Customer Reviews

Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii (Director's Cut)

5 star:		(365)
4 star:		(62)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Well, it seems PINK FLOYD: LIVE AT POMPEII director Adrian Maben has got himself a case of George Lucas disease. The new DVD release of the so-called "Director's Cut" of that film is completely re-edited, with a slew of new material, and it completely ruins the mood of the film. Thankfully, they included the original version of this haunting movie on the disc, as well. There's a drastic difference between the two.

Here's the deal:
The original version of the film, released in 1972, was 61 minutes long, and consisted only of performance footage from the Pompeii amphitheatre and a Paris studio, plus some extra footage of Pompeii. This was shot in full-screen 4:3 and is presented as such on the DVD.

Maben went back into the Abbey Road studios while the band was putting together DARK SIDE OF THE MOON in 1973 and shot some documentary footage of the band recording and talking. The new footage was spliced in between some of the original performances for the film and the result was released in 1974 in America; it was maybe 70-something minutes long. Unfortunately, this edit has not made it to the DVD.

Now, this new version uses more footage from Abbey Road, some B&W
footage of the band in a studio in Paris, new shots the director took of Pompeii, a whole bunch of archival footage of space exploration, and new titles that look made for a straight-to-video release instead of the Godard-esque ones we had with the original (Willy Kurant was one of the cinematographers.) This is about 91 minutes long, and has been inexplicably matted to a 16:9 format.

I must say the new footage seems extremely out of place. It doesn't match visually with the old footage, looking very straight-to-video. Much of the editing of the original is broken up with splices to new stuff the director just couldn't keep out ("Hey, Pink Floyd is "spacey"--- I'll put in computer-generated shots of planets!"); the result is more a series of thematically related music videos than a unified movie. What really gets me is that there's an interview on the DVD with the director where on multiple occasions he touches on why the original and almost-original versions of the film were so special, and then he proceeds to destroy that with his new version.

In the original, the ruined Pompeiian setting gave the movie a
palpable sense of silence and isolation; in the new version they're not much more than a pretty background. The original version held its shots long enough to give the viewer an opportunity to absorb the spacial setting for himself; now we're treated to the short attention span version of things. And why was this this thing masked to 16:9 for the new version? Having a dad who's worked on satellites and space probes my whole life has given me an appreciation for space footage on its own merits; but using simulated flyovers of Mars's surface to accompany Pink Floyd is worthy of a fan's website, not a feature film... please, let the spirit of "Laserium" rest in peace.

Footage of classic period Pink Floyd is so rare and few, that Live in Pompeii is a real treat. It was filmed in 1971, at the peak of their musical genius and creativity (not to devalue the musical and conceptual brilliance of the masterworks Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, but musically they reached their peak in the period between Meddle and Dark Side Of The Moon), and shows the classic line-up - Roger Waters (bass), David Gilmour (guitar), Richard Wright (keyboards) and Nick Mason (drums) - young, energetic, creative and unpretentious. At this point in time, pre-Dark Side Of The Moon, they weren't yet settled in a niche; they haven't yet made it into the consensus, and they kept experimenting and trying new things, messing about with synthesizers and recording techniques. In this DVD we see them both in the studio and in performance, as they keep exchanging instruments and experimenting, and that's what makes it much more interesting and alive than the Dark Side and The Wall concerts, let alone anything made after the split from Waters in 1983, in which point they were just bleating out their old hits again and again in the same way. Only just managing to break free from the influence of their originator, Syd Barrett, the Pink Floyd are still, in Live In Pompeii, in a transition and struggling to find their voice, yet at the same time not certain of the relevance of their music. Nick comments in one of the many interviews thrown in between the songs - `We might have become a relic of the past... to many we represent that childhood of '67, the underground scene...' - and at this point, there's little in their music that signals of their great break into the mainstream in 1973. In between the performances, we get to see little bits of the Floyd in the studio, in the first stages of creating their masterpiece, Dark Side Of The Moon. It's a fascinating historic relic and an engrossing look at history in the making.

The musical parts of the video concentrate on Pink Floyd's most experimental instrumental numbers - in fact, only two vocal numbers were included, excluding old stage favorites like Fat Old Sun, Remember A Day and Astronomy Domine and recent numbers like Fearless and San Tropez - which allows it to give us a real look at how they were experimenting with their sound at the time, and to see them live, undubbed, is priceless. Take the epic instrumental A Saucerful Of Secrets from 1968; as Mason keeps the savage and steady beat, Gilmour is sitting on the ground with his Fender in his lap, gently running a slide up and down it, barely touching the strings. Wright pounds chaotic and nearly random notes on his piano, while Mr. Waters, his bass laid aside, plays percussionist and strikes the cymbals fierce and hard. He then walks off to the gong, and starts beating the hell out of it. Wright moves over to his organ and Waters picks up his bass, and they pick up the rhythm. Not synths involved. On Roger's own Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, he doesn't play bass at all; he just barely struggles with the lead vocals, and occasionally beats the gong.

