Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Blu-ray Movie Review

80% Canadian, 100% American.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 11, 2020

Roots rock pioneers The Band carved out an astonishing path in less than 20 years with original members Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson. They started as a backing band for influential Canadian rock-and-roller Ronnie Hawkins (as "The Hawks") in 1958, later forming an alliance with Bob Dylan in the mid-1960s. After extensive touring with Dylan, whose fans weren't happy to hear he'd gone electric, they eventually "went solo" and changed their name. After the release of their groundbreaking 1968 debut album Music from Big Pink (original songs, covers, and some material penned by Dylan, composed in a gaudy pink house in Woodstock, NY), The Band began a near-decade run of commercial success and critical acclaim, influencing the likes of Eric Clapton, The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, George Harrison, Elvis Costello, and Led Zeppelin.

Writer/director Daniel Roher's new documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment, takes look at that era with the benefit of hindsight, told largely from the perspective of the titular Band member (who served as primary songwriter, although the group was famous for not having a true front man). Featuring recent interviews with Eric Clapton, Bruce Springstreen, Martin Scorsese (who executive produced, along with at least a dozen others), Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, David Geffen, and other members of The Band [from the archives], Once Were Brothers covers the early years all the way to their final stage performance together, filmed by Scorsese for inclusion in his seminal 1978 concert film The Last Waltz.

Based on the title, it's clear that Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band mostly glosses over everything that happens musically after The Last Waltz -- primarily Robertson's solo work and the four other original members continuing without him, which included several tours and three studio albums released during the 1990s. After the climax of that final concert, Once Were Brothers ends on a somewhat bittersweet note: regrets from Robertson about not making more music together, a bitter feud started by Levon Helm over songwriting credits (fueled by The Last Waltz, exacerbated by his scathing 1993 autobiography This Wheel's on Fire, and not amicably resolved before Helm's 2012 death), and the premature passing of other original members Richard Manuel (1986) and Rick Danko (1999), the latter of which cemented The Band's official end. This gives Once Were Brothers an unavoidably incomplete vibe, and one that might turn off die-hard fans who already know more history than the film presents.

Nonetheless, Once Were Brothers feels like a largely celebratory affair: a heartfelt retrospective of two dramatic eras in music history, with the obvious disclaimer that any 100-minute documentary can't cover all the bases of a 20-year journey -- and at the very least, this film does deliver pretty much everything it promises in the title. Though it disappointingly contains no bonus features (not even deleted scenes), Magnolia Entertainment's Blu-ray has strong A/V credentials and currently sits at a shockingly low price on Amazon at the time of this review. That alone makes Once Were Brothers a pretty solid impulse buy, even though everything's over and done with inside of two hours.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Documentaries are always tricky to evaluate due to their typically wide assortment of source footage, but Once Were Brothers does almost everything right. Newer interview clips are very crisp with terrific colors and textures, as well as deep black levels and good contrast thanks to careful lighting. The same goes for many still photos, at least depending on whether or not they were professionally shot. As expected the older material is a bit harder to evaluate, running the gamut from 8mm and 16mm film to videotape and perhaps three or four other analog formats -- I think I even spotted a few kinescope clips along the way. The filmed footage fares well with strong grain levels that haven't been smoothed over with heavy noise reduction, although plenty of dirt and debris has been left untouched. Aspect ratio-wise, Once Were Brothers is even more of a mixed bag: many stills and clips retain their original shape, while others are zoomed in and occasionally "sweetened" with background images (scrapbook templates, etc.) and other such decorations. Overall, this is a quality 1080p transfer that's right in line with most modern mid-budget documentaries.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio is more consistent but can only do so much; after all, it's mostly comprised of talking head interview clips with vintage pop cuts carefully mixed in. As a result all front three channels are dominated by speech: stereo for the newer talking heads and select performances, with older clips either being right in the center or split evenly between the left and right channels. Concert footage pulled from The Last Waltz sounds very similar to MGM's Blu-ray with tight bass and a much more dynamic and powerful front presence that spills into the rears. Stray bits of "studio" footage (whether professional or home recordings) likewise creeps into the background, while those classic pop cuts added as background music effectively "blanket" the viewer -- these are obviously the standouts, and any die-hard fans of The Band will enjoy their solid dynamic range and great fidelity. Overall, it's a straightforward but nonetheless very effective surround track. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature; these are formatted nicely and, like the audio mix, don't suffer from any obvious sync issues or defects.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a keepcase with no inserts. Zero extras are included, which is disappointing.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Once Were Brothers doesn't break the mold for modern musical documentaries but, like its subject, is durable and well put-together. The wealth of vintage photos and clips -- or the story, to be honest -- may not be new to die-hard fans, although they'll still appreciate the stroll down memory lane. That said, it'll probably be more enjoyable for outsiders or casual fans, even those whose parents (or grandparents?) grew up on The Band, lead songwriter Robbie Robertson, or associated acts like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. Magnolia's Blu-ray is a very strong movie-only disc with solid A/V credentials and its extremely low current price makes this a great blind buy. Highly recommended!