Pink Floyd The Wall (film) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other works related to the Pink Floyd album, see The Wall (Pink Floyd). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) Pink Floyd The Wall Theatrical release poster Directed by Alan Parker Produced by Alan Marshall Written by Roger Waters Narrated by Pink Floyd Starring Bob Geldof Christine Hargreaves Eleanor David Alex McAvoy Bob Hoskins Michael Ensign Music by Pink Floyd Cinematography Peter Biziou Editing by Gerry Hambling Distributed by MGM/UA (theatrical) MGM (1982-1999) Sony Music (1999-present) Release date(s) 6 August 1982 (New York City) Running time 95 minutes Country United Kingdom United States Language English Gross revenue $22,244,207 Preceded by Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii (1972) Followed by Delicate Sound of Thunder (1988) IMDb • Allmovie Pink Floyd The Wall is a 1982 musical film by British director Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. The film is highly metaphorical and is rich in symbolic imagery and sound. It features very little dialogue and is mainly driven by Pink Floyd's music. Although it features a linear storyline, in many ways The Wall more resembles a long-form music video than a traditional narrative feature film. The film contains fifteen minutes of elaborate animation sequences by the political cartoonist and illustrator Gerald Scarfe, part of which depict a nightmarish vision of the German bombing campaign over the United Kingdom during World War II[citation needed] set to the song "Goodbye Blue Sky". Contents [hide] 1 Plot summary 2 History 3 Premiere 4 Reception 5 Documentary 6 Video release and rights issues 7 Soundtrack 8 Notes 9 Chart positions 10 External links [edit] Plot summary The film depicts the construction and ultimate demolition of a metaphorical wall. Though the film is highly interpretable, the wall itself clearly reflects a sense of isolation and alienation. Pink, the tragic hero (and unreliable narrator) of the film, is depicted at various stages of physical and mental development. Pink is first seen sitting lethargically by himself in a hotel room, just after having trashed it. During the following scenes, it is revealed that Pink's father was killed during World War II while he was just a baby. The movie then flashes back to Pink as a young English boy growing up in the early 1950s. Throughout his childhood, Pink longs for a father figure, and is devastated to learn of his father's death through a certificate sent by "Kind Old King George". Pink bids farewell to his "blue sky" and begins construction on his wall. Later, Pink is seen along with two cronies laying cartridges from his father's service weapon on a railroad, where he is caught by a domineering teacher. One of Gerald Scarfe's many depictions of the wall from Pink Floyd The WallThe scene then switches over to Pink's school, where he is humiliated by the teacher for writing poems in class. The poems that the teacher reads aloud are lyrics from "Money" from the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. Pink is also affected by his overprotective mother, who aims to lower his sexuality and tries not to let anyone 'dirty' get near him. Despite this, Pink eventually gets married, but over the years, he and his wife grow further and further apart, with Pink concentrating on his music; his wife becomes involved with an anti-nuclear arms group, and eventually has an affair with the leader of the group while Pink is on tour. During this point it is revealed that Pink's last name is Floyd, giving him the same name as the group. When Pink learns of the affair, he fills in the gaps in his wall with expensive materialistic possessions (stereos, fancy cars, television sets, etc.). Mirroring his wife's infidelity, Pink (now a rock star) turns to a sexually willing groupie (Jenny Wright), inviting her to his hotel room despite his initial exasperation with her. Following the groupie's theatrical ramblings concerning his hotel room, Pink falls into another one of his television-induced trances, only to eventually have an emotional breakdown, trashing the hotel room and driving the groupie away. After years of repressed rage and mental anguish, Pink declares that he doesn't need anything at all, and completes his wall. Behind his freshly completed wall, Pink slowly begins to lose his mind to metaphorical worms eating into his brain. He begins to see the drawbacks of isolating himself from society, and