Pink Floyd: The Wall

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) puts the album on screen without converting it into dialogue. There is almost no speech; the story runs on the songs, animated sequences, and a rock star coming apart in a hotel room. A man who lost his father in the war, was crushed at school and smothered by his mother builds a wall around himself. Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats plays the lead. He did not want it. While his manager pitched him in a taxi on the way to the airport, Geldof kept refusing and kept explaining his contempt for the project. He did not know the driver was Roger Waters's brother. The production was something all three of its creators hated. Alan Parker called it one of the most miserable experiences of his creative life. Gerald Scarfe, who did the drawings, said he had to have a drink before going into Pinewood in the morning, because he knew what was coming. Waters found the shoot unnerving and unpleasant. Waters did not like the result either. He said its assault on the senses was so unremitting that it gave him no chance to get involved with it. He did praise Geldof's performance. It was made for between ten and twelve million dollars and grossed 22.3 million worldwide. It runs 95 minutes. Good for: Pink Floyd, visual experiment, and animation fused with live action. Less good for: the film is bleak and its intensity never lets up. The imagery in the fascism sequence is harsh. There is barely any narrative, and many transitions mean nothing to anyone who does not know the album.