Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

Roger Waters (album "The Wall"), Roger Waters (screenplay)

Stars:

Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Geldof	...	Pink
Christine Hargreaves	...	Pink's Mother
James Laurenson	...	J.A. Pinkerton (Pink's Father)
Eleanor David	...	Pink's Wife
Kevin McKeon	...	Young Pink
Bob Hoskins	...	Rock and Roll Manager
David Bingham	...	Little Pink
Jenny Wright	...	American Groupie
Alex McAvoy	...	Teacher
Ellis Dale	...	English Doctor
James Hazeldine	...	Lover
Ray Mort	...	Playground Father
Margery Mason	...	Teacher's Wife (as Marjorie Mason)
Robert Bridges	...	American Doctor
Michael Ensign	...	Hotel Manager

Storyline

Rock star Pink Floyd is a tortured soul. Because of his childhood, he has always tried to make meaningful emotional connections to other living creatures. That childhood includes not having a male role model with his father having been killed in the war, his overprotective mother smothering him, and an oppressive school system quashing his natural creativity. Being a rock star, he is often wanted more because of what he is than who he is. The most recent failure in that true connection to someone or something else is his marriage, when on tour, he discovers that his wife back home is cheating on him. His response is to go in the opposite direction, by building a figurative wall around him to isolate himself from the rest of the world, but not before showing graphically his feelings on different gut levels. The question becomes if he or anyone else can do anything to tear down the wall in a meaningful way.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | loss of father | adolescence | wall | rock star | 

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Taglines:

The Music, The Nightmares, The Motion Picture

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Music

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The groupie, when seeing Pink's hotel room, exclaims "Look at the size of this tub!", then "Wanna take a bath?" This is coincidentally reminiscent of the scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, when McMurphy sneaks in the party girls and Rose says, "Get a load of these tubs!" and "Hey, can I take a bath?"

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Goofs

Money stuffed into theatre manager's jacket pocket during the overdose scene disappears/reappears a couple of times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pink: [singing] So ya, thought ya might like to, go to the show. To feel the warm thrill of confusing that space cadet glow. Tell me is something eluding you sunshine? Is this not what you expected to see? If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes, you'll just have to claw your way through this disguise!

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Alternate Versions

The DVD release has footage for "Hey you" that was cut on the theatrical release. Much of this footage was used in other scenes of the movie (a fight between the police and rioters, Pink and the giant wall...)

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Connections

Features Puttin' on the Dog (1944)

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Soundtracks

Stop
Written by Roger Waters
Performed by Bob Geldof

User Reviews

fascinating!

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.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pink Floyd: The Wall

Filming Locations:

Kensington Gas Works, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$22,244,207

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,265,763

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldcrest Films International, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Tinblue

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) Mono (some 35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1