Pink Floyd - Live In Pompeii (DVD)

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I discovered Pink Floyd back in 1994 when The Division Bell album came out. I had heard their music before then, as my parents are both fans, but I really got into them in 1994 and keenly started building up my Floyd collection. One day, in HMV, I saw Live at Pompeii on video. It was in the most horrid pink case and cost just £4.99. Bargain! On the bus home, I pretty much ignored my friend and studied the case. Who were these hairy men ...
...wasn't the Pink Floyd I knew! I hoped I'd like it.

I liked it. A lot. I was hooked on Pink Floyd - so much so that I wore out my first copy and had to buy a second, which doesn't look too rosy right now, I must confess.

Well, a decade on, and it finally came out on DVD (no need for third copy on tape, then). Naturally, I bought it, but the lack of band involvement concerned me somewhat. I suppose hearing murmurs of ... more

* Please note that an edited version of the following review also appears on my website, a David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) fansite. I have not copied it - that was written by me and is offered here to hopefully be of use to someone who is interested in this DVD. If it appears anywhere online but there, then it has been copied from my site without my permission. I hope this note acts as a sufficient disclaimer. The following views and opinions are entirely my own. - Vicky

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I discovered Pink Floyd back in 1994 when The Division Bell album came out. I had heard their music before then, as my parents are both fans, but I really got into them in 1994 and keenly started building up my Floyd collection. One day, in HMV, I saw Live at Pompeii on video. It was in the most horrid pink case and cost just £4.99. Bargain! On the bus home, I pretty much ignored my friend and studied the case. Who were these hairy men standing around in the dust and doom of Pompeii? This wasn't the Pink Floyd I knew! I hoped I'd like it.

I liked it. A lot. I was hooked on Pink Floyd - so much so that I wore out my first copy and had to buy a second, which doesn't look too rosy right now, I must confess.

Well, a decade on, and it finally came out on DVD (no need for third copy on tape, then). Naturally, I bought it, but the lack of band involvement concerned me somewhat. I suppose hearing murmurs of discontent and/or disapproval made many fans question the legitimacy of this release, and I would prefer to know that the band had had some say in how this DVD was edited and, ultimately, presented. (Yet that would, of course, have meant the then-feuding guitarist, David Gilmour, having to try to come to some sort of trans-atlantic agreement with ex-bassist and lyricist, Roger Waters. So on second thoughts...)

Distributed by Universal Pictures, the DVD lasts for 91 glorious minutes and is jolly good. The original title hasn't been changed, apart from the obvious inclusion (this is a Director's Cut), and so it is still simple and straightforward; they're Pink Floyd, they're playing live and they're at Pompeii. But that's no bad thing. The city certainly plays a major role in the film and therefore fully deserves its mention in the title. As director Adrian Maben said in interviews in the build-up to the release, he did think of alternative titles for his Director's Cut, but chose to stick with the original, finding it "somehow interesting to be live in a place that is dead". Considering that such Roman ampitheatres often held some 20,000 spectators, gathered together to watch the popular entertainment of the day - barbaric bloodsports where gladiators basically bashed each other's brains out - this is indeed very interesting, Adrian.

So on to the cover, a dynamic mixture of fiery colours (somewhat appropriate, bearing in mind the molten lava of the volcano that destroyed Pompeii and all) and fiery gong-basher (an enraged Roger Waters is surely a sight far more terrifying than any of earth's natural forces!) and comes courtesy of long-time Floyd friend, artist and true Creative Genius of Pink Floyd, Mr Storm Thorgerson. He is the man responsible for so much of the band's iconic artwork, such as Dark Side of the Moon's prism and Atom Heart Mother's cow.

There's no accompanying booklet inside the case, just a single sheet of glossy paper with a few pictures of the band that's been folded in half. This is a slight disappointment as nowadays we're accustomed to Floyd releases having blinking lights on the spines or at the very least a couple of stickers thrown in for good measure, but it's good for the trees that we're economising and that's the main thing.

The main part of this DVD, compiled by director Adrian Maben, is, obviously, the complete legendary performance from within the ruined confines of an ancient Roman ampitheatre. Filmed in October 1971 amid the remains of the tragic city of Pompeii, we see the Floyd in the days prior to the release of Meddle - the album that paved the way towards Dark Side of the Moon and the fame and fortune that ultimately ruined them.

