Pink Floyd - The Wall (DVD, 2005)

Jim Morrison once said: "I've always been a word man/Better than a bird man." If the poetry of lyrics matters as much to you as the music, then you've never doubted which was Pink: not David Gilmore, but Roger Waters.

The feud that exploded Pink Floyd is irrelevant to kids still singing along with "we don't need no education" almost three decades after the release of rock's most famous concept album. But if you want to understand either Roger Waters or this album a little bit better, then this DVD is a must-see.

My feelings about the album (as we used to call the things) have always been mixed. I've owned copies in every available format since its release in 1979, when I was in high school (which tells you something about where I'm coming from). Most famous concept album or not, _The Wall_ illustrates nicely the problems that beset the genre. Severely limited time constraints confront the artist who would build a complete and detailed world. And in a world as psychologically complex as we find here, the challenge is daunting, if not insurmountable. Let's face it: what most people love most about _The Wall_ are a handful of anthems -- "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)," "Hey You," and especially "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell." Other songs have to be extremely short to fit into their alotted space in the narrative. What to think about "Vera" and "Bring the Boys Back Home," clocking in at 1:35 and 1:21, respectively?

Watch the DVD and its commentaries and find out.

That's part of the beauty of this DVD: the visuals are not only eye-catching (to put it mildly), but they provide additional information to make the story more coherent.

This DVD does not merely recast the album in a visual format. I don't think any presentation of _The Wall_ is definitive or, to use that other unfortunate term, "canonical." Neither the album nor the movie has any primacy. They are independent views into the artistic and psychological and social forms that Waters was exploring. Without viewing the DVD, a fan of the album or of Waters neglects to look through one of the windows the artist has provided for considering the greater work.

This film's remarkable scenes are so famous that elaboration here would be superfluous. Given modern CGI some of the animation is obviously dated, albeit astonishing. I used to watch this movie every six or seven years to remind myself that some people really _do_ have problems. Having seen it again recently I now appreciate the cinematography more than previously, and the rather strict control of symbols and colors. Perhaps more to the point, the additional commentary is invaluable. Any insights from Roger Waters are always enlightening. I only wish that he'd given us much more during the last several decades, because he is one of the most important artists we've ever had working in the medium called rock'n'roll.

Viewing _The Wall_ as a psychodrama unreeling inside the head of a prisoner of social manipulation probably has ever more personal impact as human population densities rise and social control systems simultaneously grow more rigid and more corroded. Don't just buy this DVD and dissolve into its shocking imagery. If you can glean any lessons from _The Wall_ -- and I think they are there -- apply them to your own place in this zoo, and to our zookeepers. Then reach your own conclusions about what walls are worth keeping around, and which ones might no longer be useful.

The album came out onto the scene & then later inspired the making of this movie. It's too bad that Pink Floyd hasn't done that with all of their album projects. But, I do know they have gone to the expansion of other directions with their other albums. As any Pink Fan knows most or all of their albums focus on the same main one & only theme: 'Madness.' It's just that there are so many different levels to insanity, that you can produce many albums, as Pink Floyd has so ingeniously done, to define just a few of those levels. There are 3 albums that define the madness of their former member, Syd Barrett. 'The Wall' being the main & latter one. And if you had a hard time trying to decipher the album itself, well then, along comes this movie, of the same title. And you'll come away still a bit puzzled, but at least you gain more of an understanding. The 'Album' & the 'Movie,' as like Pink Floyd's other works; makes a strong hint at both the beginning & the end most all of their projects. And that hint is, to listen or view this subject over & over again. A good suggestion, since the message is so very thick & deep, you'll never quite get it, or be able to take it all in on the 1st go around. 'The Wall,' like the rest of their albums, was never intended or meant to be taken as a shallow & hollow project. Pink Floyd wants you to think hard about the subject they are focusing their project on. That's all part of their message that they fully intend to say, "Use that thing that's called a brain, inside your head!" Take it all in & think it through, to the endless end. Therein, I conclude that I haven't really told you a thing & haven't spoiled any of the 'Movie' or the 'Album' for you. Just put you in the correct frame of mind, is all. I bought this DVD to replace & update my old VHS. For me to highly recommend this 'Movie' to you is an understatement. After you've listened & viewed "The Wall" & I do recommend doing so in that order & still, if you still haven't got your fill, then try "The Wall Live" in 3 other formats: "Pink Floyd - The Wall, Is There Anybody Out There?" (CD); "Roger Waters - The Wall - Live In Berlin" (in both CD & DVD format). The latter project was produced solely by Roger Waters, soon after the Fall of the Berlin Wall; and he has folks like The Scorpions, Bryan Adams, Cindi Lauper & others assisting him with this particular version of the the performance of "The Wall." It was the largest outdoor concert 'ever' performed by anyone, anywhere, at that point in time. I could go on about "The Wall," but I've said too much as it is, here. Enjoy & remember, it's all for pure entertainment purposes only. Nothing more serious than that.

This DVD is a story of a Rock-and-Roll star's trials and tribulations with his fame in the music industry. Firstly, if you enjoy Pink Floyd music this DVD is a must-buy. All of the songs from the album "The Wall" are included in the DVD, plus some that aren't on the album. The story shows how the singers life situations led to his madness along with drug abuse, an unfaithful wife and an overbearing mother. The loss of his father in WWII led him to feel abnormal and lonely. His experiences at a strict English school at the hands of a sadistic teacher led him to be even more resentful and unstable. As a youth his encounter with a sick rat led to his having a fever that almost caused his death and contributed to his mental instability. The story is loosely based on the real lead singer of Pink Floyd who is confined in an insane asylum in England. I find that this DVD relevent to just about everyone who has ever gone through trying times in their lives.

From the mind of Roger Waters and through the guitar of David Gilmour, the drums of Nick Mason, and the piano of Richard Wright came the lavish Double LP Album "The Wall," a theatric and cyclic work that tells the story of a rock star and his psychological wall. If you listened to the music, chances are you picked up on the alleged anti-education, abuse, and Nazi themes. (These themes are actually anti-sadistic teachers, emotional neglect, and blind rock-and-roll adoration.) In the movie, Pink Floyd The Wall, the story is made more clear with the visual acting and animation paired up with the music from this epic album.

This movie is probably not ideal for someone who isn't a fan of the music, but fans should also note that the album is very dark and highly symbolic; some images are graphic and/or provoking. If you find the meaning behind what your eyes are seeing literally, you will not only gain a greater understanding of The Wall, but also a greater respect for The Pink Floyd as musicians and philosophers. I guarantee that if you find someone who doesn't know about The Wall or doesn't understand it, you will want to explain the entire album song by song for them!

The iconic rock opera and the iconic rock film. That is a big statement. However, many people will back me up on the statement. With the imagery of the schoolmaster, the mother, the ex-wife, the trial, and of course, the marching hammers, the movies dream/drug squances are brought to a new level, with the help of Gerald Scarfe(Animator).
The Wall is the story of Pink, a rockstar who has done to many showes and to many drugs, who finds himself rotting in a hotel room looking at the events that have led him to building an emotional wall around himself. From WWII, to school, to a failed marriage, the the music bisness, these are the bricks in the wall.
Written by Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, it is the quintesintial rock show, live or on film.
Recomended:
Pulse, Pink Floyd
The Wall Live In Berlin, Roger Waters
Tommy, The Who