Pink Floyd: The Wall
PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (15)
D: Alan Parker
MGM/Tin Blue/Goldcrest (Alan Marshall)
UK 1982
95 mins
Musical
W: Roger Waters [based on the rock album 'The Wall' by
Pink Floyd]
DP: Peter Biziou
Ed: Gerry Hambling
Mus: Roger Waters
PD: Brian Morris
Bob Geldof (Pink), Christine Hargreaves (Pink's Mother),
James Laurenson (Pink's Father), Eleanor David (Pink's Wife)
This is not a review on the Pink Floyd album, which I
personally think is a marvellous piece of work, filled with some of the greatest songs of all time.
The film of the album is an incredibly bizarre piece of
work, an attempt to recreate the album as a cinematic experience becomes a pretentious mess.
There's no coherent plot, just Bob Geldof sitting in a
hotel room, contemplating suicide and hallucinating weird visions whilst the TV plays scenes of varying artistic merit, of which, the animated sequences are the memorable
standout.
As a fan of the band, I wanted to like this film, I really
did, but its esoteric appeal limits it to no more than an average rating. Of course, there'll be many who think it's a perfect companion piece to a great album, but for regular moviegoers,
this is too strange a trip.
5/10
