Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12465 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-02-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 80 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd's The Wall is a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters' great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humour that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualise The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed. The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerising film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon

Video Description
DVD Special Features

Previosly unreleased film footage
Remastered 5.1 Dolby Digital and Surround Encoded PCM Stereo Soundtracks from the original mastertapes
New Hi Definition film transfer from the original widescreen interpositive
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL -
A 25 minute documentary about the making of the film
Running comentary from Roger Waters, Gerald Scarfe, Alan Parker, Peter Biziou, Alan Marshall and James Guthrie.
Original film trailer and production stills
Subtitles, scene/song selection, and secret buttons
Technical Sound System Set Up Guide

Synopsis
Loosely based on the life story of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd's original front man (who was kicked out of the band for his bizarre and disturbing behavior only to go insane shortly thereafter), PINK FLOYD: THE WALL stars Bob Geldof as Pink, a mentally damaged man who has gone from a hopeful child artist to a burned-out rock star drifting away from reality. As Pink festers in his hotel room, elements of his abusive childhood come back to haunt him until he begins to descend into absolute madness.
Director Alan Parker's intense and fully realized film interpretation of the English band's classic album, THE WALL melds whimsical fantasy with dark Shakespearean drama. The film makes innovative use of sets, costumes, and special effects to create a unique surrealistic strangeness worthy of Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's UN CHIEN ANDALOU. Both disturbing and bedazzling, PINK FLOYD: THE WALL is a must-see film for any music lover.

Customer Reviews

I was really surprised!
Memory told me this was a dissappointment, many criticise Geldorf's performance - well what else was he supposed to do except act like a screwed up depressed individual, which I think he did well (no offence Bob - I'm backing you on this). I really enjoyed this film after a break of numerous years, some excellent moments visually and aurally, well packaged, and the soundtrack is to dream for - wonderful sound. I found this a satisfying disc and probably now prefer it to the CD. One gripe - the repackaging suggests that the Limited Edition disc is an improvement on the standard version, it isn't ! They seem to me exactly the same - but the packaging in the Limited Edition is much superior and just about justifies buying it.

A brilliant way of portraying "The Wall" CD
The movie version of Pink Floyd's brilliant album "The Wall" is an unhappy yet superb one. It follows the life of Pink, a hapless guy who has been building an imaginary wall from the very early days of life. Every bad event in his life is another brick in the wall, hence the famous title.

The film indicates how Pink feels throughout the entire movie and goes into a lot of depth with the songs and their meanings. From "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives" to "Waiting For The Worms", all the songs in the movie and the movie itself can send us a serious message about society and how people have social barriers (walls). Pink's case is one example.

Enough said, really. Although the film is quite hard to understand (unless you know the album "The Wall"), this is really enjoyable to watch. Recommended.

Relativly enjoyable
I'm a big Pink Floyd Fan and have most of their albums. I bought the albumn (the Wall) in 1980 on record. I have seen the movie several times and found it enjoyble though a little bit dark and strange. Many people complain about the songs like Bring the Boys Back Home and Happiest Days of Our Lives but they are essential to the story in both the movie and the album. The biggest disappointmennt for me was the great song Hey You was not inluded in the movie. The animations were dark yet very essential. The trial was a decent scene. Bob Gedolf does a good job portrying Pink (the main character) throughout the Story.