The tracks performed in this sombre setting are: Echoes (Part One); Careful With That Axe, Eugene; A Saucerful Of Secrets; One Of These Days; Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun; Mademoiselle Nobbs and Echoes (Part Two).

There is still the famous studio footage of the band recording Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road early in 1972, which is obviously familiar to anyone who knows the video well. But in addition, there is new footage of the ancient city, dramatic computer-generated graphics (including a clever reconstruction of Pompeii before disaster struck), and best of all, new never-before-seen extremely groovy black-and-white interview footage (try saying that with a plum in your mouth) of the band laughing, drinking beer and slurping down oysters - as you would were you in the Floyd.

This extra footage is spread randomly throughout the concert, as was the Abbey Road material on the original VHS release. But fear not, the DVD also contains the concert as you know it from the video in its entirety, free from computer-generated graphics, oysters and even apple pie crusts (yes, you won't even find the Abbey Road stuff on here, so no drummer complaining about the crust on his apple pie). This way, for the first time, you can watch the band performing without any interruptions if you so wish. It's the longer Director's Cut version that incorporates the concert, plus a host of extra goodies (more about the extra goodies later, so keep on reading) and the Dark Side recording session footage that we've all come to love down the years.

But the sad truth is that there were to be far more goodies. Let's all at this point take a moment or two to curse MHF Productions, the French Production Company who, in order to create a teensy little bit more space in their shelves to store more recent films, destroyed 548 (yes, five hundred and forty-bloody-eight) cans of negative, the copies of unused rushes and out takes. So if anyone just so happens to be passing the Archives du Film du Bois d'Arcy in the not-too-distant, please give the building two fingers from me.

Thank God Adrian had the good sense to keep some old material, shot during the audio mix of the film in 1972, at his home, eh? These short, but precious, band interviews are wonderful and show a relaxed Floyd enjoying their free time, larking about and making Adrian's job of prompting conversation difficult. Out-of-focus or not, they're still great. Thank you for sharing them with us, Adrian.

By the way, the DVD was made directly from the 35mm negatives of the 1975 video release, not the 35mm prints as the video was, making for enhanced visual quality. Just thought you might like to know that.

One thing I hadn't been expecting was several shots of outer space, planets, rockets and that sort of thing. Interestingly, the space footage (courtesy of NASA, among others) that is interspersed throughout the DVD is there due, in part, to a telephone conversation between Adrian and Gilmour himself, about the BBC's 'Planets' series. We all know that the Floyds have always had an interest in space and the stars, but it's nice to know that Gilmour had some say in one aspect of this DVD - albeit, perhaps, quite unintentionally.

In fact, some of the opening and closing shots were taken straight from the 'Planets' series, whilst some of the computer animations seen were created exclusively by the BBC for the DVD.

This film-graphic combo creates an additional theme, which Adrian explains in his commentary i.e. another life form from beyond our galaxy hearing the music of Pink Floyd coming from Pompeii and visiting Earth for a closer listen. Thus the spaceship we see at the beginning of the film lifts off, not from Earth, but another planet heading towards Earth in search of the haunting music. I was baffled by this until I heard Maben's explanation. Now I feel it works very well.

There are numerous special features, such as an interesting interview with the director, who tells some interesting tales. One is about how an 'electrical genius' had to be called from England to provide the energy needed to power the sound and lighting, and how the band's equipment had to be loaded onto Avis trucks and driven all the way from London to Pompeii, taking roughly three days.

There's also a photo gallery with 24 pictures (most of which are DVD stills); album sleeve graphics of A Saucerful Of Secrets. Ummagumma, Meddle and Dark Side Of The Moon; posters, newspaper articles, song lyrics, some of Storm Thorgerson's rough sketches for the DVD cover and a nice little history of Pompeii/Mount Vesuvius (complete with maps). I must say that the text, particularly on the newspaper articles, is tiny. If you ever needed a kick up the backside to visit your optician and get your eyes tested, never mind the road signs that you don't notice until they whizz past you - this DVD gives you the well-aimed kick in the bum you need.

Now it's time for some history.

