Rating: 
Summary: Great to just listen to, but watching it is mind blowing!!!
Review: I usually just put this DVD in as background music to a party or when I have friends over...the music is sooo good, groovy and jams...I am listening to it right now!!! Definitely a must, especially for those who like to kick back and smoke!!!Especially when you think about the concept of it...A band thinking one day "lets go set up and jam in an ancient arena in Pompeii and play to no one, just for ourselves and lets get a good director to film it" unreal!!! Get this one and the Led Zeppelin DVD! Enjoy...
Rating: 
Summary: Live at Without Audience!
Review: Pink Floyd was a very strange, intelligent and awesome band.
I don't have any of them record but I have listened the classic albums The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall. I have also seen The Wall-movie, which was just great. Live at Pompeii was so intresting ans pleasure experience that I will buy some Pink Floyd albums.
There are original consert and director's cut consert with interviews. The original consert works just great because there are no interviews that cuts concert intensivity and feeling.
In my opinion, you can't find no filler tracks in the original consert. My favourites are Echoes part 1 and Saucerful of Secrects, which shows perfectly how creative, skillful and intresting band Pink Floyd was.
Mademoiselle Nobs is a song in which you can hear dog's singing.
Why I don't give this dvd five stars? Because interviews are stupidly put between songs in director's cut consert. If interwiews would have put on their option, I have maybe given this dvd five stars...
There are also some extras for exemple pictures and history of Pompeii. If you like Pink Floyd's early songs, you should buy this dvd immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Finally on dvd
Review: Being a huge Pink Floyd fan, I was psyched when I heard that "Live in Pompeii" was being released on dvd. I, like any loyal fan, already have it on video, but my copy was becoming run down. Now with the dvd, I have the original and the new directors cut. The directors cut has extra footage and is in animorphic widescreen, which I just love. One of the great things about Floyd is watching them perform. So, to see Waters and Gilmore together is cool. I have the "Pulse" dvd, which is great, but is missing Roger Waters. The scenic shots of old Pompeii and the ampetheater they play at are beautiful. The whole movie is a trip, and any Floyd fan should enjoy this dvd.
Rating:
Summary: A must have in any collection.
Review: If you're a Floyd fan, then you know that the best way to experience their music is with both audio and visual. That's why this new dvd, "Live in Pompeii" is a must have. If you already own and love the video version like I do, you'll be blown away by the dvd. It has both the original version (in pan scan, minus the interviews) and a new director's cut (widescreen, with added interviews) as well. The visuals in this video are just amazing. The ancient amphitheater among the ruins of Old Pompeii is awesome and a great place for the band to play. There is a great mosaic shot of Nick Mason that is pretty trippy. The director's cut has footage from the band's recording of Dark Side, and some great interviews with the guys. This is definitely a must have for anyone's Floyd collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Director cut too much
Review: The music is great - I love the set list and their renditions. However, this director's cut is not your typical "director's cut." Typically a director's cut implies that there is more film footage, and that is true here with the extended interviews. However, a lot of the original footage is deleted and replaced by cheesy (to me) computer animation. And although the film as originally released is available on the DVD as an option, you can't watch it with the added interviews. So that's why I've given it 3 stars - the movie's fluidity is lost with all these abrasive cuts to modern computer animation. The coolest part of this movie, the slow pan toward the band in the amphitheater at the beginning, is completely lost by these edits.
Rating:
Summary: Stars Can Frighten...
Review: This DVD is cool! I don't like so much the movie version because there's so much interviews between the songs. I like to watch original concert! It lasts 62 minutes but it is enough!
