A confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band.
In the ’60s my musical tastes shifted gears from Motown to the British invaders, namely The Beatles and The Stones. But I always loved folk music; belting out Dylan tunes at the summer camp I attended in Upstate New York. In the summer of ’68, the debut album by The Band, Music from the Big Pink was released; an exquisite fusion of rock, folk, country and a little bit of blues thrown in for good measure. I was captivated! I appropriated the album from my boyfriend (now my husband and he’s since forgiven me) and listened to “The Weight” over and over and over again until I literally wore out the grooves in the vinyl. The song is still on my Top 10 list some 50 years later. I was delighted to learn that “Big Pink” – the house where The Band lived, wrote and recorded, was located in West Saugerties, New York, a mere hour away from my camp in Brewster.
“Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band” is a fascinating documentary, directed by Daniel Roher and based in part on Robbie Robertson’s compelling memoir ‘Testimony,” published in 2016. It was selected as the opening night film of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, the first time in its festival history that a Canadian documentary film was selected as its opening gala! And I admit, I had more than a little bit of trepidation about a 26-year-old directing a film about a rock legend. He wasn’t even born when the music was penned! But I needn’t have worried – Daniel Roher, a young Canadian filmmaker, had grown up loving their music having heard them for the first time through his parents. “I was instantly hooked,” he says.
“Once Were Brothers” is a journey down memory lane accompanied by Robbie Robertson and what an exquisite tour guide he is! I’m not surprised; Robertson is a natural-born storyteller, however, up until now, it’s only been witnessed in lyrical form. Which is why some are so critical of the film – the story of The Band is told solely through the eyes of Robertson. But that’s what documentary filmmaking is; a form of personal expression; a genre that “documents” reality. The rudimental component of a smart documentary is simply, the story. And at that skill, he is the master. Unfortunately, most of the band members are no longer around to weigh in from their perspective.
The film is exhaustingly comprehensive. Robertson’s total recall, his proclivity to speak well about everybody and attention to detail, sets the stage for the band’s pilgrimage and sense of brotherhood. He was clearly driven by his love of music and desire to create and not the seduction of money and fame. The interviews with rock royalty; Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison among others, weave marvelous stories that solidify The Band’s status in musical history.
So get out your bellbottoms and saunter on over to the theater and be prepared to go back to the ’60s if only for an hour or two. Listening to those familiar riffs will surely bring a smile to your face. You’ll feel compelled to watch Martin Scorsese’s jubilant documentary, “The Last Waltz,” celebrating The Band’s farewell concert. I did.
“Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band” opens on Friday, February 28th
at the Angelika Film Center in Plano and the Landmark’s Magnolia
