Plot: What’s it about?
For those unacquainted with Pink Floyd, “The Wall” is one of their most popular works to this day. The idea originated in 1977 during a concert in Montreal when Roger Waters, the bassist, spat in the face of an over enthusiastic fan. He realized what a monster he was becoming on stage and the idea came to him of a “wall” between him and the audience. Later he conceived the music along with the idea of a stage show, and still later, a full length movie.
As for the movie itself, it is based on the very popular album “The Wall” and centers around a musician that is loosing his mind. Through events in his infancy and subsequent childhood, he builds a psychological wall between himself and the rest of the world. What the audience sees in the movie is the wild trip his mind takes when he finally goes over the edge.
While I consider myself a moderate Pink Floyd fan and have several of their CDÆs, I must say that I would only recommend that the most die-hard of fans actually purchase this DVD. While it is absolutely chock-full of extras (only Apollo 13 can compete) and the picture and sound are excellent, the story itself moved very slow to me. Do not get me wrong, if you enjoy the album “The Wall”, you should certainly see the movie. However, I would recommend it as a rental only. Then, after previewing it, perhaps you can decide if it is for you or not.
As for the picture and sound, they are absolutely excellent. I had a hard time believing that this movie was made a little less than twenty years ago. The picture quality was very good and the sound was excellent. The rear surround speakers even get used at times. The extras are simply overwhelming. A viewer has literally HOURS of material to view here when the lyrical subtitles, commentaries, retrospectives, and behind the scenes items are considered. There were also stills galleries, music videos and numerous other items that I canÆt even remember right now. As far as extras, it is simply one of the best this reviewer has ever seen.
I gave this DVD the highest marks for everything except the overall rating. That is simply due to the storyline and how slow the movie moves along.
Video: How does it look?
The 2.35:1 16:9 transfer is great, considering that this film is nearly 20 years old. There is a lot of dark scenes, but the picture holds up. A great transfer indeed!
Audio: How does it sound?
The soundtrack was remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and it sounds great as well. If you’re a fan of Pink Floyd, and you must be if you get this movie, you’ll be in heaven. Dialogue is clean and concise which gives the whole movie a great ambiance.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Waaaaaaaaaaaaay to many to list, let’s just say that a Pink Floyd will spend the better portion of a day viewing all the supplements here.
