garyewen-35909 A little slow to grab my interest but stick with it; what a fantastic concert and a visual assault on the senses superb!

mph-940-471638 Great experience! A staggering production and intimate insight into a classic album that in the blink of an eye is; irritating, stunning, frightening, beautiful, angry, powerful, simple, complex, disheartening, and uplifting.The segments with Roger Waters away from the stage gave me a rich insight into how he came to create the story of 'The Wall'. No doubt that creating this production was cathartic for Mr. Waters. The common thread that 'The Wall' shares with the 'classics' of all genres is that it is as relevant (if not more so) today as when it was originally penned.

Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki Ex-Pink Floyd bassist/ co-singer Roger Waters delves into some of his motivations for writing The Wall, specifically the war-related death of his own father at a very early age, and his father's loss of his own father in an earlier war. Very moving footage of Waters travelling to Anzio in the present day, to the actual scene of the battle in which his father died during, and going to his grandfather's grave with his own adult kids is shown between footage of several concerts, in the UK, Italy, Greece, and Argentina, edited together to give us a full and complete live rendition of all 26 songs from The Wall, as well as two extra songs (the unreleased More Bricks In The Wall, and a favourite of mine, What Shall We Do Now?) performed live, as The Wall is progressively built between Waters' band, and the audiences, and as animation and graphics are projected and dance on The Wall.This is preceded by a very well done filmed intro by Liam Neeson, describing his reaction to hearing The Wall for the first time, and his experience seeing the subsequent shows Pink Floyd staged in London in February of 1980, which brought back memories of the two times in 2010 that I saw Waters perform The Wall (in Tampa and Atlanta). Complete with dominant, overbearing Mother, derisive schoolmarm, dive bombers, and cracking thin ice of modern life, and marching hammers, it was one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen (second only to Waters' own Dark Side Of The Moon tours, from 2006 and 2007, which I saw in Cleveland, LA, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Dubai, Zurich, Rio, and Philadelphia- I even met Waters and his band a couple of times. Waters, his then sax player Ian Ritchie, and guitarist Dave Kilminster was especially cordial, even going so far as to walk around the stands before the show, talking with people and taking photos with fans)It brought back incredible memories of foreign countries and peoples, who might not even know any other words in the English language other than the words to The Wall, which they belt out right back to the band every night. The Wall's songs of isolation and loneliness are what those millions of people have in common.Comfortably Numb was a highlight, musically and lyrically; one of the finest songs ever recorded, and it sounds even better when performed live.This partially autobiographical concert film is rounded off with an interview session with Waters and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.My only complaint, and it's a MAJOR one, is the film began with an incredibly lengthy intro, a grey brick wall, very slowly moving to the left, very slowly, to very slowly reveal the phrase, "Please take your seats the show is about to begin", which had various non-Floyd/ Waters songs playing while it happened, and lasted for nearly 20 minutes. It was like a bad opening act who overstayed their welcome.

Icedooitle Film criticism is often tantamount to film cynicism. Giving a film the benefit of the doubt is a privilege offered by a viewer's tastes, expectations, and biases. It is likely that anybody going to the lengths of seeking out Roger Waters The Wall would give him a pass on many missteps. What's remarkable is how high the standard is for Waters' latest effort and how obvious it is that he does not take his fan base for granted. It is tempting in the first few minutes of this film to have such a cynicism nagging at your brain. What is this supposed to be? Is this a narrative concert? Is this some pretentious self homage? Not too long after these questions came to me, I was entrenched. Any need for categorization or guidance in making sense of what this film is, fell away and the experience became just that, an experience.When familiar themes and stage tricks showed up, I kept having to remind myself,"This isn't comparable to Tool or Spinal Tap, Tool and Spinal Tap are comparable to this!" As the production grows in scale, so does the scope of the life of Roger Waters. This is a revisit and re-imagining of a 50 year body of work, set to the tune of the immensely influential film and album "The Wall." The production of the concert is massive. It seems not a dollar was spared or a talent source untapped. On the stage is a video wall that acts as a stunt piece, a metaphor, and to some degree, a band member. What accompanies the actual concert is Roger Waters on a European quest of self discovery. Details of his past and present are coupled with the concert for some exquisitely powerful effects. All the familiar themes of Pink Floyd,(I.E. Anti-establishment, addiction, love, powerlessness) are shown in a matured step up from the past, like Waters. Some of the greatest effects are seen in the transitions between Waters' travels and the concert. To call this review a recommendation would be inaccurate. Like the music it is centered around, the film is patient and spectacular; but it is also not meant to be universally loved. For audiences that are so accustom to movies with a three act structure, and concert movies that exclusively include the show, this will be more challenging. It is neither a documentary nor a linear production. If you have curiosities, see this film and don't let your expectations cloud it's hypnotic effect. If you are a fan, you shouldn't have a hard time tearing down that wall.