Rating: 
Summary: In this day and age...
Review: There was no reason that this wasnt released in 5.1 channel sound. The picture quality is very crisp compared to the VHS tape Ive watched a million times...However directors cut or no I would strong recommend that you save your money boys and girls as I am sure that this will be Re-released in 5.1 as a " super special" platinum edition..yada yada yada version. Now keep in mind I have nothing but respect for the Floyd but Ive been waiting a Long time since I first heard that Pompeii was coming out and after the teasers of 5.1 classic Floyd on the Wall DVD I was really dissappointed to see the Plain and dull dolby stereo on the case, which was covered by the price sticker so I didnt know until I got it home. At least Pulse is coming soon :)
Rating: 
Summary: Essential for any Pink Floyd fan
Review: I have seen the VHS version of this concert a couple of times in the past, and have always enjoyed it- I tell myself to be grateful that they have a live concert film from before Dark Side of the Moon. I have recently viewed the Director's Cut DVD and was delighted to find it had even more footage of the band "behind the scenes". Not only did it show them in the recording studio working on Dark Side of the Moon, but it also showed black and white film shots of just them talking- I think it's fascinating to see them doing something besides music, even if it's eating oysters. The sound of this film is perfect, and although the shots taken of the band while playing were kind of outdated (I'm thinking of the 32 shots of Nick Mason playing drums at the same screen), getting to see them play was awesome. I especially like seeing Roger Waters bang on their gong violently during Saucerful of Secrets. The only reason I declined to give this DVD 5 stars is the graphics that the director has added, supposedly to add to the ambiance and mood of the overall film. The shots from space and the shuttle taking off were actually on the distracting side, and I did not feel it played to the mood at all.
If you like Pink Floyd and the music they played before Dark Side of the Moon, you will definitely enjoy this- there are not too many opportunities for Floyd fans to see these guys actually play live- whether it be on a telivision screen or even on a CD. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The original gets 6 stars
Review: Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii is one of the greatest concert films of all time, perhaps even the single best live performance ever put to film. While I could appreciate the director's intent with this new version, his creative vision has past its prime and we're left with a rather uninspired spinoff of the original.The director's cut features a few extra bits of footage thrown in, but they don't add anything special to the film. What disappoints me is not so much that this footage was included, as it is used to "cover" bits of the original the director wasn't totally proud of. For example, one of my favorite sequences in the original is the arrival and setup of all the equipment in the ampitheater. That's been replaced by shots of cheap computer animations of planets with rough, geometric edges, obviously digital and saturated colors seeming to drift through space much too quickly. Other additions include stock footage of the Saturn V rocket launch and the first moon landing. I find it hard not to enjoy the film anyway, but that's strictly because of the music. Fortunately, none of the music itself has been altered and the original cut of the concert footage is included as special feature, so I don't feel like I've been ripped off. The other extras on the disc are satisfying, but not entirely up to the standard of quality I've come to expect from Pink Floyd releases. If you're a fan of Pink Floyd, I'd highly recommend checking this out if you haven't already in spite of the changes. If you're a purist though, you may be a little bit disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Whoa......... Dude.......... That is amazing
Review: This is an insane DVD..... The concert portion is amazing- great music and wonderful direction make this alone worth it. I love th jam on 'Echoes' and the wonderful camera work which shows just how they create those wonderful sounds. This is also a movie about the making of the Floyd masterpiece (and greatest album ever made), 'Dark Side of the Moon'. This section gives you good insight into the making of an album and the interviews with the band gives you a good idea of what they are about. The amazing soundtrack, great visuals, and sweet in-stuido footage make this a must for any music fan.
Rating:
Summary: Disgrace
Review: Being a large Pink Floyd fan, I went out and bought this dvd before renting it, that is the biggest mistake I ever made.
I own all their other dvds, but this has hit in all time low in my whole dvd collection.