The track list (original concert) - echoes part 1
- careful with that axe eugene
- saurceful of secrets
- one of these days (i'm gonna cut you into little pieces)
- set the controls for the heart of the sun
- mademoiselle nobs
- echoes part 2 I like very much the dog which is "singing" in the "Mademoiselle". The whole gig is filmed in the middle of the vulcanos etc. There's no audience. My favourites are "Saurceful of Secrets" and "Careful With that Axe". In the "Director's Cut" there's also "Us And Them" and "Brain Damage" but they are very short and album versions (during the interviews). There's also a discograohy about four albums or somethin'...also a bonus interview about this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing footage of early Pink Floyd
Review: I hadn't seen this since 1991. Back then, as an 18 year old, I was big on Pink Floyd, and was starting to dig in to their pre-Dark Side of the Moon catalog, and was rather surprised how great a lot of this was. I also figured out why their early stuff don't get radio airplay, because it was often too far "out there" for mainstream radio. Now here's a wonderful video worth looking in to. While entitled "Live at Pompeii", you don't see an audience, but you get to see the band perform at the infamous ruins. Given this filmed late in 1971, no surprise that they only perform material as late as Meddle. While the band performed, you get scenes aternating between the band performing and of the ruins. Songs featured here include "Echoes", "Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun", "Mademoiselle Knobs" (which is basically "Seamus" without vocals, but with the dog still included), "One of These Days" and "Careful With That Axe, Eugene". I have always been fond of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene", by the time Roger Waters does his infamous screams, I was really tripping out over the scene of the volcano erupting. It was just totally appropriate, because it was right as the song reaches its most intense climax. The part where they played "A Saucerful of Secrets" bothered me a bit, because David Gilmour had his hair in his eyes and didn't do anything to keep it out of his eyes. In fact, watching this video was the big reason why I bought albums like A Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, and Meddle. One wished some material from Atom Heart Mother and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn got played. Still, a wonderful video to have, especially because it demonstrated what Pink Floyd was like way before they became the bloated arena rock band in the 1980s with the laser light shows (I'm referring to the Momentary Lapse of Reason/Delicate Sound of Thunder-era). Those who think Pink Floyd begins and ends with The Wall (I met my share of people like that in my lifetime) will be disappointed that Live At Pompeii don't have any of the hits they're familiar with (like "Comfortably Numb" and "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2"). But for the serious Pink Floyd fan, this is truly an essential video.
Rating:
Summary: Fortunately the Original Version Is Also Included
Review: If you're reading this, you probably have already seen "Pink Floyd at Pompeii" at one time or other. The good thing about this DVD is that it includes the orginal cut. The image and sound are perfect. The main feature, though is not, in my view, as interesting and innovative as the original release once was. The diurector has chosen to add some scenes to the original cut, as well as some film from when he visited the band recording Dark Side Of The Moon. Ironically, an excelent DVD about the recording of The Dark Side Of The Moon has come out separately, but that is another story. In my opinion, this is better left untouched. It's still worth it, but always watching the original cut. The quality of the images in the Director's Cut looks inferior to me as well. Anyway: If you like "The Floyd" i guess my recommendation is buy this one, and watch the original (you' ll probably watch both and agree) and buy the Making of Dark Side Of The Moon DVD separately, which brings OWESOME footage and brand new parformances by Waters and Gilmour not included on this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Caveat emptor--Make sure to get the VHS first!!!
