Review of Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) by Jean-François J — 09 May 2013

A terrific example of a triumphant failure, Pink Floyd The Wall is an spellbinding, albeit flawed experience. Featuring stellar and surreal animation from political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and a brooding performance from Bob Geldof as the drug-fueled rockstar Pink, The Wall tells a young man's odyssey into madness and self-isolation sparked by the death of his father at a war in a distant land that is further fueled by his relationships with his overbearing mother, his cruel educators, and eventually his rebellious wife until he separates himself from the world and points the blame to no one other than himself.

Those unfamiliar with the powerhouse concept album may be either scratching their heads at the film's poorly-explained "plot" or they may be simply staring at the screen confused with the bizarre and ambiguous imagery. The battle of creative differences between Director Parker, former Floyd member Waters, and Scarfe is evident with how much of a mess the film appears to be in its storytelling and non-existent character development. On top of that, by the film's conclusion, much like the album, the audience is left with no specific answers to the fate of our guide and must take away whatever bricks are left before the credits roll.

There are, however, some wonderful set pieces in this musical journey. In the "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2," the education system is visualized as a meat grinder lining schoolchildren up for the slaughter of abusive repetition. Even the wannabe-Nazi rally toward the film's climax is visually impressive, looking more like a sadistic high school graduation with grand orchestras and fanfare.

The Wall can easily be recommended to fans of the album, who may either love it for its surreal and symbolic imagery or simply accept its existence without much praise. On the other hand, credit should be given in how ambitious this piece was, featuring some of the darkest animated images in film and at least attempting for a thoughtful conclusion. While Pink Floyd The Wall is an imperfect journey, it should be admired nonetheless for trying to crack a path in our minds.