MULTIMEDIA BONUS
Pink Floyd and Alan Parker: “The Wall”
“The Wall”, an introspective tapestry woven from colorful threads of social commentary by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, is a study in interconnected art forms. First it was an innovative double-disk concept album, back in 1979 when vinyl was still king. Then it became a spectacularly ground-breaking live show performed only at limited engagements in London, New York and Los Angeles due to its massive and complex staging requirements. A few years years later, director Alan Parker found a way to weave the multi-layered psychological drama and pre-existing soundtrack into an emotionally intense and visually lush film experience, blending the compelling animation of Gerald Scarfe (from the real tour) with dramatic flashback montages of storyline characters, all mixed with alter-ego live performances and backstage antics of the infamous pseudo-bandmember “Pink”.
On all levels this work is brilliant… and relevant to anyone who has experienced feelings of isolation and disconnection. Guitarist/Singer David Gilmour expresses the crucial theme at the dramatic midpoint of the play: “When I was child / I caught a fleeting glimspe / out of the corner of my eye / I turned to look but it was gone / I can not put my finger on it now / The child has grown / the dream is gone / And I have become / comfortably numb”. But the soundtrack’s final chorus echoes Alter-Nation’s hopeful sentiment: “Tear down the wall!”
