Saturday, September 10, 2022

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

IMDb plot summary: A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.
Directed by Alan Parker. Starring Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, and James Laurenson.

Pink Floyd: The Wall is a musical based on the Pink Floyd album "The Wall." It loosely follows the story of a young musician dealing with trauma, mental illness, and substance abuse. I should probably start this review saying I've never really been a fan of Pink Floyd's music. Their songs always feel just like atmospheric soundscapes rather than music, which I'm just less interested in listening to. But turns out that works kind of perfectly when paired with intriguing visuals hinting at a story. This is definitely a case of the whole working better for me than the sum of its parts -- the images and the sounds help to make sense of each other and together they create an experience I like much, much better than if I'd been dealing with either separately. They work so well as a whole, I have difficulty identifying individual moments that worked for me, but the experience as a whole was powerful and intense and I maybe kind of loved it? This is definitely one to add to my list to revisit in the near future, but I found it very emotionally moving on a first watch and am delighted to have found a way into a band I don't usually care for.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Pink Floyd The Wall > Closer
Pink Floyd The Wall > Safe
Pink Floyd The Wall < Castle in the Sky
Pink Floyd The Wall > Spencer
Pink Floyd The Wall > Down With Love
Pink Floyd The Wall < Animal Crackers
Pink Floyd The Wall > Dogville
Pink Floyd The Wall > I've Loved You So Long
Pink Floyd The Wall > In the Loop
Pink Floyd The Wall > The Way, Way Back
Pink Floyd The Wall > Black Panther
Final spot: #519 out of 3679, or 86%.

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