Review: I begin with an important warning to anyone contemplating purchasing the DVD, especially if you think you're going to get rid of the VHS version, or you plan to get only the DVD for the very first time--the VHS is still the definitive version, and you will regret not having it around. The reason is that the DVD was done by producer Adrian Maben with no input from the band, and therefore will be a grave disappointment. Aside from some additional interview material, including the keyboardist Richard Wright (sorely neglected on the VHS), there is very little to recommend the DVD above the VHS--in fact, some will strongly argue that the DVD is worth nothing and this is really the ONLY good version. The DVD ruins the ambience with terrible computer animation--Maben seems not to have matured over the years in his technique. His style makes for an interesting period piece on the VHS, but when he thinks he can carry over the exact same techniques on new technology, it's really quite sad. Furthermore, no attempt was ever made to correct the tape speed, and thus the pitch remains nearly a semitone sharp...not even a *full* semitone, so don't expect to be able to jam with either version. My advice is, if you ARE going to get the DVD for the extra interview material, get the VHS with it, or make sure to hang on to your original copy. And make sure to purchase the DVD with gift money, not out of pocket. The VHS is worth a LOT more trouble than the DVD. Yes, the video cassette is an inferior format in the 21st century, and Pink Floyd *does* deserve better...but as Adrian Maben did not see fit to provide anything truly better, this is the best you can do for yourself. Make sure to order a VHS now, in case they go out of print! Yes, there are some noticeable flaws in the original, but we need to remember, Pink Floyd was not yet the financial powerhouse that it is now...nor were technology or filming technique up to today's standards, by a long shot. This means you will have to put up with some oddities, including a filming technique that makes it look very much like a period piece. But perhaps the most notable flaw is the fact that the film runs at a slightly high speed. Those observing closely may notice that the band's movements seem unnaturally fast. But more noticeable is the fact that everything is pitched significantly sharp, so you will not be able to jam along with this without retuning. And finally, as I mentioned before, Richard Wright fans will be very disappointed to note that he is only included once in the interviews, and is not even seen as he speaks (one of the few deficits you might wish to also pick up a DVD to correct). HOWEVER--even as an ardent Richard Wright fan I can't take more than half a point away, as this video will still blow your mind. His keyboard playing, for instance, goes a long way towards making up for the lack of interview material from him, particularly at the end of "A Saucerful of Secrets" and during "Echoes, Part II" (the latter of which reduced me to tears!). And who can forget the delightfully funny performance of "Mademoiselle Nobs", a remake of "Seamus" where his instrument is...the dog? Truly a great piece of Floydian humor to watch (Although is it me, or does Roger Waters not get the joke? Watch and find out...). Another set of fans will be greatly appreciative of the VHS--here, Nick Mason's more exotic, pre-Dark Side drumming style is showcased fantastically. Notice that he continues without a pause even when a drumstick flies out of his hand. David Gilmour is also in fine form, although to me his most notable moments are in the creation of Dark Side, and Roger Waters delivers almost mad-seeming vocal and percussion performances, in addition to his bass work. The peek into the production process for Dark Side is truly fascinating, and most notable is a wicked version of the On the Run synth loop that will make your hair stand on end. There are also some interesting practice takes by David Gilmour and Richard Wright, including parts from "Brain Damage" and "Us and Them". Finally, you'll at last discover the source of some of the great Floyd-fan inside jokes (pie without the crust, and so on). Overall, I think this video is a solid 4.5 and a must-have for any Pink Floyd fan. The lowered rating refers to the combination of the highly rated VHS and the disappointing DVD. Don't settle for less--make sure to have a copy of the VHS around, even with the new DVD version!
Rating:
Summary: A terrific relic for Pink Floyd enthusiasts
Review: Footage of classic period Pink Floyd is so rare and few, that Live in Pompeii is a real treat. It was filmed in 1971, at the peak of their musical genius and creativity (not to devalue the musical and conceptual brilliance of the masterworks Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, but musically they reached their peak in the period between Meddle and Dark Side Of The Moon), and shows the classic line-up - Roger Waters (bass), David Gilmour (guitar), Richard Wright (keyboards) and Nick Mason (drums) - young, energetic, creative and unpretentious. At this point in time, pre-Dark Side Of The Moon, they weren't yet settled in a niche; they haven't yet made it into the consensus, and they kept experimenting and trying new things, messing about with synthesizers and recording techniques. In this DVD we see them both in the studio and in performance, as they keep exchanging instruments and experimenting, and that's what makes it much more interesting and alive than the Dark Side and The Wall concerts, let alone anything made after the split from Waters