tries vainly to reconnect with the outside world. After failing to do so, Pink locks himself within his hotel room, and spends his days creating an odd shrine out of his ruined possessions. Eventually, Pink shaves off all of his body hair, giving birth to his fascist alter-ego. Pink (Bob Geldof) at a fascist rallyWhile watching The Dam Busters on television, Pink, discovering what he has become, falls into a catatonic state, during which he attempts to reconnect with the past and reverse the fading of his roots. At a train station, Pink is told that human connection is the only way to bring down his wall. However, Pink continues to dwell on the bricks in his wall, unaware of his manager knocking at the door of his hotel room. In the real world, Pink's manager (Bob Hoskins), along with the hotel manager (Michael Ensign) and some paramedics, discover Pink in his catatonic trance (the hotel manager exclaims "Fuck me!" when he sees the state of the room), and inject him with drugs to snap him out of it; the manager attempts to justify Pink's actions ("He's an artist!"), then bribes/pays for the damage. The iconic Hammers.The drugs cause Pink to hallucinate, causing him to believe that he is a fascist dictator, and that his concert has become a hate rally, in which the melody of In the Flesh is recreated as a military march by a fanfare plus church organ with Wagnerian overtones. Upon his orders, Pink's followers proceed to tear apart the houses and restaurants of ethnic minorities, rape the white girlfriend of a black man, and generally destroy everything in their path, in scenes reminiscent of Kristallnacht (with the song "Run Like Hell" playing). After the riot, Pink holds a rally in a suburban neighbourhood singing "Waiting for the Worms", while frightening locals reminiscent of the march on Skokie, Illinois by the Neo-Nazi party. The scene is inter-cut by images of the animated marching hammers that goosestep across ruins. At the climax of his rule, Pink's conscience finally rebels. The images are finally ceased as Pink screams "STOP!" at the top of his lungs, and he ends up taking refuge in a bathroom stall in an unknown building, probably the rock concert hall, where distant cheering could be heard, hinting that the whole time he was hallucinating before his rock concert, tearful and mumbling to himself. In the final sequence, Pink goes before a bizarre kangaroo court trial, shown entirely in animation. Pink is animated as a small blank-faced doll that rarely moves. The judge is animated as a giant pair of buttocks wearing a British judge's wig and speaking out of its anus. In the court appears Pink's mother, flying in as a giant aeroplane and a talking vagina; the schoolmaster, a marionette; and Pink's wife, morphing from a snake to a scorpion to a fiery-haired hag with literal "love handles" and exposed vagina. After hearing evidence from them all, the judge decrees that Pink should be "exposed before [his] peers" and orders the wall to be torn down. Finally, children are seen cleaning up the street after a riot, and Pink's fate is unknown. The film ends with a young Pink dumping the contents of a Molotov cocktail onto the ground. [edit] History Even before the original Pink Floyd album was recorded, a film was intended to be made from it.[1] However, the concept of the film was intended to be live footage from the album's tour, with Scarfe's animation and extra scenes. The film was going to star Waters himself. EMI did not intend to make the film, as they did not understand the concept.[2] Director Alan Parker, a fan of Pink Floyd, asked EMI whether The Wall could be adapted to film. EMI suggested that Parker talk to Waters, who asked Parker to direct the film. Parker instead suggested that he produce it and give the directing task to Scarfe and Michael Seresin, a cinematographer.[3] Waters began work on the film's screenplay after studying scriptwriting books. He and Scarfe produced a special-edition book containing the screenplay and art to pitch the project to investors. While the book depicted Roger in the role of Pink, after screen tests, Roger was removed from the starring role;[4] he was replaced with the edgy punk musician Bob Geldof. Since Roger was no longer in the starring role, it no longer made sense for the feature to include Pink Floyd footage, so the live film aspect was dropped. Waters and Parker were not given much of a choice anyway, because the footage culled from the five Wall concerts that were held specifically for filming was deemed unusable.