Review of Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) by Ryan E — 10 Mar 2010

One of the biggest curiosities in cinema, and a melding of three distinctive talents: musician Roger Waters, filmmaker Alan Parker, and animator Gerald Scarfe. The movie they have come up with is not a masterpiece-it's too long, and wears out its welcome by the end.

That said, it is one of the most interesting films ever made, and makes a good case that a music video can indeed be art. It is a film that went against the grain, not bothering to add any sort of musical performances, but instead using music as a way to tell a story in images-some surreal, some impressionistic, some literal.

Themes of instituational brutality abound, be it fascist dictators, police beatings, or strict British headmasters. Images of war recurr throughout the picture. Parker manages to keep a downbeat tone throughout, without any effort to pander to the audience.

Scarfe's animation is frightening and deeply disturbing at times. Where other rock groups at the time were making movies to showcase their great albums, "The Wall" doesn't seem to care, which makes it one of the most unique ever made.