Robbie Robertson names his favourite filmmakers of all time
Robbie Robertson is a legend of the game, and his contributions to popular culture speak for themselves. Musician, producer, actor and author, the man is a polymath in every sense of the word, and since he first broke onto the scene in the 1960s, he has been an ever-present, consistently delivering quality, something that cannot be said for many of his contemporaries.
The most notable feature of Robertson’s career is his work with Canadian-American legends The Band. They started life as Bob Dylan’s backing group, The Hawks, before their fateful trip to a cabin affectionately known as Big Pink in upstate New York changed everything.
The result of the recording sessions at the countryside residence became the now-iconic album Music from Big Pink. After the record was released, Robertson’s life and everybody else’s would never be the same again. The album made Robertson and his bandmates Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson five of the most revered musicians of their day, and the future would be incredibly bright.
The Band were so cherished that their last performance was documented by auteur du jour Martin Scorsese in 1976 and released as the 1978 concert film The Last Waltz. One of the genre’s ultimate movies, it marvellously captured one of the most extraordinary acts of all time’s final show, complete with a host of all-stars such as Joni Mitchell and Ringo Starr, but it also showed a candid side to Robertson and The Band.
The Last Waltz tied The Band and film together forevermore, and since then, Robertson has gradually ingratiated himself more in the industry. Whether it be acting in films such as 1980’s Carny or producing the music for Martin Scorsese titles like Raging Bull, The King of Comedy or the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon, Robertson has added a lot to the world of cinema, providing yet another reason to love him.
A true fan of movies, he has been more than happy to discuss his thoughts on the form over the years. “I thought that if I hadn’t gotten addicted to music at such a young age and thrown myself into it 100 per cent, I would have ended up being a screenwriter or filmmaker of some kind,” he told Long Island Weekly in 2020.
Robertson continued: “The idea of movies that could tell a story and make you part of it. What really pushed my button was film noir. I was so drawn to the look, the vibe and again, to the danger. That drew me in and it’s when I became dedicated and addicted to movies. I just kept going deeper and deeper until I was finally checking out [Akira] Kurosawa and [Federico] Fellini. The I wanted to know more about [Ingmar] Bergman and [Luis] Buñuel and on and on. And of course before that, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles, John Ford and all of these tremendous American film directors”.
Well, luckily for us, in that same interview, Robertson was kind enough to list his favourite filmmakers of all time, and he listed some of the all-time greats, including Orson Welles and John Ford. Of the Citizen Kane and A Touch of Evil director and star Orson Welles, he said: “I don’t argue with anybody who says Citizen Kane is so incredible. I agree 100 per cent. How did Orson Welles have the guts, mental capacity, writing ability and where to put the camera. Holy [crap].”
Robertson then turned his attention to John Ford, the master of the Western, whose CV boasts titles such as Stagecoach and The Searchers. The former member of The Band was quick to explain that he has “mixed feelings” about Westerns but noted that Ford’s realistic films are different from the stereotypical ones that were once so popular.
He said of Ford: “I have very mixed feelings about westerns. Just because of the stereotypical and ridiculous ways that Native Americans were portrayed. That was tricky swallowing that. But then Marty [Scorsese] convinced me to just look at the filmmaking. In these movies, it’s not the message. It’s literally just a trip. His filmmaking style, these characters and all of this stuff—because The Searchers—it’s tough, because it’s a racist movie. John Wayne plays a hardcore racist in it. And he plays it well (laughs), which was worrisome.”
Find Robertson’s complete list below.
Robbie Robertson’s favourite filmmakers:
- Michael Powell
- Emeric Pressburger
- Orson Welles
- John Ford
- Luis Buñuel
- Martin Scorsese
Saving the best for last, Robertson’s list would not be complete without mentioning his friend and longtime collaborator, Martin Scorsese. He said: “I think Marty is one of my favourite filmmakers of all time. I just think that he is so learned in his craft and his instincts for music are phenomenal. So I don’t know if it gets much better than that.”
