Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

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

Release Date:

13 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Pink Floyd The Wall. Now The Film.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Anti Racism | Violence | Anti Nazism | Disturbing | Anti Fascism

Awards:

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Wall

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

France:-16 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (VHS rating) | Canada:18A (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Israel:PG | New Zealand:R16 (DVD rating) (2003) | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:(Banned) (1982-1991) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (1999) (uncut) | South Korea:18 (video rating) (1991) (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Goldcrest Films International

Trivia:

The Wall tour (in support of the album) originally ran through 1980, in Los Angeles, New York, and Earl's Court (London) (the nature of the material, and the scale of the stage production, prohibited a large-scale tour). When the movie was green-lighted, Pink Floyd performed five more shows at Earl's Court, which were filmed with the intention of being incorporated into the movie but the resulting footage was deemed unsuitable for use. Over the years, numerous suggestions have been made that this footage could be used to make a concert film, but Roger Waters, who owns all rights to the footage, has consistently squashed any attempts.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Pink throws the T.V. out the window before he cuts his hand, he mouths "Take that, fuckers!", but we hear "Next time, fuckers!" (This is corrected in the DVD release of "The Wall")

Quotes:

Pink: Is there anybody out there?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: Beers and Weirs (#1.2)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

In the Flesh

The Wall is one of the best albums/movies ever done

What can you possibly say except that this movie is amazing?

"The Wall" is one of the few movies out there that has a powerful effect on the people are receptive to its message. Told with practically no dialogue, the only guide to the bizarre, frightening, and strange images is the incredible music by Pink Floyd, from their equally good double album. A considerable number of the songs were re-recorded for this movie, and one song (the heart-wrenching "When the Tigers Broke Free") was added. The new versions of the songs are sometimes worse than the album (Waiting for the Worms), and sometimes better (Mother, In the Flesh).

"The Wall" isn't a pleasant movie, nor is it a simplistic or banal movie. It is brutal, cynical, and disturbing, but it has moments of flesh-tingling beauty and an uplifting message in the end, if you persevere. I recommend both it and the album to anyone who enjoys a powerful movie. In my opinion, "The Wall," along with a few other albums, represents the pinnacle of rock music.