[5] During production, Geldof suffered a cut to his hand while filming the destruction of the hotel room set as he pulls away the venetian blinds. The footage remains in the film. Also, it was discovered during the filming of the pool scenes that Geldof did not know how to swim. Interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios, and it was suggested that they suspend Geldof in Christopher Reeve's clear cast used for the Superman flying sequences from storage, but his frame was too small by comparison; it was then decided to use a similar mould for Helen Slater from Supergirl, which was a more acceptable fit, and he simply laid on his back.[6] [edit] Premiere The film's official premiere was at the Empire, Leicester Square, London, on 14 July 1982. It was attended by Waters, Gilmour and Mason, but not Wright. [edit] Reception Roger Waters has expressed dissatisfaction with the film[citation needed], and is reported[weasel words] to have been philosophically at odds with director Alan Parker during filming, who himself walked out of the project on multiple occasions due to the conflict. Rotten Tomatoes awards Pink Floyd The Wall a 65% "fresh" rating on its' site. David Gilmour stated (on both the In the Studio with Redbeard episodes of A Momentary Lapse of Reason and On an Island) that the making of the film was where the feud between him and Waters started. Gilmour also stated on the documentary Behind The Wall (which was aired on BBC TV and VH1 in the US) that "the movie was the less successful telling of The Wall story as opposed to the album and concert versions". The film entered at #28 of the US Box Office charts despite only playing in one theatre on its first weekend, grossing over $68,000, a rare feat even by today's standards. The film then spent just over two months below the top 20 while still in the top 30, before moving up to its peak placing of #3 from the low 20's the previous week. [edit] Documentary A documentary was produced about the making of Pink Floyd The Wall entitled The Other Side of the Wall that includes interviews with Parker, Scarfe, and clips of Waters, originally aired on MTV in 1982. A second documentary about the film was produced in 1999 entitled Retrospective that includes interviews with Waters, Parker, Scarfe, and other members of the film's production team. Both are on The Wall DVD as extras. [edit] Video release and rights issues The film was originally released on VHS and LaserDisc on the former MGM/UA Home Video in 1983[citation needed], and continued on with what became MGM Home Entertainment until around 2000 (it was originally not part of MGM's pre-1986 library acquired by Turner Entertainment). The following year, after Turner merged with Time Warner, the film was incorporated into Turner's holdings, but since Sony Music had, by that time, owned some rights to the film (along with Roger Waters' production company, Tin Blue, Ltd., and music publishing company Kimbridge Music), the video rights were transferred from MGM to Sony Music Video, and all current video releases are from Sony Music[citation needed]. However, Warner Bros. (via Turner) remains the television and theatrical rights holder for the film[citation needed]. [edit] Soundtrack Song changes from album: Track Changes When the Tigers Broke Free 1 added In the Flesh? extended/re-mixed/lead vocal re-recorded by Geldof The Thin Ice extended/re-mixed with additional piano overdub in second verse Another Brick in the Wall 1 unchanged When the Tigers Broke Free 2 added Goodbye Blue Sky re-mixed (moved positions) The Happiest Days of Our Lives re-mixed Another Brick in the Wall 2 re-mixed with extra lead guitar, chorus part edited/shortened Mother re-recorded completely with exception of guitar solo/lyrics changed Empty Spaces dropped in favor of "What Shall We Do Now?" What Shall We Do Now? added, an alternate version of "Empty Spaces" Young Lust unchanged but with screams added and phone call part removed One of My Turns re-mixed Don't Leave Me Now shortened Another Brick in the Wall 3 re-recorded completely at a faster tempo Goodbye Cruel World unchanged Hey You not included Is There Anybody Out There? classical guitar re-recorded Nobody Home vocals re-mixed Vera unchanged Bring the Boys Back Home re-recorded completely with brass band and Welsh male voice choir/extended, Roger Waters' lead vocals removed Comfortably Numb re-mixed with screams added/bass line partially different from