THE WALL (THE MOVIE)

Unfortunately, probably not as much of a compliment as it may seem, because some of these kinds of projects are downright cringe-inducing. However, The Wall can be very interesting if you're in the right mood (preferably depraved and demented for biggest effect). I suppose I would put this on the same level as Quadrophenia in terms of watchability.

I will always have strong memories of this movie, because as a very young Floyd fan, I just had to have everything Floyd, and particularly everything The Wall at the time. That led to watching this movie with parents and other impressionable friends, uniquely susceptible to all the visual delights, including maggots on rotting flesh, a defecating judge, cartoon flower sex, and, perhaps most importantly, boobies.

Fast forward 20 years, and the story seems more heavy-handed, unrelatable, and less cohesive, at least for me. Perhaps The Wall is simply the most powerful for those early in either their journey in prog, their journey in life, or both. For example, at every Floyd tribute show I attend, there is always a contingent of people doing the arms-crossed-above-the-head motion during Wall songs, and let's just say 99% of them are males in the late adolescent years. In that regard, Roger has created a nice little self-fulfilling prophesy for himself, as he has created in real life one of the situations that he tried to denounce in writing The Wall: young, impressionable men following the wrong role models and willfully doing as they are told without question.

Of course, I don't feel bad for him, because these are the same people buying up the majority of tacky Wall-themed t-shirts out there.

I think Geldof does a fantastic job in his role, however, and as he is often the only familiar character in a given scene, it's hard to take your eyes off of him throughout. Of course, as the movie plays, I can't help but thinking: "Jeez, this character is messed up...was Roger this messed up in real life?"

Overall, a very fun movie, and it always offers some food for thought, but without as much cleverness or power as intended.

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