Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wall is a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Essential Floyd

Of all the efforts put in bt Pink Floyd, this is the one essential Roger Waters compilation. This product is a journey into madness. It's about the alienation he feels between the band and the fans. September 8, 2008

Sharing

I wanted to share this movie with my son who loves The Wall audio cd. He seems to appreciate it. June 30, 2008

A Classic

I have watched this 20 or more times over the last 25 years. I never grow bored with it. It was a soundtrack for my teenage alienation. Absolutely brilliant. June 20, 2008

sweet

Forget that the film is a classic. This is a favorite of mine for what comes with it, and the beautiful artwork on the discs...If your a Floydian Overlord then this is a must have or you can't pop bubbles backwards while standing, giggling and smiling, really trying to let go... June 1, 2008

I hate Pink Floyd, but I dig the movie

I have never liked Pink Floyd's music- You know, maybe 2 or 3 songs, but otherwise I can't stand them- However, this movie is really something special. It's creative, and it's mind boggling. I'd suggest picking it up just based on the fact of its trippy nature. Any fans of art/sci fi/sick stuff, will definitely enjoy this movie. So watch it. May 15, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...