Home :: DVD :: Art House & International :: European Cinema  

Asian Cinema
British Cinema
European Cinema

General
Latin American Cinema
Pink Floyd - The Wall

Pink Floyd - The Wall

List Price: $31.98
Your Price: $23.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 29 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All in All, It Was All Just Bricks In The Wall
Review: Before MTV made such a big deal of it's overwrought production of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", there was one music video that was even more elaborate, and more audacious. The only difference, instead of being a music video of just one song, this video attempted to capture an entire concept album, easily one of the greatest rock albums ever produced.

Frankly, that's the easiest way I can explain Pink Floyd: The Wall to the uninitiated, that it's a great big, album-long music video. There's hardly any dialogue, vice what appears in snipets at the beginning or end of songs as they appear on the original album. Mostly, this movie is an attempt to visualize Roger Waters' magnum opus.

The album is supposedly autobiographical of Roger Waters life and career, or at least that's always been the rumor. It follows young Pink, played here by Boomtown Rats frontman and founder of Live Aid Bob Geldoff, from the time of his father's death in World War I (I don't think Roger is old enough to have lived during WWI, but that's what the imagery is of), through his life with an overbearing mother, megalomaniacal teachers, a busted marriage, eventually to superstardom where he begins to view himself not as a rock star, but as the next Hitler ruling the world. All along the way, the wall is built; the psychological wall we build brick-by-brick, with our hurts and our failures triggering defenses, to the point we're cut off from reality, unable to truly feel anything. In the end, Pink finds himself alone behind the wall, and has a breakdown wanting to find a way out of the cell he built for himself. In the end, he stands trial for the crime of showing emotion, as the main players in his life come before the judge one last time to plead their cases. Pink's punishment -- to be exposed before his peers. Tear down the wall.

Most of the movie follows the album almost verbatim, with only a few new tracks added in and some slightly expanded. Bob Geldoff actually re-recorded many of the tracks, so they have a somewhat different feel at times; mostly, Bob goes for a more realistic, spoken approach at moments, such as his rendition of "Stop" or "In the Flesh", whereas Roger approached everything quite musically and sang everything on the original album. But for the most part, Roger Waters' work remains intact, and this is, in my opinion, an interesting take on the work.

Also, many of the sequences were also used in Roger Waters' live version of The Wall in Berlin, most notably the animated sequences. I can't speak for Pink Floyd's live show of this work since I've never seen it.

If you are a fan of Pink Floyd, this DVD is must have. If you are a movie fan, again I warn you -- this isn't a movie, it's a really long music video. If you go in expecting grand drama and great dialogue, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing
Review: I saw The Wall because I really like Pink Floyd's music and was curious how the movie would look. I'm sorry to anyone who disagrees, but I think that this movie is amazing and Roger Waters is a genius. Bob Geldof was awesome in this role and I really liked the little kid who played him as a child. The movie is basically an analysis of how we build a figurative wall around ourselves to block out the world which everyone, like it or not, can relate too. The movie is insane, it doesn't stay put or follow the conventional setup of how we think a movie should be done, very much like Pink who is basically going crazy. It was a very imaginative and creative venture. Pink Floyd's The Wall makes you pay attention to what's going on, you get wrapped up in trying to figure out what exactly is happening and I must admit it can be confusing at times but it's well worth the trouble. The music really adds another dimension to the movie that you don't normally get with dialog. And of course, Pink Floyd is super-cool and amazing, so the music is very beautiful and full of life and vivid emotions. The animation is just incredible it flows in an odd fluid sort of way, it seems very different from what you normally see. Some of the themes are (gasp) dark and to watch it you're going to need an open mind, sorry! This movie may not be for everyone but I think everyone should at least try it and see what they get out of it. It's very different, very confusing at times, but very worth it. Buy the soundtrack too!! This is an incredible movie, it's different, like everything about Pink Floyd and so incredibly original it blows my mind. Watch it!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Spectacular Failure???" What movie did THEY see?!
Review: I don't get it...how can film critics continue to fail in their reviews of the conceptual film that so perfectly visualizes Roger Waters' utterly brilliant concept album "Pink Floyd The Wall"? Why can't they seem to appreciate a movie that all Pink Floyd fans I've ever known (including myself) find to be such a tremendous interpretation, albeit it at times an admittedly depressing one?

What we have is a character study of A Big Rock Star who could be anyone but is actually a combination of two former founding Pink Floyd bandmates, Syd Barrett and (project mastermind) Roger Waters. The rock star ("Pink Floyd", played by Sir Bob Geldof, pre-"Band-Aid" and knighthood) has had a rather interesting life which is shown in flashback (and the occasional animated hallucinatory) sequence to World War II (where his father, like Roger Waters' own dad, was killed in action in Italy). Awkward in childhood without a father (unusual in those days) and castigated by schoolmasters (at one time busted during class for writing "poetry" -actually the lyrics to the Floydian signature piece "Money"), Pink eventually hits it big, marries...and then begins to lose control of it all, eventually leading to the meltdown that is occurring in...what is supposed to be a hotel room in the Hollywood Hills during yet another tour.

It's a bit mainstream to be considered an "art flick", but it has settled comfortably into "cult flick" status, deservedly so. Roger Waters' original inspirations that led to the Wall" album -increasing distance between the artists and their fans, alienation from societal institutions such as school, the death of a father Roger Waters never knew, the eventual insanity of close friend Syd Barrett- are all well-covered and simply enough portrayed so that subtle symbolism is never needed. The movie stands as a perfect visual accompaniment to the album...and in fact is a bit broader, particularly considering the extra themes written for the flashback scenes involving Pink's father.

