Pink Floyd's The Wall (1980)

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nPink Floyd’s The Wall (1980)

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nDirector: Alan Parker

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nCast: Bob Geldof, Bob Hoskins, Jenny Wright

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nAs a film buff, sometimes important movies escape my allnscanning, all seeing eyes. Truth is there’s just so much to see; a life time isn’tnenough.  So for whatever the reason,nprobably because I was never really into Pink Floyd’s music, I had never seennPink Floyd’s The Wall. Man am I kicking myself in the ass for not having seennthis one before! This movie is not just a movie, it’s an experience! An audionvisual tour de force!
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nThis is the story of ‘Pink’, a young man that’s not to happynabout the worlds his born into, we follow him through the different phases innlife, so in many ways it’s a life story. In this sense, it is similar to Ken Russell’s Tommy (1975), because its also a life story, it’s also a critique on society and it’s also a film fueled by Rock and Roll. In Pink Floyd’s The Wall, we see Pink go from growing up in annabusive and unproductive education system, to becoming comfortably numb throughnwatching television and doing drugs in order to ignore the crazy world that surroundsnhim. Pink manages to become part of a famous rock band, but even with success nothingnmakes sense to him. Will he snap and go totally insane? Or will he join thenranks of Big Brother?
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nThis film is very special, and I’m going to have to asknanyone out there reading that hasn’t experienced this film yet to do so at thenearliest possible convenience. I mean, if you love film and the range of emotionsnand themes that you can express through it, then go on and find a copy of thisnamazing movie and watch it. It’s a wonderful achievement, an amazing marriagenof sight and sound. All gushing aside, what actually makes this film sonspecial? Well, let me count the ways.
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nOnenof the things that stands out about this movie is that it hardly uses anyndialog to tell its story. Its main character hardly utters a word throughoutnthe entire film! Other characters around him speak, but Pink himself remainsnwith his lips sealed for most of the film, even though a lot seems to be goingnon inside of him. Yet, what he doesn’t say through words, he conveys throughnfacial expressions, through performance and through action. Like Chaplin, here’sna character that says a lot without saying a word! Pink is a guy that has grownnsick of the mind numbing stupidity that society occupies itself with. He hatesntelevision, the dumb masses, he hates money, war, material things, Pink basicallyndislikes everything he sees. Where will this abhorring of the world take him? BobnGeldof’s performance is a good one; a lot is conveyed through performance,nwhich to me is one of the films major achievements. This films modus operandinis “a picture speaks louder than a thousand words”. And boy, the imagery we seenon this film truly speaks for itself!
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nIn order to tell their story through surrealistic, symbolicnimages, the filmmakers put a lot of effort into marrying the perfect imagesnwith the lyrics to Pink Floyd’s songs, which are just amazing. Songs and imagesngel together so perfectly here! The songs are every bit as subversive as thenvisuals, which hold nothing back, these songs tell a story. I mean, here’s anmovie that tells us that today’s education system treats students like meat tona grinder…every student grinded into one same piece of meat, without anythingnto make them individuals, without uniqueness. Here’s a film that says thatntelevision can drive you mad, that war is death, that bad parents are somethingnto drive us mad, that we will eventually turn into a piece of the machinery,ninto another senseless clone.  Here’s anfilm unafraid to say that governments can turn into fascist regimes, basically,nthis is a movie without any filters or restraints. Yet it says everything sonartistically, with such emotion and intensity. It’s impossible to ignore it, ornthe truth within it.
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nThe talent in the film is obviously a huge part of whatnmakes it such a wonder to behold. Here we have Alan Parker in the director’snchair; a director whose films have always been thematically strong, like anpunch to the gut. If you don’t believe me then go and watch Midnight Express (1978).nWatching that movie for the first time is like getting a bucket of ice coldnwater poured down your back! I dare you not to be inspired by Parker’s Fame (1980),nor be freaked out by Robert Deniro’s Satan in Parker’s satanic thriller, AngelnHeart (1987). Point is that Pink Floyd’s The Wall has an excellent directornbehind it, which is probably why the visuals are so memorable. But then again,nPink Floyd has always been a band who pays as much attention to their music videosnas they do to their songs; their music videos are always a joy to watch. Thenfilm was written by Pink Floyd’s own Roger Waters, but the basic jist of thenfilm is that the songs from their conceptual album ‘The Wall’ are the drivingnforce behind the plot of the film. These songs tell us the story of a young mannin disgust with society, and the songs are truly special, and this comes from annew fan. Thanks to this film, I am now a Pink Floyd convert/fan, the same thingnmight happen to you if you’ve never been a fan of Pink Floyd. I dare you not tonhave some sort of emotional reaction to the images that accompany the song ‘ComfortablynNumb’, one of Pink Floyd’s biggest hits. With this song, the film also commentsnon the sometimes nightmarish lifestyle of a rock and roll star, as if the filmnwasn’t already commenting enough. And yet another great element in the film arenGerald Scarfe’s amazing animated sequences, which are mind blowing! This movie wouldn’tnbe the same without Scarfe’s imaginative animation, it is an integral part ofnthe equation. Scarfe’s animation is so fantastic that various sequences, like thenhammers marching, the teacher grinding the students into a meat grinder, ornthat screaming face emerging out of the brick wall have all become part of thisnfilms iconic imagery. So what we have here my friends, is a nonstop onslaughtnof talent. This is definitely one of the movies you should see before you croke, put itnon your must watch list, you won’t regret it.

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nRating: 5 out of 5

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