First of all it is not even a concert (lame), it is a all day live recording in the ampitheater. The cut away images are realy stupid. There is no good guitar playing, just alot of noisey slide work. Mostly drums. Way to much high pitched noise. Most of the time it seemed as though were just trying to make as much noise as possible. In one song they even have a dog singing. This dvd does not sound anything like the Pink Floyd I love (including Syd). It is just a disgrace, echoes is the only half way decent thing.
Rating: 
Summary: Not really a Director's Cut
Review: I give this DVD three stars only because despite the edit here, it is still Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii and as such is an excellent film, artistically and musically. No Floyd collector should go without it. But ordinarily I would give it 5 stars. What's the difference? This particular edition is crass commericialism at its worst, trying to milk the consumer for a product that he or she has probably already purchased in at least two formats. If a director's cut is an unabridged, "complete" version of a film as the director originally intended it before, say, the ratings commission got their hands on it, then this is anything but a director's cut. Instead, the original film has been spliced with rocket launches, computerized planets, and the cool original typefaces that once introduced the songs have been replaced with a more new-agey font with a very low budget computer video-editing type effect overlayed. On the upside, the original version is also included on this as well as some press on the film, a breif director's commentary, and some album covers. However, bewilderingly, the first menu the viewer encounters is the language menu. Most DVDs I know bury that feature someplace less obtrusive. In any case, yes, it's nice to have this on DVD. But to advertise this as a "director's cut" is nothing short of false advertisement.
Rating:
Summary: Floyd at their best (imho as a concert band!)
Review: I first watched the movie in Chelmsford, Essex (74) and it stunned me then how well it captured the essence of Floyd in concert. How 4 guys can produce master pieces, last time I saw them in Denver I think their was 12 or 12 musicians/singers on stage. In many respects they lost the raw energy they used to have prior to 'DSotM'. This DVD is a must have for new Floyd followers. It shows the masterpiece of 4 musicians. (And for once Mason is highlighted and you can see how well he really plays those drums!). It was during a concert at the Rainbow in London that all the power went out half way through Saucerful and he never missed a beat. Brought the tempo down, power came back on (they had their own generator! oil shortage and all) he brought it right back to where he was and on they went. Professionalism at it's best! The video is ruined a bit by too many modern day images (it was 74! and actually shows how bad the original footage was.). Why use the space shuttle when a Saturn 4 blasting of the pad would have been perfect and it tune with the times. Graphics are great but again the computer-generated scenes of Pompeii took away from that 1974 look. But, it's a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every last cent
Review: Does it matter that the effects are dated? Does it matter when the music is this good? No, of course not! The main thing is seeing these songs in a live(ish) context. The visuals are lovely if you discard the special effects. Hey it was the 70s - don't expect anything wildly new. If you didn't buy it for the music you didn't buy it at all. There are some snippets of interviews with the band and the making of Dark Side of The Moon. You can practically forget the interviews - they're not something special. While Dave and Nick talk more about the music and being " slaves to technology " in the past with the music, Roger is on more of a political frame of mind ( surprise surprise ). A bit surpising that Richard wasn't asked for his opinion on things ( seems like a little flavour of things to come doesn't it? ). The making of Dark Side is a little interesting - some nice touches and an early glimpse of those Synthi AKS synthesizers or as Richard H Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire once said that they looked like " suitcases." You really have to have this is your collection if you are a fan of Pink Floyd - no two ways about it
Rating:
Summary: The video before the videos
Review: This band is the greatest of all time. the videos are very good and show Waters, Gilmour, Mason and Wright in perfect harmony. The director's interview and the bonus material are the things that show how music was before the great electronic advance. But I've never heard something like it. MUST BUY.
Rating:
Summary: I love PINK FLOYD but...
Review: Okay, the music on this CD varies from outstanding (ECHOES is just brilliant) to good. I am going right out and buying the CD of this recording. It is worth having. The video however, not really so good. I mean, it is showing the band playing but, it is not edited very good, and no fault to the mix, it just isn't all that good of a video. But, that said, the music alone, itself is enough to make it a FOUR star outing. Having said that, I would have bought the double CD instead of this, knowing what I know now. Highly recommend the CD instead of the DVD if your attention span isn't as good as mine.
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