To celebrate the 35th anniversary of its original release, The Prince Charles Cinema in central London has had six showings of the 70mm print of Alan Parker’s Pink Floyd The Wall . This is the first time since its original release date that it has been presented in this format on the big screen.

“Being a second generation Pink Floyd fan, and with the release of the movie based on their 1979 album The Wall pre-dating my arrival in this world by approximately 9 years, I of course missed the opportunity to experience the film on the big screen. Somewhat of an obscurity, even amongst some dedicated Floyd fans, The Wall movie is undoubtedly a cult movie which is somewhat alienating for a mass audience, not fully versed in Pink Floyd’s tone and style. One of the best independent cinemas in the country however, the excellent Prince Charles Cinema in London’s Leicester Square recently screened The Wall in an extended month-long run, and even better, on authentic 70mm film, with all its original fading and crackles in tact! It was here that I was finally able to experience the film on the big screen for the first time, and taste something of what it was like to watch it with the full cinematic experience.

I’ve watched The Wall many times before; in fact at the height of my Floyd obsession circa 2007-2010, I would probably watch it once a month! It is an interesting experience for sure, telling the story of the album in visual form using a mixture of live action and Gerald Scarfe’s incomparable animation, and with very limited dialogue. The album itself tells a story, but without some extensive research or listening, it might be tricky for the untrained ear to pick up on the story at it’s heart. The film itself doesn’t do too much to make it any less impenetrable, but it does add an extra layer to this already celebrated album, that is absolutely worth a watch, and especially on the big screen.

Watching this film at a time when literal walls are being talked about by a certain someone across the pond, it feels strangely timely to watch this, and in particular the scenes of Pink (Bob Geldof) as a quasi-Fascist dictator in his own mind are even more compelling. As was always the case with this film, the animation is the highlight, and the sequences which accompany Goodbye Blue Sky, Empty Spaces, and my personal favourite, The Trial, are disturbing, powerful, and funny in almost equal measure.

Whilst The Wall is undoubtedly an odd film, and still somewhat alienating for those who perhaps aren’t familiar with the album’s concept and central themes of abandonment and isolation, watching it on the big screen perfectly marries the unusual and unforgettable imagery with the sheer power of the music, making it a wholly more satisfying experience. The familiarity with songs such as Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 and Comfortably Numb are given new weight and meaning when listened to with the accompanying visuals, and whilst disturbing in places, the operatic visceral quality of songs such as In the Flesh and Run Like Hell have even more raw power when viewed as opposed to just listening to them.

It is perhaps ironic for a film and album which focuses so heavily on isolation as it’s central theme, that the film makes the album somehow less of an isolating experience, and whilst newcomers might still have some questions, it is incredible to see Waters’ visionary album visually coming to life. You might be a second generation Floyd fan like me, or perhaps seeing this film at the cinema in 1982 feels like somewhat of a distant memory, but if you’re able to experience The Wall on the big screen, then it is an experience not to be missed!”

We would like to take a moment to send special thanks to Sarah Buddery for taking the time to write and send in this review. 

Our 2018 Tour Rooms Are Now Open !!!

Click on the image above to keep track on all the latest news on Roger’s 2018 Us And Them Tour !!

So many of you will know that Roger has been hard at work in the studio recently, being skilfully assisted by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, his social media channels are slowly giving a little glimpses at the activity there.

For those that have missed the latest news Roger has is going back on the road with a brand new tour for 2017 entitled Us & Them.

You can get all the latest information on the tour by visiting our dedicated tour rooms by Clicking Here

“We are going to take a new show on the road, the content is very secret,” said Roger Waters. “It’ll be a mixture of stuff from my long career, stuff from my years with Pink Floyd, some new things. Probably 75% of it will be old material and 25% will be new, but it will be all connected by a general theme. It will be a cool show, I promise you. It’ll be spectacular like all my shows have been.”

Whilst we cannot “Officially” confirm a release date for the album, Many articles have appeared online claiming that album is scheduled “for an early May release in advance of Waters’ first tour date” and naturally we will be keeping you up to date as more information becomes available.

Below is a snippet of some video footage of some potential new material that has appeared online on one of Rogers social media accounts..

A new interview has appeared online featuring Pink Floyd : Live At Pompeii director Adrian Maben.

The interview has appeared on Italian news website Republican and has confirmed a expanded and re-released edition of the 1971 feature film…

You can read the original Italian interview by clicking here
To read the English translation by clicking here

Pink Floyd At Pompeii, book is an incredible journey undertaken by the authors with Adrian Maben, director of “Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii“.
The film, shot in 1971, has fascinated generations for over forty years and is still extraordinarily lively in the imagination of rock fans; more so because it came at a crucial time over the course of the two years when Pink Floyd, an underground band, became international rock stars – the years of Meddle and The Dark Side of the Moon.

The book digs deeply into the folds of that era and examines the vast ocean of facts and anecdotes, behind the scenes events, memorable stories and precious documents kept by the director. Mr. Maben often tells in first person, providing the narrative with authenticity and historical documentation. His active collaboration has made this book sort of a personal memorial; along with his personal memories, the director has made available the entire archive he kept for over forty years, with mostly unrealeased material.

The book consists of thirteen chapters divided into different subsections.
To further enhance the vast iconography, the book presents collectors’ rarities belonging to The Lunatics, the group of mega collectors among which are the authors themselves.

This is the third book of the group and follows the two successful books, “Pink Floyd. Storie e Segreti” (2012) and “Il Fiume Infinito. Tutte le Canzoni dei Pink Floyd” (2014), both published by Giunti Editore.

You can find purchase the book from the italian amazon store by clicking here

(Thanks go out to forum member cRaB for making us aware of the article)