The instrumental classics Careful With That Axe Eugene and One Of These Days we get to see the full ability of the Floyds' instrumental prowess, as they settle into hard and driving grooves with persistent drums and deep, powerful basslines. Careful With That Axe Eugene is shot by night, with images of bursting volcanoes juxtaposed with an ecstatic Roger Waters shrieking out the song's only vocals. The effects and editing may be dated, but the atmosphere is still mesmerizing. Synthesizers, whatever Floyd's criticizers may have been saying at the time, are used subtly and tastefully. In one of the interviews David and Roger discuss the suggestion that the synthesizers may have taken over their music, claiming rightfully that they're in total control of their music, and that electronic devices can ever only be means and equipment and never a replacement for the artist's creativity. Furthermore, they say, it's immensely important for a musician who wants to be in control of his music, to know all about the equipment, recording and editing. The film really does show Floyd to be a group of very conscious creators, who need to know and understand the final outcome of their efforts - it especially shows in the studio segments. This is and important trait that contributed a lot to Floyd's greatness.

A surprising and wonderful touch is the short number Mademoiselle Nobbs, a classic 12-bar blues. As Roger strums an acoustic guitar and David plays a soulful harmonica, Richard helps by holding the microphone for the lead vocalist - a lovely dog, who sings her bit in the finest blues tradition, in a soulful and heartfelt duet with Dave's harmonica. It sounds to me like the talented mutt is the same one who contributed her voice to the number Seamus from the 1971 Meddle album, and if you thought the dog's voice on that track was overdubbed, seeing Mademoiselle Nobbs live will change your mind. The concert is bracketed by the epic classic Echoes, which was split in half - a technique adapted on record only in 1975 on Wish You Were Here. Echoes remain, whether on record or live, one of Floyd's most wonderful and impressive numbers, and show their instrumental skill and creativity to the fullest. Strangely enough, this is the only song in the films that allows Dave and Rick to have their voices heard, while on their albums at the time they sang on most of the tracks.

Incredibly rewarding for Floyd fans, even those who are not as enthusiastic about the early material, is the extra footage added in 1973, which shows Floyd working on their upcoming masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon. We get a chance to see David laying down the final layer of Brain Damage, dubbing the lead guitar part over the nearly complete song; we also get a glimpse of Waters messing about with the synthesizers while working on the classic electronic piece of musical paranoia On The Run, as well as Richard recording the vocals for Us And Them.

One final question - what's the matter with Rick's beard, and why is it fading in and out of existence throughout the movie? Because other than that, the illusion of a live concert is maintained most of the time, albeit one where the crowd is either centuries dead or carved in stone. The conception of the video, as well as the music, shows Floyd as what they were - one of the most original and creative (some might say pretentious, maybe) bands of their time, just one step before entering the pantheon of timeless music forever.

From the very opening sequence with it's cinematic partially faling off the screen credits you know that this video is different. In an amphitheatre among the ruins of Pompeii, Italy in a combination of scorching sun and erily lit night parts this video concentrates almost totally on the MUSIC of Floyd and not just a live show. Opening with half of Echoes, with it's teasingly slow wobbly intro of Wright's piano with a view from afar gradualy zooming in on the band. The material of the film is a mixture from Meddle (1971) and earlier albums . Live footage is spliced in with scenes from inside Abbey Road while recording Dark Side and even the band having an evening meal! (No crust please!) Gilmour shines throughout with blistering guitar lines. Wright's analogue synth's and organs sound great as does Water's excellent bass work and Mason's energetic drumlines (and a fine muzzy to boot). In these days of modern technology it is obvious that some parts have been added later with the band placed infront of a more colourful background but hey, it's the music that counts isn't it? And of course it was only the Seventies

I've seen this over and over these past 15 years, and never tire watching it. At this time, Pink floyd were still very much experimental, and nowhere is that more evident than here. Imagine Dave Gilmour, in the middle of "Saucerful of Secrets" sitting down in the dust, with a few pedal effects around him, a steel bar, laying the guitar flat on his lap and finding out what weird sounds he can coax out of it. The end of that piece is excellent, as a strong wind picks up and adds to the ambience.

The nightime shots are less interesting unless you like psychedelic light shows (I don't). The daytime shots are interesting both for mood and feel. I learned the entire "Echoes" guitar solo from watching the tape when I was a kid. (the director kindly holds the camera on the guitar the whole time).

My only beef is the audio quality. I have this on video, CD, and the LP (remember those?), and each one has the same, hissing and popping oversaturated sound. I really hope that the original master is 1) better, 2) is dug up one day for remastering and cleaning up, and 3) released on DVD. The sound quality is the only reason I can't give it 5 stars.