On 24 August 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, claiming the lives of an estimated 16,000 people. I say that because it's easy to think of Pompeii as being merely an archeological site that's of no real significance anymore. But think of this: All those people died a horrid, horrid death and what made it all the more terrifying was knowing that they didn't understand what was happening to their city.

There are parts of the concert that are quite eerie, Gilmour's wailing on 'Saucerful' and Waters' screaming on 'Careful With That Axe', for example. These songs fit the mood perfectly; they help tell the story - the sad story - of what happened in Pompeii. For me, the music complements this story just as well as the backdrop of Pompeii complements the music. The combination of both creates a most appropriate mood. Adrian should be congratulated for envisioning the marriage of Pink Floyd and Pompeii. Nowhere is this marriage more effective than during the older Floyd songs, which Adrian says he suggested the band incorporate into their set.

The segments of computer animation (particularly the final piece during the second part of 'Echoes', which is very moving), help remind the viewer that Pompeii has a story and it's one that we should not forget.

We see what the city once looked like - an insightful glance back through time to an age where the Roman Empire - all marble floors, cobbled roads and majestic columns - ruled Europe. Then the disaster as the pyroclastic flow of molten lava spills through the streets, destroying everything in its path and inflicting such horrific deaths on the population. All the time, the majesty of 'Echoes' rolls on and on, culminating in the harmonised voices of Gilmour and keyboardist, Rick Wright - a shared breath just as Pompeii is about to be suffocated.

I would imagine that it's rather easy to re-release something - anything - on DVD these days, but Adrian has done a fine job with his Director's Cut. Taking images that were originally shot on 35mm film more than thirty years ago, adding some new shots of the ruined city, some modern computer animation (created by Capware Digital Video, Naples), spacey footage from the likes of NASA no less, and rare interview footage of the band to make a crisp digital version for our viewing and aural pleasure is no mean feat.

Whilst we're on the subject, then perhaps a remix of the original stereo soundtrack into 5.1 surround sound would have been nice, but it's not like this sounds bad, and there is something rather nice about having, dare I say, a slightly aged sound? It adds to the charm.

I didn't think I'd care much for the director's interview, but it turned out to be one of the first things I jumped to after seeing the concert, and it was rather interesting. Adrian comes across as a really nice guy. Like all good perfectionists, he still has regrets about the film, not least the criminal destruction of the unused negative (curse you, MHF Productions!). He explains why the transflex shots of the video release (think of 'Echoes', where the band are seen playing together in a single shot whilst behind them you see them walking in line like they're auditioning for a part in a Western), weren't to his, or the band's, liking. He admits to some guilt at not having asked the band members to participate in the Director's Cut, yet doubts they would have been interested anyway.

So to conclude, I think the Director's Cut is a fine DVD release and one well worthy of carrying the Floyd name, even if band input was minimal, to say the least. Not wishing to sound too bold, but it is my belief that every music fan should see this concert, because it is a legendary performance by a fine band, it is unique in its concept, excellent in its sound quality (maybe not 5:1, but still) and, if I may say so, beautiful in its simplicity (no banshee audience and not an inflatable pig or laser to be seen). Besides, the 'new' interviews make it a must for all serious Floyd fans who are hungry for more material. The sight of the band members in playful and jovial mood should certainly go some way to proving what fans have known all along i.e. that Pink Floyd are neither po-faced miseries nor a "bunch of estate agents", as I recall hearing Alexi Sayle suggesting shortly after the Division Bell tour (boy, did that get my back up).

So a hearty "Bravo" to Adrian. A job very well done in my humble opinion. Track it down and you'll see what I mean. At the time of writing (22 October 2005), you can pick up this fine DVD as part of a two-for-£12 offer on music releases at one well-respected online retailer that has four letters in its name and begins with a 'P'...

See? Not only a review, but a little brain-teaser at the end.

A must-have DVD for anyone who loves music played the way it should be: live, loud and well.

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* Again, please note that an edited version of this review also appears on my website, a David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) fansite. I have not copied it from this site. That site is my own creation and its reviews are all original works, expressing original opinions, which were written by me. If it appears anywhere else online other than there, then it has been copied from my site without my permission. I hope this note acts as a sufficient disclaimer. Thank you very much for reading, Vicky 

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