Rating: 
Summary: Pink Floyd in their Prime!
Review: I must say that I have this directors cut on VHS, but I am sure the quality is better on DVD. I saw Pink Floyd's Dark Side tour in 1973 and they performed all of the songs included here, except the take off on Seamus with the dog ( it is a treat). To me, this documents Pink Floyd's moment of ascension into their musical glory. I actually saw this underrated film on PBS back in 1975! The editorial reviewer hit the nail on the head with his cultural discription- completely in synch with seeing themself as "relics" from the 1967 scene in London and San Francsico and wanted to break free of that stigma. A fate which the band managed to cheat! Truely, what is astounding to me is just what exceptional musicains these guys are! As when I saw them live, I was astounded that they could put on such an effective live show without studio manipulation.This movie also shows us that. The playing is what it is about. The dress is dated but WHO CARES! People are dressing that way again (gag)! Ignore the cheese and really HEAR the music! Excellent, EXCELLENT film!
Rating:
Summary: magic
Review: For those of you who love Pink Floyd...tune in, turn it on...and enjoy...parts of it are magic...not all of it...but enough that you will thrill to their unique and visionary music that we just can't have back again.Its still as unique now as it was then..I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: really, really cool...
Review: i saw this years ago when i was younger and easily blown away by stuff for one reason or another, but i just got this dvd and it's still awesome!
the director's cut is a little incongruous what with the planets and rockets and stuff, but the interviews are great. needless to say, the original film is where it's at, it just captures an atmosphere that's pretty damned amazing. for example the first shot in echoes where it zooms in really slowly, it's so simple yet is just mesmerizing. the director's cut breaks up this long shot, which really sucks so it's one good reason among many that they have the original.
i've heard so many people say that pink floyd sucks live because it's just four guys standing around with their hair in their faces, and that's essentially what they do in this video, but that's the whole point i think, that four guys just standing around can exhude so much intensity and emotion just by being so into the music and their environment. it just shows that music isn't just about sight and sound, it's about atmosphere...
Rating: 
Summary: More Floyd Less Director
Review: I was completely ready for this release! It's the only thing missing from my essential rock videos collection. The theatrical release was (and is) incredible! Pink Floyd is a great band to watch live. (Pink Floyd today is a Vegas production but back in the day <pre Dark Side> Floyd embodied an era of British style/fashion/psychedelic musical approach and was unrivaled!) Live at Pompeii has all the Floydian elements, like the music itself it sneaks up on you and absolutely fills the senses with Pink Floyd's best music and appropriate visuals. At the time (of it's theatrical release) I thought the band and the director were completely in sync, 30 years later.... I don't think so. The directors vision and the original concert film show 2 differing paths. Ok, the planets are trippy and the camera work matches the music but lay off the visuals and watch the original concert film. No offense to the director, he did film a masterpiece, but....the director's cut is a piece of another kind!
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Performance
Review: For those who are really into the band, the director's cut includes extra footage of them recording in the studio and candid shots of them interacting with each other. Many people have commented on how the extra footage is edited in odd places and breaks the flow. I feel the original concert film resolves that issue. You can watch them perform each track continuously one after another without any awkward breaks. The director's cut is just there to give some insight on the band and is just an effort by the director to create a different perspective. I was amazed to see how well the original concert film was re-mastered. I couldn't believe that something filmed in the early 70s could be so crisp and sound so awesome. The band playing to an empty amphitheater sets the perfect mood and atmosphere for the concert. I have never felt so drawn into the music before. I liked how some of the songs were filmed at night. The dark setting adds to the eerie mood, as does the clips of the lava. The DVD also has a nice feature where you can skip to whatever track you want to listen to. The photo gallery also had some interesting shots. I'm so glad it was finally released on DVD because I haven't been able to stop watching it.