For me the best of the smorgasbord of extra features is the commentary track, if only to actually hear Roger Waters' input and insights (and his brilliant Irish accent when mimicking Bob Geldof). Waters has a deserved reputation for being a bit reclusive when dealing with the media, so getting a chance to hear him discussing one of Pink Floyd's defining moments is particularly enjoyable for me as a Pink Floyd fan. He DID make it a point to mention that he thought the film was a bit too dark and didn't reflect the humor that he felt was found throughout "The Wall" as an album. I listened to "The Wall" again after hearing that comment and have yet to understand what the hell he was talking about. If there's any humor in "The Wall" at all, I've never heard it. It always seemed as brilliant and as heavy and darkly depressing as the movie is...which is probably why I've always liked the movie. See it if you haven't. If you've ever wondered what Pink Floyd was about, see this movie. Like the band itself, you'll either love it passionately or you just won't get it at all.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: wow
Review: this movie has changed my life. I wish that i had never seen those horrible scenes i was forced to watch. A friend of mine brought the movie to my house, i did not realize the terror i was about to see. It caused me to have insomnia and spasms in my right leg. Everytime i see a single object that reminds me of that video i start shaking and my leg moves uncontrollable. I cried throughout the entire film and i know my life will never be the same again. thank you pink floyd for ruining my life.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The WALL
Review: - Pink, (Bob Geldof) is the main character in this remarkable movie directed by Alan Parker. Pink is a Rock star who spends most of his time locked in a hotel room watching classic war movies from his TV-set with a lot of [bad] channels...then slowly he starts losing his mind as he reminisces about his past, that brought him to the isolation from the world. The whole story of "The wall" unfolds by the phenomenal, fantastic songs made by Pink Floyd. It is so important to add that Gerald Scarfe,a prominent cartoonist, played a great role on making this movie a huge success.
If you happen to like,Pink Floyd's music,this movie is a must have and a must see.Until I now I've had it only on video tape and I have watched it tens of times and now when I have it on DVD I'll watch it hundreds of times as this movie never gets boring and because this movie everytime you watch it gives you a new understanding of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great Anti-war film
Review: on the surface this is a trippy pink floyd movie with no plot but if pay attention you can notice strong anti-war/pro-peace themes in every frame. the animation is amazing and probably some of the most beautiful animation ive ever seen (and im a bit of an animation buff)wether you watch this for the anti-war themes or just 'cause you're high out of you're mind, you have to admit that this is a great film with som amazing and powerful images.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Should have been called Roger Waters: The Wall. Still good!
Review: I didn't know what to expect of the film version of The Wall, all except that it would be disturbing. But it turned out to be a disturbingly nice film.

Sure, the acting is cheesy, but only to a small point. After all, Tommy was a lot worse! Nobody ever heard of a perfect record-to-movie adaptation. Bob Geldof is perfect with mixing the traits of Syd Barrett and Roger Waters into one character, who is obviously known as Pink. There's also Bob Hoskins playing Pink's manager!

The choice of music is a little flawed with Hey You not going into the final cut (no Waters pun intended), Goodbye Blue Sky placed in the wrong order, and Empty Spaces not going into Young Lust, instead opting to put in a new song "What Shall We Do Now?". Even then, Young Lust is meant for questionable camera shots, wink wink. It's hilarious to see how Geldof handles both In The Flesh songs, especially the second one! It's worth the [money]!

Gerald Scarfe had worked with the Floyd earlier on the cartoon that played during Welcome To The Machine when live. His style of animation, capturing full, detailed drawings and not Disney-like cartoon characters, fits well with this movie. Every Floyd fan should know the carnal flowers, the praying-mantis wife, the schoolmaster, the ballerina prosecutor, and especially the goose-stepping hammers. The whole movie could have been Scarfe's and there wouldn't be major flaws.

Floyd fans who have heard the Big 4 (DSotM, WYWH, Animals, Wall) should see this. Those who just made the great decision to get into Floyd should put this one off for a bit.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: shut up all you fers
Review: hey! dont bad mouth the film just cuzz u dont get it. Its not supposed to have plot. Its about a guy whos mind is messed up cuzz his dad died. Most pplz minds wouldnt make sence if that happend to em. Its like music videos of the soul. If u dont get it, then shut up! Ur not supposed to make fun of sumthing u dont get. God. Can somebody tell me what war his dad was fighting in? by the way, if u understand it, its a great movie. If u dont, its pretty trippy, so watch it! Especially the exploding bird.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great band. Great album. HORRIBLE film!
Review: INTRODUCTION:
Pink Floyd is one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time, and it's not suprising that they decided to release a full-length feature film, the way a number of other classic rock bands did. How does The Wall measure up? Read on and find out.

BASIC PLOT:
There isn't one. Sorry!

FILM OPINIONS:
Pink Floyd is a great band. The Wall is a great album. But this film is one of the worst films I have ever seen. There is no storyline whatsoever! And since the footage is continually shifting, it's impossible for the viewer to know just what the hell is going on! When you make a full-length movie, you ALWAYS include a plot! Failure to do so destroys this film. Not even the music of Pink Floyd can save it. This is Pink Floyd's equivalent of the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour - a great album and a crappy film that share the same name.

OVERALL:
DO NOT BUY, OR EVEN RENT, THIS MOVIE (not even if you're a Pink Floyd fan!) This film is simply horrible, and you'll only become dumber by watching it. I understand that I'm probably going to take a lot of heat for this review, but I don't care. This is my opinion, and I stand by it. Final verdict? Simple. Steer clear.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: llaw eht ni kcirb rehtona
Review: This is an awesome DVD. Don't expect a storyline, and don't try to make sense of it. It's all about the music!


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 29 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates