Pink Floyd - The Wall (1982)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Christopher H

  
  One of the most surreal movies I've ever seen in my life. The story is a little hard to understand at times, especially when it comes to distinguishing what is going on in the real world or Pink's mind. However, if you like Pink Floyd music, this movie will certainly be a… More
  One of the most surreal movies I've ever seen in my life. The story is a little hard to understand at times, especially when it comes to distinguishing what is going on in the real world or Pink's mind. However, if you like Pink Floyd music, this movie will certainly be a treat. The animation sequences are the best parts of this film, they are technically impressive and fit the disturbing look of the movie and the music. My favorite parts of the film are the "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" school scene and "The Trial" at the film's climax.

• Jeff "

  
  I've been a fan of Pink Floyd since I was a kid, and this musical set to the brilliant music of Pin Floyd's album The Wall is stunning. The Wall is an eccentric concept, and in pure Pink Floyd fashion delivers masterful images set to a lavish storyline about a depressed rock… More
  I've been a fan of Pink Floyd since I was a kid, and this musical set to the brilliant music of Pin Floyd's album The Wall is stunning. The Wall is an eccentric concept, and in pure Pink Floyd fashion delivers masterful images set to a lavish storyline about a depressed rock star named Pink. The Wall is a film that should only be viewed by fans of the band, as the film follows the story of the album. The images are superbly well drawn and the sequences are very memorable. As a fan of the album, I was stunned at what I watched. The result is a near flawless musical set to one of Rock's greatest concept albums. This film is fairly simple, but set to the epic songs; it elevates the film to an entire level of musical. This isn't Grease; this is a true musical, with music that's from the heart. The cast do a fine job and there are some good performances in this film. But with every musical, The Wall is strong on music and not dialogue. You end up not caring because the film is so engrossing and compelling that it doesn't matter what's going on. I feel that Pink Floyd's music has always been hypnotic and intelligent. This musical is most certainly that, it hypnotizes you and takes you on an interesting journey where the lead character, Pink builds "The Wall" a metaphor for isolation. Pink seeks to isolate himself from the world, his pain, his fans and fame, and "The Wall" continues to build. This is a stunning musical set to brilliant music.

• Greg S

  
  The story of a depressed, self-loathing rock star, told as a long, grandiose, surrealistic movie video. Roger Waters lyrics for "The Wall" are whiny, pretentious, muddled, and occasionally brilliant, which could be said of this entire production: it's uneven but there… More
  The story of a depressed, self-loathing rock star, told as a long, grandiose, surrealistic movie video. Roger Waters lyrics for "The Wall" are whiny, pretentious, muddled, and occasionally brilliant, which could be said of this entire production: it's uneven but there are many indelible, grotesque moments, and it's hard to take your eyes off the screen. Gerald Scarfe's brilliant, nightmarish animations---birds turning into warplanes, flowers mating and eating each other, marching fascist hammers---are the high point.

• Lucas M

  
  Incredible! Alan Parker's Pink Floyd - The Wall, is a surrealist nightmare, a dark vision about the future. A chilling movie with the music of Pink Floyd that made The Wall more and more tense.

• AJ V

  
  Awesome, amazing, spectacular film, I love it, it's like a feature film of a music video. If you like Pink Floyd or just music videos in general, you'll love this movie.

• Chris W

  
  This film, like the album it is based on, is a masterpiece, but it's a masterpiece I don't want to revisit very often. Loaded with tons of symbolism and metaphors, The Wall is a haunting and disturbing story about a troubled man named Pink who manifests a wall to isolate… More
  This film, like the album it is based on, is a masterpiece, but it's a masterpiece I don't want to revisit very often. Loaded with tons of symbolism and metaphors, The Wall is a haunting and disturbing story about a troubled man named Pink who manifests a wall to isolate himself from the world and his troubles. The music is great, and it is amazing to see the rock opera told visually (and the wild animation is a nice touch), but I think this film is maybe just a tad too artsy, pretentious, and meandering...much like the album. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, and it is definitely a unique experience, but I'm afraid it's got limited appeal, and the depressing nature of things may be a bit too overwhelming. Still though, I recommend seeing it at least once, especially if you already dig the music. For my friends who say this is a godd "trip" movie, I have to respectfully disagree. I watched it stone codl sober and it still freaked me out. Watching it altered would probably cause more harm than good.

• Chris G

  
  There are many phrases that can be used for Pink Floyd The Wall. An orgy for the senses. A total mind f*&k. A piece of shit. It's one of those movies that you either love or hate. There's no middle ground to this movie. The film is about rock star Pink (Bob Geldof) who… More
  There are many phrases that can be used for Pink Floyd The Wall. An orgy for the senses. A total mind f*&k. A piece of shit. It's one of those movies that you either love or hate. There's no middle ground to this movie. The film is about rock star Pink (Bob Geldof) who is slowly falling to pieces in his hotel room on the sunset strip. This is before the world was ingesting happy pills to eliminate or horrible pasts, so Pink is doing what was done in the era- sitting around watching TV with groupies. As the film progresses we see the things that pushed Pink to the precipice- the father he never knew dying in a war he didn't understand. The education system that was an assembly line for "citizens". The overbearing mother. The promiscuous wife. These things serves as his "bricks", layering upon each other until he really is behind his wall. Pink will be vulnerable no more. But at what cost? The Wall is one of those films that breaks conventions, especially when thinking about musician movies. The norm is for the actual band to appear in their own film, but that's not the case with The Wall (though concert footage was going to be intertwined, but that's another story). This is a visualization of Pink Floyd's album from three years earlier. The fact that the band doesn't appear and most of the cast are relative unknowns shatters the idea of the rock star movie, most of which were either corny or bad (A Hard Day's Night is the logical exception). Alan Parker's haunting visuals give us the starkness of Pink's outside world. It's a world of dark hotel rooms, fascist parades, and a general malaise from the title character. What really allows us to get inside Pink's head is the animations by Gerald Scarfe. You know you have a good design when kids are wearing them on t-shirts thirty years later. One of the most striking pieces in the film is the one I like to call the Georgia O'Keefe sequence where two flowers court each other, make love in a swirling vortex of Freudian images where you see the act, yet you don't and finally ending with the female plant consuming the male counterpart. This is Pink's psychosis as he continues to build his Wall. This isn't the Incredible Mr. Lippett. The reason The Wall has continued to be relevant in an ever changing society is that it's issues go straight back to that age old rock n' roll ingredient called teen angst. Parents are lost to death or divorce as they also can be hindrances, schools want you in the classroom to meet a quota and get their government check, and who can forget those good old teen age relationships that really weren't as monumental as they were at the time. Every generation goes through this same stuff, making it relevant over and over again. This film has become a right of passage. Somewhere right now a teenager or a whole group of them is watching this for the first time. There won't be an analytical discussion of what the movie was about or Pink's little mental glitch, but it will stick with whoever watches it. I expect the day will come shortly when my copy is missing from the shelf, along with Manos: The Hands of Fate.

• Daniel M

  
  Pink Floyd -- The Wall does something which very few musicals can do -- it can really, really scare you. Discounting Sweeney Todd and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which scare in completely different ways), it is the only musical film I have ever come across which is closer to horror… More
  Pink Floyd -- The Wall does something which very few musicals can do -- it can really, really scare you. Discounting Sweeney Todd and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which scare in completely different ways), it is the only musical film I have ever come across which is closer to horror than family-friendly entertainment. It's a chilling, heady, terrifying mix of war, politics, sex and self-loathing, all drawn together by the powerful combination of Pink Floyd's music and Alan Parker's direction. Filmmakers who learnt their trade making adverts are noted for their versatility, particularly in their ability to take any subject matter and turn it into a unique artistic vision. Like his contemporary Ridley Scott, Parker is a stunning visual artist with an eye for colour and composition, who understands how much can be said by an image. There is almost no dialogue in Pink Floyd -- The Wall, and there doesn't really need to be, because the images that Parker creates are so rich and multi-layered that they don't need the actors to fill in the blanks by talking. On a purely visual level, Pink Floyd -- The Wall is fantastic. Parker beautifully captures the pale blues and khaki of WWII Britain, and then injects it with deep bloody reds and stark, haunting black as the fears and nightmares of Pink begin to unfold. The visual sensibility of the film, and the style in which it is put together, is reminiscent of Dario Argento's Suspiria, which is similarly graphic and yet wonderful to behold. The entire 'Thin Ice' sequence, in which Bob Geldof begins to drown in a pool which slowly turns to blood, is straight out of Argento; the visuals hypnotise you in such a way that the most graphic and gruesome scenes are also the most beautiful. Because the film is so visually stunning, it is tempting to view it as a triumph of style over substance, like the later works of Brian De Palma. It is definitely the case that the film is not a literal or straightforward adaptation of Pink Floyd's rock opera, preferring instead to be a collection of surrealistic images which coalesce into a confusing but captivating character study. If you're a purist of the album, you'll find yourself frustrated by songs appearing in the wrong order and stopping halfway through. On the other hand, if you're not a Floyd fan at all, you'll just be a little confused and wondering where all this is leading. However, this approach actually aids the film as a complete piece, even if individual scenes fall short along the way. By having the film jumping around in time, it allows us to see Pink's psychological collapse as something homogenous and deeply ingrained. If the film had been strictly linear, it would have felt like a series of contrived explorations of social excesses, making Pink's transformation seem less believable. But by cutting back and forth between Pink's past experiences and his current state in the locked hotel room, we gain a more layered understanding of the madness of the character, and share in his profound sense of alienation. Despite this device paying off, the film does feel at points like it is pulling in different directions. Because of the production battles between Parker and Waters, and between Waters and the rest of the band, certain sections feel like an underwhelming compromise to keep things moving forward. The fascist rally in the final third is beautifully shot, but is spoiled by some bad choreography which just looks like... well, bad choreography. There are several annoying inconsistencies which remain overlooked. For instance, why does Bob Geldof only sing a few of the songs, and the rest are done by Roger Waters? If they're meant to be the same character, why not have the same person doing all the lines? The film would have had a better thread and point of focus if one of the two (probably Geldof) had stepped aside. For all the striking images that Parker puts on screen, the best sections of the film are Gerald Scarfe's terrifying animations. Scarfe has always had an eye for the macabre, and never pulls his punches. The best of these include the famous marching hammers, which pop up in 'Waiting For The Worms'; the entire of 'Empty Spaces', with the Freudian flowers and the man transforming into a gun; and the whole of 'Goodbye Blue Sky', in which a dove is torn open to reveal a dark eagle and the Union Jack disintegrates into a bleeding cross. All of these images stick in your mind both because they are striking and because they tap into the heart of the story; they reflect the sense of disaffection and loss which runs through the whole project. Alienation is at the heart of The Wall, both as an album and a film; both are about the walls we build between each other to keep us safe, but which end up driving us insane. Compare the opening shots, of the hotel corridor and Pink slumped in his chair, with the action surrounding the first number. Whereas the latter is frenetic and graphic, the former is creepy and chilling. The opening scenes seem slow on first viewing, but they do a good job of establishing just how distant Pink is from all other human activity. The shot of the cigarette burned right down to the knuckles is a clear indication of what kind of burnt-out shell we are dealing with. Throughout the film there are subsequent references to this distance Pink feels, from his loneliness in the park as a child to the way he ignores his girlfriend as she strips in front of him. This self-imposed isolation comes back to haunt him, to the point at which he eventually snaps and puts himself on trial. Much like the album, the ending is left ambiguous as to whether or not Pink has survived the experience of tearing down the wall. Considering the prolonged scream (done by Waters), it seems to suggest that Pink is dead, but the images that follow of the young boys in the rubble hint at a more optimistic outcome, if not for Pink, then for the rest of us behind our respective walls. Pink Floyd -- The Wall is not a perfect film by any means. The little inconsistencies in the storytelling and the nature by which the ideas are explored can seem alienating on first viewing, particularly to people who aren't fans of the Floyd. But as a tonal piece, about isolation, distance and madness, it is a very fine achievement indeed. Nearly thirty years on it never fails to chill you, and it clearly rewards repeat viewing. Its relentless and uncompromising style work to its advantage to create a highly memorable experience, for better or worse. Most of all, it manages somehow to do justice to one of the greatest albums in the history of rock and roll.

• Jennifer D

  
  Would it be appropriate to just say "mind fuck"?

• Cassandra M

  
  Roger Waters has weaved a compelling visual of the journey of a disturbed and misled mind. Though the viewer is sometimes left to sort out obscure animations and confusing images, it is not without direction. Subsequent viewings of this film reveal substance that only a genius could… More
  Roger Waters has weaved a compelling visual of the journey of a disturbed and misled mind. Though the viewer is sometimes left to sort out obscure animations and confusing images, it is not without direction. Subsequent viewings of this film reveal substance that only a genius could imbue in his writing. Character development through such subtle action in places casts a light upon Roger Waters as a person who understands the frailty of the human mind. The main character, Pink, portrays angles of the human condition we all face at some point by embodying a victimized character: sick over the loss of his father to the war; negatively spotlighted at school for talents that are apparently unfavorable at the time; unable or just unwilling to relate to his wife; and ultimately shut off from effectively relating to others because of an inability to express himself in ways that others understand. Not only is the story captivating, but the music is such that it will always be noted as not only ahead of its time, but timeless. The Wall is a masterpiece of storytelling, but not in the traditional sense. One must not watch this film expecting everything on a silver platter. Symbolism and metaphors abound, leaving a great deal of interpretation and adaptation to the viewer. Sit with an open mind and let Waters' character help you read into yourself.

• Tim S

  
  One of my favorites, this film is always a treat to witness.

• David L

  
  As an album, Pink Floyd's "The Wall" thrust on the music world an opus with the towering angst of a burnt-out rock star cursing his environment for causing him to build a "wall" against it and its tortures, both trivial and relevant. Now, the film version… More
  As an album, Pink Floyd's "The Wall" thrust on the music world an opus with the towering angst of a burnt-out rock star cursing his environment for causing him to build a "wall" against it and its tortures, both trivial and relevant. Now, the film version provides a backdrop for the popular album as the literal adaptation by director Alan Parker assaults the senses by entering the mind of a character driven to the border between genius and madness by the pressures of reality. Except for substituting "When the Tigers Broke Free" for "Hey You," the album's material is complete. Many of the tracks have been reworked, a tad slower and much richer than the originals, revealing all the nuances that the film's crisp sound uncovers. Roger Waters, bass player for Pink Floyd as well as the film's maestro, knew exactly how his audience would react toward his film even as he designed the poster art, which offers vivid snatches of several scenes scattered around the autistic main character. He is right: one doesn't remember the film as a whole so much as one is more inclined to remember a bombastic series of vignettes that have somehow surrounded Pink (played by Bob Geldof, lead singer of the Boomtown Rats). The images, however, do reflect a kind of demented poetry to them. Blood, whether it's dripping into a pool or a sink full of shaving cream, looks exquisite on film, just as light in the form of a match and a fluorescent bulb can appear to bring warmth as well as an oppressive glare to different scenes. Reviewing "The Wall" is entirely different from reviewing other movies made from albums, like "Quadrophenia" or "Sgt. Pepper," because "The Wall" is meant as a piece of didactic art as opposed to a conventional rendition of an album, explaining the album's concept and themes rather than attempt to dramatize the 1. The universal themes of love, sex, war and oppression link each scene as Pink attempts to provide some sort of rationale for his world. In several scenes one can almost hear Waters describing how he wants the scene shot in order to bring about this or that type of symbolism. "In the lyrics it says 'his fat and psychopathic wife," Waters might have explained to Parker, "but that's just his warped perception of her. Actually, she is just an average wife who uses her stern facade to instill in him the perfect behavior he lacks. Get it? Okay, let's shoot it from the ground looking up so she looks bigger than life and gives her a little more respect." "The Wall" as a story is so lyrically tight that the album by contrast can't be pinned down to an examination of definite meanings. The film maintains this cornucopia of interpretations by painting numerous layers through images that sometimes flow, sometimes collide with each other. For example, Gerald Scarfe's animations can metamorphose a dove into a symbol of Nazi Germany, the Royal Air Force and finally the ruins of England, reversing any Phoenix myths. Scarfe also triumphs with the visual accompaniment to the lengthened version of "Empty Spaces" as the path of "Shooting superstars" is sarcastically examined. And a tender love scene between two flowers erupts into a violent rape as pistil and stamen battle each other mercilessly. The central point of the film is that Waters, or any other rock star, has the ability to become a fascist dictator in relatively the same kind of war that destroyed his father, the cornerstone of his wall. And that rock and roll has become a religion (or Reich) that has the same hierarchy and rituals as a socialistic society. The audience, however, is oblivious to it all, even as it enjoys it, and has for thirty some years. "The Wall" has the potential to be either a depressing hour-and-a-half of celluloid or a brilliantly colored, insightful tool to see just how far we will let out entertainers rule our lives, and vice versa.

• Stella D

  
  isolation, devastation, with a nice dose of rad animation. kinda cool to hear those songs again; i've purposely not listened to this for years

• Lafe F

  
  A powerful album rock musical about the mental breakdown of a huge rock star. His childhood features prominently in his self destruction. The tracks from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album take on clear and disturbing meanings as we delve inside the mind of madness. The… More
  A powerful album rock musical about the mental breakdown of a huge rock star. His childhood features prominently in his self destruction. The tracks from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album take on clear and disturbing meanings as we delve inside the mind of madness. The imagery is striking. The raw animated sequences add a gritty feel to it all. It's a spectacle of images and sound on a big screen experience. There's a lot of pain to work through, which never makes the movie depressing.

• xGary X

  
  Bizarre attempt to interpret the Pink Floyd album in cinematic form, Gerald Scarfe's animated sections overshadow the live action, which is confused and chronically depressing. Some striking imagery though.

• Curtis L

  
  What can I say? Great music, disturbing, and visually awesome.

• Fascade F

  
  "Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone!!!!" The vision of The Walking hammers...Nah...it wasn't a failure in my book...a classic....a timeless visionary of a classic...not much of a rock fan but before there was MTV...there was the silver screen and this was one of those… More
  "Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone!!!!" The vision of The Walking hammers...Nah...it wasn't a failure in my book...a classic....a timeless visionary of a classic...not much of a rock fan but before there was MTV...there was the silver screen and this was one of those that was it! The birth of music as a full length video.

• Joseph E

  
  I think it pleased less than it appeased. I was engroosed by the plot, and story, but even with the great music, acting and chilling scenes, it was more grossing, than engrossing.

• Mike T

  
  A dark, disturbing and strikingly surreal depiction of insanity accompanied by some of the greatest rock music ever written. Vividly imaginative imagery and impressive performances from a cast deprived almost entirely of dialogue. Being a die-hard Pink Floyd fan, this film is one I… More
  A dark, disturbing and strikingly surreal depiction of insanity accompanied by some of the greatest rock music ever written. Vividly imaginative imagery and impressive performances from a cast deprived almost entirely of dialogue. Being a die-hard Pink Floyd fan, this film is one I won't soon forget. Enthralling.

• David S

  
  As a huge fan of Floyd I came to this movie with experience of listening to the album repeatedly and having seen Waters recent Wall concert. Unfortunately the film is probably the least satisfying version of the story as it comes across as quite lumbering and any humour that was… More
  As a huge fan of Floyd I came to this movie with experience of listening to the album repeatedly and having seen Waters recent Wall concert. Unfortunately the film is probably the least satisfying version of the story as it comes across as quite lumbering and any humour that was originally there in the concept is all gone. There is still a load to enjoy here, not least the brilliant imagery by Gerald Scarfe, and the music is still amazing. Some of the scenes are very effective too (the rally and the school production line stand out) but I can't help wishing Floyd had just gone and shot a proper version of their 80-81 concerts instead.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings