Pink Floyd: The Wall (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #72

This is a film that was made in 1982, based on Pink Floyd's rock opera "The Wall", which was released in 1978. The story is based on Roger Waters' own life, although it's been suggested that elements of the lives of fellow Pink Floyd band members have been mixed in.

The film is about a man called Pink. It follows his life from childhood to madness. From his earliest days he suffers from having no father; his father died in World War Two. He was alienated from his fellow pupils in school. He got married, but he was unable to communicate with his wife. He became a successful rock star, but the fame and glamour made him withdraw into himself.

No film makes me cry as much as "The Wall". Can you understand that? It touches me in a way that no other film does. I feel an affinity with Pink as he descends into madness. I'm no stranger to madness. I'm no stranger to alienation from the world. I've learnt how to cope, and I can put on a brave smile for the world, but I often feel like I'm teetering on the brink. What will I do if I fall? I don't know. Ask me when it happens.

Different things have been said about the film from 1982 till today. Over the years the same people have contradicted themselves. In the DVD's "Making Of" featurette the director Alan Parker speaks enthusiastically about the film and how great it was working with Roger Waters. 10 years later he called it "one of the most miserable experiences of my creative life", and he said that he argued constantly with Roger Waters. He called the film a failure.

Roger Waters has nothing good to say about the film. He wants to bury it. He's successfully blocked all attempts to get the film released on Blu-ray. A Blu-ray has been released in Spain, but it hasn't been remastered; it's just an upscaling of the DVD with barely any increase in quality.

Roger Waters wrote the screenplay and worked closely with Alan Parker as the executive producer. It was intended for him to play the lead role, but it didn't work out. Alan Parker didn't consider him capable of acting, so he replaced him with Bob Geldof. Roger Waters never forgave him for this. It was too painful for him to see his own life story ripped out of his hands and performed by someone else.

"The Wall" is beautiful. It can't be called a failure. It's a magnificent piece of art, even though it's so it's so similar to Ken Russell's "Tommy" that it can be accused of plagiarism. The main difference between the two films is that "Tommy" is linear, whereas the narrative in "The Wall" constantly jumps forwards and backwards in time. In its favour, despite the non-linear narrative the film is easy to understand.

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