ID Mass Review 3: Pink Floyd- The Wall

Pink, a rock star, is feeling sick of fame and life in general. Spaced out in his hotel room, he thinks about his life, and the many events that have gone into shaping who he is.

Pink Floyd: The Wall is definitely an important film culturally, and should be watched by anyone of age who isn’t easily upset. I got goose bumps watching it but I’m glad I did. There isn’t one scene in this that isn’t strong and provocative, and much of it is symbolic and metaphorical. We follow Pink from childhood into adulthood and stardom, where he is increasingly troubled by his fathers’ early death in the war, his broken marriage, and the way things are going in England. Film is mixed with animation to powerful effect. The animation style is fluid and grotesque, ever changing between nightmarish creatures. The scenes of the film themselves are usually harsh but sometimes innocent and serene, such as when we see Pink caring for a sick rat. Mixed in with all this was the soundtrack which helped give everything an air of impending misery and doom. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this film because I spent much of it with eyes wide open feeling very uncomfortable, but it was an interesting watch and there are some things that just should be seen, if only for the morbid fascination.

5/5

As a man whose father was a huge prog rock fan, I was brought up with the likes of Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd playing in the background.
However it was when I stumbled upon the timeless surreal animations of Gerald Scarfe on Youtube to songs like The Trial and Welcome to the Machine that I truly fell in love with the Floyd of Pink. When I read in the ID Fest brochure that the full version of The Wall would be on, I knew that it was that above all else I wanted to see. It did not disappoint.
The richness of detail and the richness of metaphor and meaning, guarantees you will be confused and engrossed from the word go. Phallic flowers, vaginal bats, swollen rats, mincing machines, plastic masks, marching soldiers, fascist rallies, grubby hotel rooms and blood-red swimming pools...the film packs about as much creepily iconic imagery into every scene as Ken Russell, and I doubt if even on the third viewing you could really get a hold on exactly where everything fits in in the landscape of Pink's troubled mind. In the toilets afterwards I heard two gentlemen discussing how Bob Geldof 'didn't mess it up'. They were quite right, he doesn't. There isn't a huge amount for him to do except look apocalyptic and burnt out, but he does it so perfectly that there is no point in complaining.
The thing the film is most akin to is the TV Series The Singing Detective, starring the marvellous Michael Gambon; like The Wall, it is much more about what is happening inside the characters mind, rather than what has really happened in their life.
There are scenes which seem a little out of place, such as the 'Young Lust' scene where shameless groupies do the nasty to get backstage passes (a bit of a wasted effort...turns out Pink isn't really in the mood for fans), but overall the quality is truly stunning. The aforementioned animations get the top prize though. I had the wonderful experience one sometimes gets on the big screen, the sensation that you are somehow falling into the image, when watching the marching hammers in 'Waiting for the Worms'.
It is a pity that,as David Gilmour said later, the album and the film marked the end of the bands ability to work together, because it was and still is an amazing piece of work.

5/5