On Parker and Scarfe’s Pink Floyd: The Wall. “It’s the music for me.”
Intriguing, compelling, disturbing. These words should best summarize Parker and Scarfe’s Pink Floyd: The Wall. Admittedly, I was never a fan of Pink Floyd or of the rock genre all in all. I found the music hard to listen to and relate to. Sometimes the songs would be too chaotic, too long, or too boring that would never allow me to listen to the songs progressively. So why watch this movie? Despite my difficulty in appreciating rock music, films like this one — Musical Dramas — are of a different thing. I think concept albums turned to films, especially that of the rock genre, is the most interesting to see especially after finding out that part of Pink’s life is a reflection of particular members of the band like Roger Waters’ childhood and Syd Barett’s adult life.
Pink Floyd: The Wall was released in 1982 and directed by Alan Parker and Gerald Scarfe. This very long music video depicts Pink Floyd, who, having lost his father at an early age in the war, grows old to be a deeply troubled man and in an effort to protect himself from the dreary moments in his life, creates a “wall”. The songs of the album are accompanied by very dark and sometimes disturbing moving images that enabled me, a person who doesn’t personally listen to Pink Floyd, understand the nature of the songs. By illustrating innocence, isolation, and depression, each song is a journey, some with similar themes but all with a sense of individuality that makes up a disturbing whole and a sad story.
Despite this, there were at times that it got boring. “Perhaps it’s the songs”, I said. After all, I was not an avid fan of Pink Floyd. I feel that even though the film experimented in telling the story in various ways, like the animation for “What Shall We Do Now” which I loved, for some moments of the film I just didn’t care anymore and my interest fell gradually. Maybe the frequent zooming and the slow beat accompanying it just didn’t work for me. You see, the problem with movies like this is that music is the center of the film. And for non-Pink Floyd fans like me, this movie is quite difficult to love.
Other than that, the movie is brilliant in illustrating its themes. The back and forth narration between young and adult Pink Floyd worked brilliantly, the set design was perfect and the acting was excellent. I would love to see more movies about Pink Floyd like the one done with Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody. A solid 7/10!
Zeraly Saromines is an aspiring filmmaker and film critic who, through her blogs, helps viewers decide whether to watch a certain movie or show or geek out with other passionate viewers. Her opinionated blogs provide her own perspective and opinions whether it be about your favorite superhero, International shows, and Filipino rom-com and the classics — anything that movies and tv shows have to offer. However, she is especially obsessed with finding stories that hint at the harsh realities of life, explore the realms of magic and science, and those that offer new perspectives from underrepresented groups. By challenging her thoughts constantly and striving to be set apart from other critics, she writes her blogs in a much personal way that enables her to engage with her readers. In addition to this, her past experience as an international student provides different outlooks and perspectives on culture and life that again reflect on the content of her blogs.
