THE WALL (THE MOVIE)

Here is something that I wish would happen for more concept albums; a movie was made to basically be a companion piece and running 'music video' for the double album. Seeing as the album was basically film-length as it were, it wouldn't have been such a task to stretch the material over the course of a full-length feature. What would have been a task however, would be to properly find a visual counterpart to one of the most profound rock albums ever made. Having seen this movie quite a few times, I would have to say that the makers of this movie did their work very well, and the work they obviously put into it shines through as being one of the best music films I have seen to date.

The movie has virtually no original dialogue. With the exception of a few musical segments (most memorably one about the protagonist's father fighting WWII) that to my knowledge, are original to the film or obscure b-sides, everything you hear is off of the album itself. You see it as a visual manifestation of the album. In 'Another Brick In The Wall,' it shows school as a meat processing plant; an assembly line and you see the children protesting in vain. At the avant-garde theatrical piece 'The Trial' which takes place completely in the protagonist's head, it appears as a disjointed, crazy cartoon.

As far as plot goes, anyone who has an idea of the album's concept beforehand shouldn't have much trouble following it, as long as they pay attention to the lyrics. Essentially, without really giving too much away, the absence of Pink's (the protagonist) father in his childhood left him a bit listless, and in his adulthood as a rock star, he feels helpless and is emotionally undeveloped. As his psychosis develops, he begins to have delusions of grandeur, and as far as he is concerned, he begins a rise to fascist power? Overall, it's a bit of a weird trip in terms of plot but it works very well in terms of giving opportunities for emotional, quirky segments.

For anyone who enjoyed 'The Wall,' you should love the movie. It doesn't pass off as being a mere money maker; there's a lot of new depth here that will help your appreciation of the album increase on its own. A masterpiece of cinematography in its own right, and much better than you might expect.

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