I just received my copy of this DVD from Amazon, and it's a wonderful DVD. Any film footage from the Floyd during the 60's/70's is virtually non-existent, so this original film, shot in 1971 at this ancient Roman Amphitheatre, finds the band at their pinnacle, enjoying a momentum that would last, at least, until their 1977 "In The Flesh" tour. The tracks are wonderful, and the sound, despite only stereo, has been beautifully remastered.
Then, why did I give it only 4 out of 5 stars? Because the new "Director's cut" is kitschy at best. Full of computer generated "space footage" (awful), plus DSoTM era interviews (some of them truly revelatory, and wonderful to watch), director Adrian Maben put in everything he could, despite the fact that most of that material was totally unrelated to the Pompeii concert. Thankfully, on the "bonus features" section, Maben had the good taste to leave the original theatrical film -unedited and uncut-, where the band performs their music, warts and all, as nature intended, and as millions of fans all over the world watched it originally. In my humble opinion, I think that the DSoTM interviews should have been included as bonus features, having the original film under the spotlight.
But, rest assured that if you like the early Gilmour era Pink Floyd, you'll absolutely love this DVD. The music is incredible, and the band are in top form. This is, probably, the definitive Pink Floyd live film we'll have from the classic years (at least, until something is unearthed from the 1970/1977 period).

This is the video that turned me from Pink Floyd apathy to Pink Floyd fanaticism. It is perfect. The cinematography will blow holes in your mind the first time you see it. Then it will blow holes in the hole-less parts every time after that. The selection of music is great because, unless your a pretty hardcore fan, you've probably never heard it. That was the case with me. The opening notes of Echoes part I durring the long zoom-in sucked me in and I wasn't released until the closing notes of Echoes part II that bring the video to it's conclusion durring the long zoom-out. Everything between (Careful with that Axe Eugene, Saucerful of Secrets, One of These Days, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and Mademoiselle Nobs, to name them all) is captured in musical and cinematic perfection. Nick Mason gets well deserved air time - he must be one of the hardest working drummers in rock history. Where else can you see Dave Gilmour sitting in the dirt screwing with his effects to make the crazy guitar sounds that were so characteristic of Pink Floyd at this time? Or Richard Wright mashing his keyboards with his entire forearm produce beatifully cacaphonic sounds? Or Roger Waters silohueted against a brilliant sun as he mercilessly beats on a massive gong? Even the studio footage of Dark Side of the Moon is awsome. Now we all know that Nick Mason doesn't like pie if theres any crust on it - "Rather have none at all than a piece with crust," he says. One of my favorite things in the world to do is to watch this tape - I'm watching it now. GET IT!

Lots of the images of Pompeii and the ruins and of volcanoes and Roger Waters shreiking may seem a bit dated (and the 9 shots of Nick Mason at once, as well). But all-in-all, this video is amazing, I first saw it at a midnight show in a theater and had to get it on video. The performances document most of my favorite Floyd songs incl. Echoes, One of these Days (a particularly awesome version), Careful with that Axe Eugene, and many more from the post-Barrett-pre-Dark Side era. But the video also features some footage of the band working on Dark Side of the Moon in the studio, as well as some humorous mock-interviews and shots of the band eating (w/ Nick being very particular about getting a piece of pie w/out crust, but it is a round pie!)... We get to see a very glazed eyed Gilmour assert that Pink Floyd is not a drug band... much much more here. Your Pink Floyd collection is not complete without this video.

This film captures one of rock's most creative bands at their absolute creative peak. They were still wildly experimental, just on the cusp of mega-stardom. The film captures the Floyd just before Roger Waters began dominating the group and terrorizing the shyer members of the band, such as Rick Wright. The film is a perfect visual representation of the Floyd in this period--conceptual, strange, trippy though tasteful. Their interviews in the film are priceless, especially Nick Mason's bitter struggle to get a slice of pie without the crust. The film demands multiple viewings.

When I bought this video, I didn't know what to expect. At the time I owned only 14. Now I own over all the Floyd Cd's (and of course "imports".) My first impression was one of shock. Echoes blew me away. I rather listen to this live version anyday over the studio version. Gilmour plays the Guitar as if there was no tomorrow. The transformation of Echoes into a Guitar driven song to a Bass driven song is done masterfully by Waters. Wright stars in the latter half of A Saucerful of Secrets, just before Gilmour bursts in with his vocal solo. In One of these Days, Nick Mason shines and proves how underrated he his. And yes he is the one who says One of these Days I'm going to cut you into little pieces. In Careful with that Axe, Eugene, Waters produces the scream, Carefull... Carefull... Carefull with that Axe, Eugene AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't agree more with Nick Mason, I also want the pie without the crust. In my opinion this Tape represents the Floyd at the peak of their working together. No Barrett is long gone, Waters hasn't become the focal point of the band, and Gilmour has another 15 years ahead of him before he leads. At this point everybody puts their part in, including Mason and thankfully Rick Wright. This video is among the jewels of my Floydian collection. Not exactly a starter video by far, but the Floyd's best including The Wall. I highly recommend this video anybody into The Pink Floyd.

This video shows the best of Pink Floyd. We can see the band dealing with the instruments, modulating sounds, testing gears and throwing them into music. Between the songs, there are interviews, studio sessions and that sort of things. The setlist is:
1. Echoes - Part I
2. On The Run
3. Careful With That Axe, Eugene
4. A Saucerful Of Secrets (crazy song, isn't it?)
5. Us And Them
6. One Of These Days I'm Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces (great drums)
7. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (great organ modulation)
8. Brain Damage
9. Mademoiselle Nobs (what a dog, eh?)
10. Echoes - Part II