Pink Floyd The Wall

By now everyone should know how I feel about Pink Floyd... but for those who are unaware, I love them... a lot. I recently had the privilege of viewing the Pink Floyd movie, The Wall, again recently. I have previously seen it, but I never really paid attention. I finally took the time to sit down and try to get the full "Floyd Experience" from the film. For those who have never heard of this film, (And chances are most of you haven't) then please allow me to give you some background on it. Unlike most movies that bands claim to have made, it is not a concert recording, but instead is a real full-length feature film. It actually features no concert footage, and instead is a full-out rock opera/musical.

The film was released in 1982 and received great critical praise; and although the band members greatly disliked the movie, it is still considered a classic, and has been named one of the "Great Movies" by Ebert Ropert. Today I'm not going to take the time to actually review the movie, since I'm not in the mood. (I'm also kind of on a "movie high") Instead I'm going to just express how the movie made me feel. (Almost like I'm blogging!)

So what did I think of The Wall? I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

The movie tells the story of a young man named Pink. As a child, Pink's father killed off during his service in the army during World War II. After his fathers death, Pink is sent to, and grows up in an abusive boarding school, where he doesn't seem to fit in. His only friend is his over-protective mother, who even then doesn't treat him as well as it seems she should. He eventually grows up, gets married and rises to become a renowned rock star. Unfortunately the usage of drugs and sex begin to take their toll on Pink. Things only get worse when he learns that his wife has been having an affair. All of these events in Pink's life lead him to build a metaphoric wall around him, blocking him off from society. Soon everything becomes too much for Pink to handle, and he ends up having a full-out mental breakdown. The movie ends with Pink being sent to into an insane asylum, as he tears down the wall that he has worked on building his entire life.

Fantastic picture showing the artistic brilliance of the film.

Does the movie sound a little depressing? Well you couldn't have picked a better word to describe the film. The script was written by Pink Floyd frontman, Roger Waters, and the character Pink is heavily based off of his childhood and life. Rogers was originally cast to play the character Pink, but this plan fell through and Bob Geldof was hired to portray the character instead.

I really have to give credit to Bob Geldof for his performance as the character Pink. Not only was he incredibly believable, but his characters mind is incredibly twisted and disturbing to watch, especially in the later parts of the film. (The scene when he shaves off all the hair on his body...)

Bob Geldof as Pink in the ending Neo-Nazi scene.

The Wall played out like a rock opera/musical. In some of the scenes the characters would literally be singing the Pink Floyd songs, and in other scenes, the music would just play in the background as the story progressed. It was an incredibly dark and surprisingly disturbing experience. Much more intense than what I remembered the film being. The film also had its fair-share of some outrageously "trippy" scenes, such as the infamous "Comfortably Numb" scene; where Pink hallucinates that his skin has been infested with bugs, and he literally rips off all of his skin.

The movie wasn't just a drugged up gig though. It had a surprising amount of tear jerking moments; most involving scenes that were related to the soldiers in World War II. Most of these scenes showed the aftermath of some of the famous battles that occurred in the war, and set an incredibly somber tone. It was surprisingly graphic and made the film almost uncomfortable to watch.

I've posted below a clip of the movie. This is a fantastic example of one of the war scenes in the film. Please view with caution. I'd hate to disturb anyone. (The second half of the video isn't part of the scene that I wanted to show you. Instead it's a scene where Pink is drowning in a pool of his own blood. View with caution.)



The Wall was an incredibly artistic film in terms of visuals, songs, and messages being portrayed in a metaphorical sense. The film also has a very strong anti-Nazi/war message. The visuals to the movie were also fantastic despite their simplicity. The film featured sixteen minutes of fully colored animated footage usually used to display the things that Pinks saw as he was on drugs. (At one point he believes a giant flower is going to eat him.) All I can really say about the incredible visual animation art style, was that I am a BIG fan of whoever did the design and drawings. (The animated sequences were my favorite part of the movie.)

Perhaps the most famous shot in the film, this strange shot of The Wall screaming has become a bit of a cult icon.

Hammers are a very metaphorically used object in the film. They are used mainly to show and symbolize the work of the Nazi's.

This shot is of a bird... that just barely stabbed another bird to death. (Hence the blood.)

There really is so much that can be said about this movie. It was a brilliant take on how drugs affect our lives, it was a statement against war, it was an example of how our society is going downhill and so much more. I really wish that I could praise it more fully for it's artistic and metaphorical brilliance, but the film is so unique in its making that talking about it is rather difficult. The only problem I that I had with the film was that it can be a little hard for the audience to follow the plot unless they have a bit of background knowledge on the story. If you watch the movie with no fore-knowledge of what's happening, you will get lost in the story. The plot also felt a bit scattered, but it worked itself out in the end. Everything led up to a really crazy ending/climax. The whole movie was just a unique experience that I think any person who loves artistic films should experience. (Being a Pink Floyd fan also helps make the movie more enjoyable.)

I can guarantee you that I will watch this again. Soon.

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On another note, I am truly sorry to the people who read my blog. I know I haven't updated in a long time... but I've had nothing to write about. But! I feel inspired again, so be sure to check often for updates! I am going to the Shakespeare Festival this week, so expect a BIG update next week!

Until then!!