Published on Jul 21, 2005
By 1972, Pink Floyd had contributed to three film scores,
providing the complete soundtrack for two of those films. The
progression to being in a film themselves was inevitable. Pink
Floyd was always best served up in a multimedia format, and their
studio recordings are only part of the Floyd experience. The true
power of this band can only be adequately experienced through a
live performance. Documentary filmmaker Adrian Maben knew this, and
took great pains to come up with the proper venue and theme to do
them justice. Maben set out to avoid the current trend of the time,
in concert films like
Woodstock and
Gimme Shelter, which often emphasized the enormity of the
event and often lingered overmuch on the crowds and “the scene.”
His ideal was a more intimate portrait, and a focus on the band and
their musical vision.
The location chosen, the ancient amphitheatre in the ruined city
of Pompeii, turned out to be perfect for two reasons. One, the
physical setting itself. The amphitheatre is remarkably intact,
having avoided almost entirely the consuming mud and ash that
buried the city, and it still displays many carvings, frescoes and
mosaics displaying daily life of the period, gladiatorial
conquests, historical events and erotica. It also has retained most
of its original structure. Second, the natural acoustics of the
site proved to be nearly perfect.
The live performances are stellar, capturing this band literally
at the peak of their career as a live act. Interspersed with the
footage of the band are many images of Pompeii and the
amphitheatre. Some of these are especially effective when
juxtaposed with the often dark and eerie music.
This film serves as an important legacy of the first half of the
bands career. Despite being dated by today’s standards, the quality
of the cinematography is excellent and full of rich detail. Maben’s
camera work is impeccable, even if his subject matter often lingers
overlong on the same subject. That music as film was very new is
important to put the style and resulting film in perspective. This
was long before MTV dictated what visual music performance should
look like, and you essentially get footage of a band performing,
often with long, languorous scenes of fingers on frets or keys, or
an extended sequence of Nick Mason drumming.
The visual experience makes the songs have new impact regardless
of how many times you’ve heard the original recordings. For one
thing, the live performances outshine the studio originals.
Additionally, seeing the songs performed live adds dimension. “A
Saucerful of Secrets,” which I once called “12 minutes of
disjointed chaos,” becomes a performance piece as much as musical
composition. For some reason watching it being played made me
appreciate the piece much more than listening to it ever had
before. Maben’s visuals help accent the music as well, for example
the creepy intensity of “Careful With That Axe Eugene” is
intensified when interposed with the visuals of volcanoes
exploding, a nod to the cataclysm that destroyed Pompeii in 79
A.D.
Interspersed with the live performance footage are interviews
with the band done by Maben, some which are essentially breakfast
table banter and arguments with Roger Waters, who at the time hated
being interviewed, and is notorious for baiting interviewers.
Despite their seeming lack of focus, these conversations reveal
some interesting aspects of the band’s philosophy. Also included is
footage of the band at Abbey Road studios recording
Dark Side Of The Moon. Most intriguing is footage of Waters
twiddling with an ancient (then new) synthesizer, creating the
surging waves of sound that would eventually become “On The Run”
from Dark Side. The film also includes footage of the band in and
around Pompeii, exploring the architecture and the volcanic mud
pits that surround the area.
This landmark film was re-released on a director’s cut DVD in
2003. Included are the original theatrical film plus a separate
full length directors cut that expands the original film with new
visuals and special effects, and adds expanded interview footage
not seen in the original. Also included is a cornucopia of bonus
goodies that should delight any Floydian.
Live At Pompeii has retained its importance and developed a
strident following of music fans and film buffs alike. It’s not
unusual to see it on the marquee of art house and university
theatres to this day, and it never seems to lack an audience on
these occasions. If you are lucky enough to have it shown locally,
seeing it on the big screen is a must. However, the rest of us can
see it on the small screen in Maben’s original incarnation plus his
future vision, created 30 years after the original, on the
director’s cut DVD, in luscious Dolby stereo.