Pink Floyd: The Wall (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
by Alan Parker
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DVD details
Actor: Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, Eleanor David, James Laurenson, Kevin McKeonDirector: Alan Parker
Brand: CMV
Cinematographer: Peter Biziou
Editor: Gerry Hambling
Producer: Alan Marshall
Producer: Garth Thomas
Producer: Stephen O'Rourke
Writer: Roger Waters
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony
DVD Reviews of Pink Floyd: The Wall (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
DVD Review: Bad Film of a Great Album
Summary: 3 Stars
Pink Floyd is one of the greatest musical artists ever and The Wall one of the all-time best albums. Making the epic rock opera into a film was near-inevitable, but the result was unfortunately less than ideal. It could have been done several ways - as a concert film, a straight movie, a musical, or some combination. Unfortunately, it really did none of these, instead simply playing the music over dialogue-free live action scenes mixed with animation - essentially a long music video before music videos were common. It is thus historically important for prefiguring the MTV crazy by a few years as well as starring the soon to be world famous Bob Geldof, but the film is a failure as both adaptation and on its own terms by any reasonable standard. It was eviscerated by many critics, though some, including Roger Ebert, continue to champion it; the film's reputation seems to keep growing, and it has achieved a cult following. Meanwhile, it remains hotly debated by fans; many, including me, loathe it, and even Roger Waters, the album's architect, calls it "deeply flawed." However, it has defenders, especially among those favoring Waters-heavy Floyd. All fans should watch it at least once to make up their own mind, and the DVD's generous extras are enough to entice even those who have already seen it, but non-fans should stay far, far away.
Again, I strongly urge all fans to watch, but I will say why the film disappointed me greatly. First I will focus on what is good, as this is very little. Most obviously and notably, a post-"I Don't Like Mondays", pre-Live Aid Geldof does a surprising strong job - which is important in that he is onscreen the vast majority of the time and indeed nearly the only actor. There are also a few good scenes, notably the fascist rallies and segments of young Pink roaming a battle-scarred countryside. The film also does a convincing job of portraying gradual insanity and gives an interesting, if perhaps not really accurate, inside look at the rock lifestyle's most extreme side. And of course the music is great, but there is nothing different from the album other than a few minor mix changes, a couple of well-done Geldof vocals, and the pedestrian "When the Tigers Broke Free" since released on multiple Floyd albums.
Now for the bad, which is virtually everything else. The main problem is format; the nature of The Wall makes it easy to see why the filmmakers would not have wanted a straight concert film, though the associated tour was probably the most lavish and visually spectacular ever undertaken. Yet the poor product we get makes this highly regrettable, and the fact that a Wall tour video has still not come out is truly criminal. On the other hand, successfully adapting it to a straight film would probably have been impossible, though it could seemingly have hardly been worse. A musical may have been best; I and many others find them inherently corny, but it again could hardly have failed to equal this. What we get is truly lamentable - a music video that goes on far too long. The concept is probably inherently flawed, but execution is poor even so. With a few minor exceptions, the album is played straight through, and the film ostensibly acts it out. This could perhaps have been done at least decently, but the result is simply atrocious. Perhaps the most fundamental problem here is that this is an "in" movie to a fault; no one unfamiliar with the album could possibly follow it. The execution is so bad that even the fact of the album playing along to it hardly helps. This is of course irrelevant to fans, but even they should realize how deep of a flaw this is. The problem is mainly due to a bizarre lack of synchronization; the famous Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz sync almost works better despite being unintentional. Many scenes do a very inadequate job of conveying accompanying songs' emotions or even basic sense. Some - e.g., "Young Lust" - even flatly contradict them. Added elements - such as the infamous rat - are even worse. Perhaps sensing this, the filmmakers threw in seemingly at random an array of sexual imagery and violence without even bothering to connect it. Even scenes that would have seemed nearly impossible to ruin - like that accompanying the "Happiest Days of Our Lives" line "their fat and psychopathic wives would thrash them within inches of their lives," which practically anyone could have made hilarious - fall disastrously flat. Waters clearly saw much of this, refusing to allow the reel accompanying "Hey You" to stand; we thus lose one of the album's best songs. Unfortunately, much of the footage was used elsewhere where it does not even remotely fit. Waters also points out another major flaw - in contrast to the album, the film has no humor; even scenes accompanying songs like "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" and "The Trial," which are funny on the album, lack it. However, to me, the biggest problem is Gerald Scarfe's animation, which takes up nearly twenty minutes. Strangely, many disagree; some think it the highlight or even the only strength. In my view, though, it is simply stupid beyond measure; the animations are amateurish and the execution shoddy. It rarely has any real connection to the music, and transitions between it and live action are shockingly jerky. The few high points do not nearly compensate for such disastrously fatal flaws, making this in my view not only perhaps the worst rock-related film ever - which of course says much - but one of the worst ever period.
The many extras thankfully make the DVD somewhat more worthwhile; even those who have seen the film previously and hate it as much as me may be intrigued. They include a documentary made at the time that consists mostly of filmmaker interviews and a longer later documentary. The contrast is interesting; the infamous tensions that surrounded the film are clear in the first documentary but mostly gone in the later, letting those involved reflect more objectively. Even more interesting is the contrast between the always brutally honest Waters and the rest, all of whom seem to think they made a masterpiece. There are also several minor extras, including deluxe packaging overseen by longtime Floyd designer Storm Thorgerson. Whether or not all this makes the DVD worth purchasing for those who have already seen the film is of course a very open question.
Fans who have not seen this should watch, if only to say they have, while others should avoid it at all costs unless feeling unusually masochistic. Nothing will save the film, but it did well at the box office, and DVD sales continue to be strong, showing just how far a great album can carry a bad movie.
Description of Pink Floyd: The Wall (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
No description available for this title.Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 01/25/05
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve
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