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

Starring:David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Richard Wright (II)
Director: Adrian Maben
Studio: Hip-O Records
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Conceived by the French director Adrian Maben as "an anti-Woodstock film," Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii was shot in October 1971 in a vacant, 2,000-year-old amphitheater--a venue chosen to accentuate the grandeur and spaciousness of the band's Meddle-era music. This disc contains a new, 90-minute director's cut as well as the original 60-minute concert film, whose production and effects feel inescapably dated. Maben's cut goes to great lengths to lend the film a more contemporary feel, but it's the earlier version that makes this disc such a gem, being more focused on the music and more wholistic in vision. The anamorphic, 16:9 director's cut interweaves the Pompeii performances with fascinating but distracting interviews and music snippets filmed later (mostly during the recording of Dark Side of the Moon). The movie was originally prepared in a 4:3 aspect ratio, however, and the widescreen version crops perfectly framed images like the nine-square mosaic of drummer Nick Mason in "One of These Days." The original offers plenty of closeups of fingers on frets and keys, with shots that are often luxuriously long in duration. And the picture quality from Pompeii is revelatory: outstandingly sharp and clear, rich in subtle grades of light and color.

Amazon.com

Conceived by the French director Adrian Maben as "an anti-Woodstock film," Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii was shot in October 1971 in a vacant, 2,000-year-old amphitheater--a venue chosen to accentuate the grandeur and spaciousness of the band's Meddle-era music. This disc contains a new, 90-minute director's cut as well as the original 60-minute concert film, whose production and effects feel inescapably dated. Maben's cut goes to great lengths to lend the film a more contemporary feel, but it's the earlier version that makes this disc such a gem, being more focused on the music and more wholistic in vision. The anamorphic, 16:9 director's cut interweaves the Pompeii performances with fascinating but distracting interviews and music snippets filmed later (mostly during the recording of Dark Side of the Moon). The movie was originally prepared in a 4:3 aspect ratio, however, and the widescreen version crops perfectly framed images like the nine-square mosaic of drummer Nick Mason in "One of These Days." The original offers plenty of closeups of fingers on frets and keys, with shots that are often luxuriously long in duration. And the picture quality from Pompeii is revelatory: outstandingly sharp and clear, rich in subtle grades of light and color.

Customer Reviews:

done peaking yet?.......2007-05-11

Look, I'm a Pink Floyd fan. But, all of you who thought the original was much better than the new cut, I've got news for you. That's because, when you watched the original in 1972, you were tripping, but you're not now. If the new one looks fake, that's because the original was mostly fake, too. As more than one reviewer above pointed out, the music is studio-produced and put to footage of Floyd playing or pretending to play. Guess what-that's true of most other "live" rock films, too. Nick's beard comes and goes because footage shot in Pompeii is intercut with blue-screen shots made on a sound stage.

Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii.......2007-05-08

Thank God for digital technology-bringing this back to life. Sounds awesome! The visuals also exceeded my expectations!

This is Pink Floyd.......2007-04-11

If your a floyd freak, this is what their all about!!!

PINK FLOYD IS MUSIC FOR YOUR EYES, AS WELL AS EARS.......2007-04-04

I first got my hands on this movie way back in the day, at some fly by night video rental store. They had a copy for rent, with no box... I rented it, brought it home and copied it to another video tape (which, due to the fact that I didn't have the right equipment for that sort of thing.. came out quite crappily) Still, at the age of thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... I probably watched this thing a few hundred gazillion times.
Now that I have the DVD, its a whole new aspect of visual brilliance... (only thing I find to be a little tacky on this DVD release is the addition of computer animated planets that appear at times) For the most part its all the original material that really carries. A real basic idea. The band would set up all their equipment amongst the ruins of Pompeii, and put on a "live" show. Genius.
I totally dig the feel of concert films that were made in the late sixties/early seventies (this was produced in '71, I think)... Just to have such a crisp visual account of what the band looked like back then is amazing. All about the power. This is pre-Dark Side or The Wall days, this is when, in my book,the band were best as functioning as a unit. And it shows. Highlights include... Gilmoure tearing it up on guitar, Nick Masons insanely huge drum set (watch him.. he hardly ever gets credit for being such a great drummer!) Roger Waters gets ill on some sort of giant gong! Rick Wright and David Gilmoure play a dog, like it was an instrument (not as weird as it sounds, but cool).
Added to this are vintage behind the scenes clips from the studio during Dark Side recordings... which I found to be very interesting. There are some odd clips of the band ordering breakfast in a restraunt, and afew scattered interviews, via 1972..., any Floyd fan should not be without this. It goes to show that Floyd payed attention to their visuals, just as closely as their audio, since the beggining. Music for the ears AND eyes.

A Blast From The Past!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-03-18

It is very rare in life to be able to sit in the comfort of your home and travel back into time. This DVD allows just that! Filmed in 1971 or 2 @ the end of the best part of their career's, the floyd play all their soon to be shut down set from their pre-Dark side of the moon days! It includes GREAT reditions of all the classics including "Meedle's" `Echos`! "A Saucerful of Secrets" "Set the Controls for the Heart of the SUN" "One of These Days" and much more. The director's cut has better sound , not 5.1unfortuantly but the original film also included in this DVD is better.

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

Average customer rating:

done peaking yet?
Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii
This is Pink Floyd
PINK FLOYD IS MUSIC FOR YOUR EYES, AS WELL AS EARS
A Blast From The Past!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii (Director's Cut) (Jewel Case)
Starring: David Gilmour , Nick Mason , Roger Waters , and Richard Wright (II)
Director: Adrian Maben
Manufacturer: Hip-O Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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