album The Show Must Go On not included In the Flesh re-recorded completely with brass band and Geldof on lead vocal Run Like Hell re-mixed/shortened Waiting for the Worms shortened but with extended coda Stop re-recorded completely featuring Geldof unaccompanied on lead vocal (Note: The audio in the background of this scene is of Gary Yudman's Introduction from the Wall Live at Earl's Court.) The Trial re-mixed Outside the Wall re-recorded completely with brass band and Welsh male voice choir/extended The only songs from the album not used in the film are Hey You and The Show Must Go On. Most of the Hey You footage was later edited into the film, and raw footage of the intact sequence was first made available on the DVD release as a deleted scene. [edit] Notes ^ Schaffner, Nicholas. Saucerful of Secrets. Dell Publishing. p. 225. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas. Saucerful of Secrets. Dell Publishing. p. 244. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas. Saucerful of Secrets. Dell Publishing. pp. 244–245. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas. Saucerful of Secrets. Dell Publishing. pp. 245–246. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas. Saucerful of Secrets. Dell Publishing. p. 246. ^ Geldof, Bob. Is That It?. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. [edit] Chart positions Year Chart Position 2005 Australian ARIA DVD Chart #10 [edit] External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Pink Floyd The Wall (film) A Complete Analysis of Pink Floyd The Wall by Bret Urick Pink Floyd The Wall at the Internet Movie Database Pink Floyd The Wall at Rotten Tomatoes [show]v • d • eFilms directed by Alan Parker Our Cissy (1974) • Footsteps (1974) • The Evacuees (1975) (TV) • Bugsy Malone (1976) • Midnight Express (1978) • Fame (1980) • Shoot the Moon (1982) • Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) • Birdy (1984) • Angel Heart (1987) • Mississippi Burning (1988) • Come See The Paradise (1990) • The Commitments (1991) • The Road to Wellville (1994) • Evita (1996) • Angela's Ashes (1999) • The Life of David Gale (2003) • The Ice at the Bottom of the World (2007) [show]v • d • ePink Floyd Syd Barrett · Richard Wright · Roger Waters · Nick Mason · David Gilmour Bob Klose Studio albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn · A Saucerful of Secrets · Ummagumma · Atom Heart Mother · Meddle · The Dark Side of the Moon · Wish You Were Here · Animals · The Wall · The Final Cut · A Momentary Lapse of Reason · The Division Bell Soundtracks The Committee · Tonite Let's All Make Love in London · More · Zabriskie Point · Obscured by Clouds Live albums Ummagumma · Delicate Sound of Thunder · Pulse · Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 Compilations The Best of the Pink Floyd · Relics · A Nice Pair · Masters of Rock · A Collection of Great Dance Songs · Works · Shine On · (The Early Singles) · 1967: The First Three Singles · Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd · Oh, by the Way Films Live at Pompeii · The Wall · Delicate Sound of Thunder · La Carrera Panamericana · Pulse · The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story · The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon · London '66-'67 Singles "Arnold Layne" · "See Emily Play" · "Flaming" · "Apples and Oranges" · "It Would Be So Nice" · "Let There Be More Light" · "Jugband Blues" · "Point Me at the Sky" · "The Nile Song" · "One of These Days" · "Free Four" · "Money" · "Us and Them"/"Time" · "Have a Cigar" · "Another Brick in the Wall Part II" · "Comfortably Numb" · "Run Like Hell" · "When the Tigers Broke Free" · "Not Now John" · " Your Possible Pasts" · "Learning to Fly" · "On the Turning Away" · "The Dogs of War" · "One Slip" · "Time"(live) · "Comfortably Numb"(live) · "Keep Talking" · "Take It Back" · "High Hopes" · "What Do You Want from Me?" · "Lost for Words" · "What Do You Want from Me?"(live) · "Wish You Were Here"(live) · "Young Lust"(live) Related articles Discography · Videography · Blackhill Enterprises · Steve O'Rourke · Live performances · Pigs · Dark Side of the Rainbow · The Man and the Journey · Unreleased material · Music from "The Body" · Publius Enigma · 19367 Pink Floyd · List of Pink Floyd songs Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd_The_Wall_(film)" Categories: 1982 films | British films | 1980s drama films | Films directed by Alan Parker | Films shot anamorphically | MGM films | Musical films | Pink Floyd films