Robbie Robertson says he's not slowing down as doc opens at TIFF

David Friend, The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, September 5, 2019 7:43PM EDT

TORONTO -- Robbie Robertson has spent more than half a century as one of Canada's most active musicians, earning him the privilege to take a load off.

But after a documentary about his career opened the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, he says that's definitely not happening.

In fact, the 76-year-old guitarist and film composer can rattle off an epic list of everything he's working on right now.

He recently finished a score for Martin Scorsese's gangster saga "The Irishman" set for release this year, his new album "Sinematic" comes out later this month and he's working on a second memoir that picks up where his 2016 book "Testimony" left off.

On top of that, he walked down the red carpet for the premiere of "Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band," a loving tribute to the hurdles and victories Robertson and his bandmates endured as they left their mark on music history. The film is executive produced by longtime friend Scorsese, who immortalized the Band in the 1978 concert film "The Last Waltz."

"You would think during a period like this, in this stage of my journey, I would be cruising a little bit and kicking back with a lemonade," Robertson says with a chuckle while sitting in a Toronto hotel room.

"I'm just not into that. I have to feel like I'm growing, learning and I'm still making discoveries."

Perhaps Robertson's thrill for new creative adventures draws from a life of unbelievable twists and turns. He started his music career as a teenager when rockabilly rebel Ronnie Hawkins enlisted him for his travelling band in the early 1960s. Later he defected with his bandmates to Bob Dylan's tour where they dodged irritated crowds who hadn't warmed to the acoustic folk singer's new electric phase.

"Once Were Brothers" recounts those unforgettable moments mostly from Robertson's perspective, leading to the formation of the Band, the influential act behind "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Fellow rock luminaries Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Van Morrison offer insight from their vantage point.

The movie arrives at TIFF during what's been a vibrant cinematic year for rock legends.

In the multiplexes, the story of Queen told in "Bohemian Rhapsody" racked up major box-office receipts and won Rami Malek a best actor Oscar as Freddie Mercury. And Taron Egerton was praised for playing Elton John in "Rocketman." There were also a few imaginative spins on music history with "Yesterday" reflecting on an alternate universe where the Beatles didn't exist, and "Blinded by the Light" finding inspiration in a tale of a Pakistani teenager growing up in 1980s London, England, set to the music of Springsteen.

At this year's TIFF, which runs until Sept. 15, the trend continues in documentary form. In addition to Robertson's story, there's "Western Stars," a film co-directed by Springsteen about the creation of his most recent album, and "David Foster: Off the Record," a reflection on Foster's multifaceted career.

Robertson has reflected on his role in the Band many times before, sometimes to the ire of his former bandmates. Levon Helm wrote in his 1993 memoir that Robertson took credit for more than his share of the songwriting efforts, leading to a rift between the two that lasted until Helm's death in 2012.

When Robertson was approached by a Canadian production company about a feature documentary based on his version of the events, he wanted a filmmaker who would bring a fresh perspective.

Among the contenders was Daniel Roher, a 24-year-old newcomer whose resume was stacked with memorable short films, but who hadn't proven himself in the full-length feature world. The Toronto-based director was an eager admirer of the Band, having already read Robertson's memoir front to back, which worked in his favour when Robertson selected him for the project.

The film presents the guitarist and songwriter as the hard-working creative centre of the Band who picked up the pieces when other members fell into drugs and alcohol addiction. Some of the details that might paint him in a lesser light are glossed over, including the Band's reunion tours that didn't involve Robertson.

"Once Were Brothers" is more interested in telling the story of a brotherhood that fell apart in the 1970s and never recovered.

Hollywood filmmaker Ron Howard, who served as executive producer, said the challenge of telling stories about real people is finding an entertaining narrative that still allows the filmmakers to look the subject in the eye after it's finished.

"Of course, it's an opinion, it's a point of view," he said at a press conference.

"Who knows what the truth is? It's your sense of it."

Beyond its subjects, "Once We Were Brothers" is already a piece of TIFF trivia history. It's the first Canadian documentary to open the festival since its creation in 1976.

That accomplishment alone has left Roher telling people it's a "dream come true" to be at TIFF, though he admits that's an understatement.

"I never dreamed my documentary would open TIFF," he said at a press conference.

"Anything is possible."

Robertson is already onto his next film with Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon," about members of the Osage Nation who discover oil in 1920s Oklahoma and start turning up dead shortly afterwards, leading the newly created Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the case.

He's also jotting down ideas for another new album.

But despite the flurry of new work on his plate, Robertson isn't saying farewell to the legacy of the Band either.

At least two projects are in early script stages based on his memoir. One would be a potential dramatic film, while the other is structured as a TV series. Robertson said he doesn't favour one storytelling approach over the other.

"If the right people do that right thing, magic happens," he says.

"It comes down to the talent, just about every time."

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