Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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119 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A review of the "window dressings" only, January 27, 2005
The movie itself - compelling, bizarre, incomprehensible (slightly less so once you listen to the director's commentary, but still a baffling story), and completely addictive. It's a film you won't be watching every week, but certainly once you put it on, you've pretty much committed yourself to falling under its spell for the duration.
But I'm here to primarily discuss the diffrences between the two editions of the DVD. If you have the previous edition of this DVD, don't bother getting this one thinking that you're upgrading. The "limited edition" disc itself is absolutely no different than the old one - same menus, same extras (nothing more, nothing less), same audio encoding and video transfer, even the same artwork on the disc. The packaging is the only difference here, and it's a beautiful slim digipak that looks more like "The Wall" album than the original box did. Of course, the original box mimicked the film's promotional poster, so if you're more of a purist in that sense, get that one. The box is then slipped into an clear acetate case with the movie's logo printed on the outside. Inside is a fold-out of the movie poster and a few photos.
What's odd though is that the "limited edition" is actually 5 bucks less than the previous version. Five bucks more just to get a standard plastic clamshell case? I think not! That in itself is what finally led me to purchase this movie, was the lower price!
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58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Final Cut, December 16, 1999
Most clearly put, this movie is a spellbinding artistic masterpiece. It will evoke every possible emotion and leave you wanting more of even those that are "negative".Roger Waters knew when the album itself, a masterpiece all its own, was made that he wanted to eventually make an accompanying screenplay. The fact that the music of The Wall forms a story on its own is a testament to Waters' vision. There is very little script in this movie, it is more of a visual aide to the music itself, and allows us to see what Waters really wanted us to see when the album was originally released. It is like an art gallery more than a movie, where each scene is full of both powerful meaning and subtle expression. It spotlights the roller coaster ride of Pink's tumultuous life, who is reportedly based on several influences. From Roger Waters' own personal past, to his views on the influence of drugs on music and performance, to thoughts of the mentally unstable former member of Pink Floyd, Sid Barrett, this movie will both shock and move you. I honestly cannot describe this movie and give it the justice it deserves. You simply must see it. As for the DVD itself, the remastering is truly phenomenal. From start to finish the video is crisp, and the sound.. my god the sound. I dont know if I will ever find a movie which possesses equal richness of sound. This DVD uses both senses to their fullest potential. Some person commented that the widescreen format meant losing a portion of the picture. Au contraire, widescreen is the only picture where you capture everything through the eyes of the director's camera. It is the full screen format which loses the sides of the picture by stretching and trimming to a (roughly) 4:3 ratio. Unfortunately however, being only available in widescreen format on this DVD, those viewers with small televisions might be faced with a vertically short, albeit complete picture. The DVD extras and menus are incredible. This is the first DVD I have seen which has menus to configure your sound system for optimum performance (speaker position and test). And the sound.. did I mention the sound? This movie and DVD version deserves far more than 5 stars, and is the definitive "Final Cut" of Roger Waters' vision.
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful, November 23, 1999
"Pink Floyd the Wall" is what it was always supposed to be...a visual experience. The music from the original LP hit us hard enough, with such poignant tunes as "Hey You", "Vera Lynn" and "Mother", not to mention the showstoppers "Run Like Hell", "Another Brick in the Wall", and "Comfortably Numb". It was a natural progression that a movie came out, and I'm glad it did. The result is powerful. The film creates an eerie, sad, desperate and pervasive world that envelopes you, taking you in and down with the movie's anti-hero, Pink. His life is one of rebellion and loneliness, and he never quite comes to terms with himself until the end, when it's really too late. From his early experiences with bitter and sarcastic headmasters to his final drug overdose and near insanity, we get to run the gamut of experiences with him, and if it isn't always satisfying, it is certainly compelling. One of the most memorable, tragic scenes involves Pink's crew trying to get him ready for a gig, while he's whacked out on pills and whatever else is handy. As they drag him, wasted and near-comatose, to the show he must play, he hallucinates that he's literally rotting away, while the song "Comfortably Numb" drones ominously on the soundtrack. The result is frightening, and very good. Not for the squeamish, this movie has many brilliant little moments like this, and as a whole, ranks as one of the more intense dramas ever made.
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