Pink (Bob Geldof) is a rock star whose life and lifestyle has contributed to his psychological problems. Alone he looks back on his life. His problems started when he was a child (David Bingham) and lost is father (James Laurenson), who died during the war. He is desperate for a father figure but is alone since his mother (Christine Hargreaves) doesn’t understand what he is going through. In school Pink (Kevin McKeon) is ridiculed by his teacher (Alex McAvoy) in front of everyone. His teacher has a domineering wife (Margery Mason) so he takes his own impotence out on the students, especially Pink. This adds to him turning inward and hiding his feelings. He has fantasies of the children uprising and destroying the school.
Pink marries his sweetheart (Eleanor David) but he ends up pushing her away. She leaves him and has an affair with another man (James Hazeldine). This sends Pink further into himself. To try to protect himself he builds a wall around his emotions not realizing that what can’t get out also can’t get in. He takes a groupie (Jenny Wright) back to his hotel room and ignores her. When she tries to open him up, he has a fit and destroys the hotel room. She flees in terror.
Now fully alone Pink goes further into his depression. Eventually his manager (Bob Hoskins) and the hotel manager (Michael Ensign) break into his room and find that he has wasted away feeling sorry for himself. They pump him up with drugs to get him to perform on stage. In order to cope with life, he has fantasies that he is a dictator and that his fans are part of his fascist plan. The face he shows is of someone in control. Inside, behind the wall, he is still a little boy who has no control over his own life.
“Pink Floyd-The Wall” was released in 1982 and was directed by Alan Parker. It is a British music fantasy and a psychological drama based on the songs of the rock group Pink Floyd. The movie won two BAFTA Awards for Best Original Song and Best Sound.
The film is a presentation of a rock stars tragic life. It has been suggested that the protagonist in the film is Roger Waters, who wrote the screenplay. Others point to other members of the Pink Floyd group such as Syd Barrett or Richard Wright. Suffice it to say that just about any rock star that has had a similar life and upbringing could be the template for the depressed and self-pitying Pink.
There is very little dialogue in the film and what is there is mostly whispered. Like other movies based on song albums done by music groups, the film tries to construct a meaningful story around what are basically random songs. I’m not sure how well it worked. The movie is a cacophony of images and sound. It is filled with dark symbolism, stark expressionistic visuals and sexual representations. Some of the animation is bizarre, especially the elaborately drawn talking asshole.
The movie is definitely not for everyone.