in 1983, in which point they were just bleating out their old hits again and again in the same way. Only just managing to break free from the influence of their originator, Syd Barrett, the Pink Floyd are still, in Live In Pompeii, in a transition and struggling to find their voice, yet at the same time not certain of the relevance of their music. Nick comments in one of the many interviews thrown in between the songs - 'We might have become a relic of the past... to many we represent that childhood of '67, the underground scene...' - and at this point, there's little in their music that signals of their great break into the mainstream in 1973. In between the performances, we get to see little bits of the Floyd in the studio, in the first stages of creating their masterpiece, Dark Side Of The Moon. It's a fascinating historic relic and an engrossing look at history in the making. The musical parts of the video concentrate on Pink Floyd's most experimental instrumental numbers - in fact, only two vocal numbers were included, excluding old stage favorites like Fat Old Sun, Remember A Day and Astronomy Domine and recent numbers like Fearless and San Tropez - which allows it to give us a real look at how they were experimenting with their sound at the time, and to see them live, undubbed, is priceless. Take the epic instrumental A Saucerful Of Secrets from 1968; as Mason keeps the savage and steady beat, Gilmour is sitting on the ground with his Fender in his lap, gently running a slide up and down it, barely touching the strings. Wright pounds chaotic and nearly random notes on his piano, while Mr. Waters, his bass laid aside, plays percussionist and strikes the cymbals fierce and hard. He then walks off to the gong, and starts beating the hell out of it. Wright moves over to his organ and Waters picks up his bass, and they pick up the rhythm. Not synths involved. On Roger's own Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, he doesn't play bass at all; he just barely struggles with the lead vocals, and occasionally beats the gong. The instrumental classics Careful With That Axe Eugene and One Of These Days we get to see the full ability of the Floyds' instrumental prowess, as they settle into hard and driving grooves with persistent drums and deep, powerful basslines. Careful With That Axe Eugene is shot by night, with images of bursting volcanoes juxtaposed with an ecstatic Roger Waters shrieking out the song's only vocals. The effects and editing may be dated, but the atmosphere is still mesmerizing. Synthesizers, whatever Floyd's criticizers may have been saying at the time, are used subtly and tastefully. In one of the interviews David and Roger discuss the suggestion that the synthesizers may have taken over their music, claiming rightfully that they're in total control of their music, and that electronic devices can ever only be means and equipment and never a replacement for the artist's creativity. Furthermore, they say, it's immensely important for a musician who wants to be in control of his music, to know all about the equipment, recording and editing. The film really does show Floyd to be a group of very conscious creators, who need to know and understand the final outcome of their efforts - it especially shows in the studio segments. This is and important trait that contributed a lot to Floyd's greatness. A surprising and wonderful touch is the short number Mademoiselle Nobbs, a classic 12-bar blues. As Roger strums an acoustic guitar and David plays a soulful harmonica, Richard helps by holding the microphone for the lead vocalist - a lovely dog, who sings her bit in the finest blues tradition, in a soulful and heartfelt duet with Dave's harmonica. It sounds to me like the talented mutt is the same one who contributed her voice to the number Seamus from the 1971 Meddle album, and if you thought the dog's voice on that track was overdubbed, seeing Mademoiselle Nobbs live will change your mind. The concert is bracketed by the epic classic Echoes, which was split in half - a technique adapted on record only in 1975 on Wish You Were Here. Echoes remain, whether on record or live, one of Floyd's most wonderful and impressive numbers, and show their instrumental skill and creativity to the fullest. Strangely enough, this is the only song in the films that allows Dave and Rick to have their voices heard, while on their albums at the time they sang on most of the tracks. Incredibly rewarding for Floyd fans, even those who are not as enthusiastic about the early material, is the extra footage added in 1973, which shows Floyd working on their upcoming masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon. We get a chance to see David laying down the final layer of Brain Damage, dubbing the lead guitar part over the nearly complete song; we also get a glimpse of Waters messing about with the synthesizers while working on the classic electronic piece of musical paranoia On The Run, as well as Richard recording the vocals for Us And Them. One final question - what's the matter with Rick's beard, and why is it fading in and out of existence throughout the movie? Because other than that, the illusion of a live concert is maintained most of the time, albeit one where the crowd is either centuries dead or carved in stone. The conception of the video, as well as the music, shows Floyd as what they were - one of the most original and creative (some might say pretentious, maybe) bands of their time, just one step before entering the pantheon of timeless music forever.
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