s to back rockabilly wildman Ronnie Hawkins. Billed as The Hawks, for years they paid their dues in dive bars and roadhouses.

In 1966 The Hawks came to international attention as Bob Dylan’s backing combo during his notorious first electric tour. Then, after changing their name to The Band, they recorded several albums reasserting the primacy of organic American music at a time when psychedelia reigned.

Leader and songwriter Robbie Robertson penned a dozen or more classics, including The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Finally, in 1976, after almost two decades on the road, they decided to go out with a bang and film their final show.

Scorsese had been one of the cameramen at Woodstock and a student of the music. The notoriously meticulous director was behind schedule and over-budget on his quixotic take on the movie musical, New York, New York, with Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. Despite the fact the producers were hollering at him to finish that project, Scorsese secretly began work with Robertson on The Last Waltz.