Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

Roger Waters (album "The Wall")
Roger Waters (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Pink Floyd The Wall. Now The Film.

Plot:

A troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

Plot Keywords:

Wall | Rock Star | Drugs | Pink Floyd | WWII

Awards:

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bob Geldof	...	Pink
Christine Hargreaves	...	Pink's Mother
James Laurenson	...	J.A. Pinkerton (Pink's Father)
Eleanor David	...	Pink's Wife
Kevin McKeon	...	Young Pink
Bob Hoskins	...	Rock and Roll Manager
David Bingham	...	Little Pink
Jenny Wright	...	American Groupie
Alex McAvoy	...	Teacher
Ellis Dale	...	English Doctor
James Hazeldine	...	Lover
Ray Mort	...	Playground Father
Margery Mason	...	Teacher's Wife (as Marjorie Mason)
Robert Bridges	...	American Doctor
Michael Ensign	...	Hotel Manager

Also Known As:

The Wall

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | France:-16 (original rating) | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Peru:18 | Argentina:18 (original rating) | Netherlands:AL | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (VHS rating) | Canada:18A (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Israel:PG | New Zealand:R16 (DVD rating) (2003) | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:(Banned) (1982-1991) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (1999) (uncut) | South Korea:18 (video rating) (1991) (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Goldcrest Films International

Trivia:

The music heard playing during the opening credits is "The Little Boy that Santa Forgot" performed by Vera Lynn. Notably, the song is about a fatherless boy. Featured on the album, the song "Vera" is referring to another classic by Vera Lynn called "We'll meet again." Its lyrics include: "We'll meet again, / Don't know where, Don't know when, / But I know / We'll meet again / Some sunny day."

Goofs:

Continuity: Money stuffed into theatre manager's jacket pocket during the overdose scene disappears/reappears a couple of times.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pink: [singing] So ya, thought ya might like to, go to the show. To feel the warm thrill of confusing that space cadet glow. Tell me is something eluding you sunshine? Is this not what you expected to see? If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes, you'll just have to crawl your way through this disguise!

Movie Connections:

Features Puttin' on the Dog (1944)

Soundtrack:

Empty Spaces

Why is The Wall so often misunderstood ?

I have seen the movie several times now and every time I watch it I see something new, something I haven't seen or heard before. Some unsung line, some lost message... Every time I watch the movie I seem to dig deeper into this complex work of art.

However, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that this movie is so underestimated, and, above all, misunderstood. How many times have you heard someone say something like: "You can't watch 'The Wall' unless you're really drunk or really high" ? I have heard this line probably from every single person that has seen the movie and it hurts me so much that nobody really tries to understand the movie.

The key to understanding the movie is in the lyrics. The movie is not just a long series of video clips that accompany the album. The images are just a final piece of the puzzle, the final touch on a magnificent piece of art.

The first time I saw this movie I felt very embarassed. Yes, embarassed, because I felt like a fool for hearing the album so many times and not realizing what it was about. The movie made me appreciate the lyrics of a rock song for the first time in my life.

The week after seeing "The Wall" for the first time I bought Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut". Do you know what was the first thing I did when I opened the CD case? I read the lyrics, from the first to the last word. And I actually tried to understand what the album was about.

"The Wall" is so much more than you think it is. The only solution to not understaning the movie is watching it again and paying more attention. Once you get it, you will never forget it.