Rating:
Summary: 3 stars for Director's Cut, 4 for the original
Review: This DVD clocks in at 171 minutes and I wish I could say that all 171 minutes are to die for. Sorry-o. The original theatrical release is nice to finally have cleaned up a bit and on DVD, but the Director's Cut adds an additional 30 minutes of non-essential fluff. Technology has changed over the past 29 years, so the obligatory computer-generated images are here, as are some really-not-needed interviews that break the flow of the film's musical narrative. I somewhat enjoyed the director's views on the film, but it's too bad that no one from the band bothered (or was invited?) to comment. There are plenty of other reviews dissecting this in all manner of fashion, so I'll let them do that. What I can say is if you want to catch a band on the cusp of superstardom (Dark Side of the Moon was soon to follow, Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Wall...), then this is a nice slice of time. The director clearly says in his too-long interview that the intent was to present the band in a new format, rather than the traditional Woodstock music and fan reaction style. With that in mind, playing before no one in an amphitheatre at Pompeii was an original idea. However, the film's editing is such that it doesn't seems so much like a performance as a series of songs done at various times -- as they were, over three days. To add "more" to the film, though, some additional shots were added from sessions shot in a studio in Paris, and they detract from the Pompeii performance. I think this would have been a much more enjoyable experience -- then as well as now -- had the band come on, played non-stop just as it would for a concert, and then left. Instead, the band would shoot sequences and then stop and listen to what had been recorded, according to the director. Well, that stop-and-go comes across and it detracts from the film. It's great that the band wanted to do something different, but in a way, from the vantage points of 30 years dowwn the pike, I think I would actually like a music and fan reation movie featuring Floyd... I'll probably play this DVD on rare occasions, but it's not something that will see much time in my DVD player.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!!!!
Review: This dvd comes with a widescreen directors cut and the original short 4:3 film. The film was originally released on video years ago as a long version and a short version. Until now, I'd never seen the short version so maybe it was only released in Europe. The short feature doesn't have any interviews with the band or shots of the band recording dark side of the moon. And the long version (not included here and probably the one you rented from your local video store years ago) was intercut with all the extra scenes. The included directors cut is similiar to the original long version but has been rebuilt from ground up. It contains all the original scenes, interviews plus lots of weird scenes of moons revolving around strange planets, space ships taking off, plus new footage of Pompeii, etc. Most people have never seen the original short or the directors cut. And like a lot of purists here I watched the original short verson first and of course my first observation was the lack of scenes like Nick Mason complaining about the crust on his apple pie. I didn't mind the lack of interviews and such, and frankly, the original short plays just great the way it is. It sticks to the Pompeii theme and I like that a lot. As a bonus the directors cut also includes some extra interviews which have never been previously released. There is one very funny scene of a very stoned Roger Waters giving the director a very hard time during an interview. It also contains new footage of Pompeii plus lots of scenes of space ships taking off, and moons revolving around strange alien planets. It's kinda weird and you may not like it much at first, but it certainly grows on you and it was all done very well. So my advice would be, if you're a purist, stick to the original short and then simply skip through the directors cut to see the interviews and studio scenes. And also, the sound quality is just fantastic and the video quality will just blow your socks off. It's just that good. It's amazing considering the original negatives have all been lost. And last but not least, the director Adrian Maben interview is also very interesting. All and all, the entire package is simply fantastic and for the price of about $16, you'd have to be crazy not to get one.
Rating: 
Summary: Ladies and Gentlemen - The NICK MASON BAND!!!
Review: Apparently, Pink Floyd should have renamed themselves the Nick Mason Band because the director was certainly infatuated with the drummer!!! Occasionally we get a passing glance (and I mean "passing", because the camera moves right past them) at Gilmour, Waters, and Wright(about all we see of Wright is an extreme close up of his hands in the closing part of "Echoes"). This was frustating, because the Meddle album was one of my favorites. Except for a brief Dark Side of the Moon session, this baby is for friends of the director only.
Rating:
Summary: A Visual Mind Trip Nearly Ruined By Unnecessary Indulgence.
Review: First of all I would like to point for those who quite rightly did not like the director's cut, that included in this DVD is the original concert (minus the interviews) untouched by Adrian Maben totally unnecessary new indulgence.
Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii is probably one of the best music documentaries ever filmed, and captures perfectly the essence of the band, from choosing a location that fits the music and the mood of Pink Floyd so well,to deciding not to have any audience:the emptiness,silence and morbid history of Pompeii with its live volcanos add an invaluable depth (Echoes!) to the songs. Moreover,to watch the interviews, rehearsals and samples from the studio,recording Dark Side of The Moon,is to witness an unpretentious and raw creativity at work.
The film also offers an early indication and insight on the condition of the band, and the inevitable break up years later that was in a way waiting to happen. With all PF members admitting to a friction that resulted in many fights back in '71, and with Roger Waters obvious controlling and imposing attitude,it is surprising the band survived until The Final Cut!
The selection of the tracks is very good indeed, getting to hear again the 'forgotten' Floyd repertoire. The term 'Mind Trip' and 'Masterpiece' are overused these days, but one should really listen and as equally vital watch Pink Floyd to really understand what these terms mean!! To listen to Careful with that Axe Eugene, Set The Controls for The Heart of the Sun and the epic Echoes is to be taken on a mind trip like no other music manages to take you in the true sense of the word(strangely and sadly these songs are very much omitted from Gilmour and Waters concerts-it would make a very interesting listen to hear them again using modern production/or with a new interpretation).
I also loved Maben's emphasis on Nick Mason's play, (in my opinion with Kansas's Phil Ehart and Eloy's Fritz Randow, the best drummer in rock, in all its genres).You will simply look in sheer amazement at this wonderful artist 'playing his heart out'.
Now to the Director's cut.
To be honest it was a total futile and strange exercise. In some parts I cringed at the new shots inserted! especially the Koyanisqaatsi influenced space rocket in first part of Echoes..the musuem shots of statues, or worst of all the virtual reconstruction of the Pompeii temples in the second part of Echoes!! It is bewildering!! Why would the very same man who conceived and directed the original film would want to tamper with it in such a cheap way? I can not start to imagine!
Nevertheless, since the original concert is included, with little nice extras as well, and since it is Pink Floyd with their ethereal and timeless music, (hence my 5 stars) this DVD should at no account be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: should we expect more for 14 bucks?
Review:
there had to be a catch, i guess....... 4% PAL to NTSC speed up .... ridiculous (not neccessarily chipmunk floyd but extremely annoying to any one sensitive to the pitch and tempo of the orignal soundtrack......better than the vhs only in the sense, that it won't wear out thru multiple viewings, and the mix is certainly better..........i guess remixing the music from the original multitracks and transfering at the CORRECT speed (for NTSC ) was too much....... trouble ?!?! bottom line. Floyd deserve to be remembered better than this.......and we, in the NTSC market shouldn't support productions that are too ___________ to perform a proper NTSC xfer that retains the integrity of the original product. hello there Universal.......WHAT? were you thinking? oh they won't notice that nick mason sounds like a............. girl? to all those who produce DVD's for the world market, and slog off on proper xfers for either your PAL or NTSC markets.......we're fans, not region codes or dollar signs, how would you like it if we took YOUR favourite movie, cd, or dvd, and sped it up 4%.......all the while knowing that someone else across the pond was listening to it at the correct speed?!?!? notice how the producers of the who, kids are alright dvd, FIXED the speed problem with the original kids VHS (which suffered from a 4% speed up) THEY did it right.....their product got BETTER. you guys went backwards. shame shame mr.maben and company......... buyer beware ! gee, i WONDER if they are gonna put out a new directors cut mixed from the "original multitracks" with a "new" 5.1 soundtrack blah blah blah.........RIDICULOUS.....and you wonder why people are fed up, when they keep buying their favourite movies or albums over and over and over again, because the first release was shoddy, and subsequent releases promise better quality........reminds me of the 1st edition CRAP kubrick boxset, and then the reissue, with a special documentary, that you could only get if you bought the whole damn thing AGAIN! i think we all deserve better.
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