Roger Waters: The Wall—Live in Berlin (1990)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Blistering performances.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I have an old recording of the original Alan Parker film, brilliant but quite dour and depressing and certainly not for all occasions. It was whilst checking online for a DVD replacement that I stumbled across this gem.With the international line-up (you know who they are, by now!) how could I resist? I think at the time, it was quite expensive to buy on Amazon but I did find a cheaper, brand-new alternative, on a well known auction-style site...The staging is audacious and spectacular, with loads always going on, a feast for the eyes and a good imagining from the original. The (now) familiar music just spills out from it and into the night air and it must have been a real goose-bumped experience for anyone actually there, especially bearing in mind the significance of a big Wall in Berlin tumbling down, brick by brick (which it does!).Yes, it's a Korean release, with indecipherable writing on the case and it wants to play with English subtitles by default - but turn them off and it looks good, when considering it's a relative oldie and is in 4:3 ratio. Sound I found better when tweaked a bit, my oldish Panasonic DVD player having 2 'virtual surround sound' settings, engage the second one and it comes alive, adding a spatial bigness about it all, that helps match the total OTT'ness that you expect with any Pink Floyd/Walters live show.It is odd that I'd never heard of this Live version and I'm so glad I bought it - anyone who even remotely enjoyed the album, or original film will find this immensely enjoyable and more importantly, entertaining. Great Show!

In 1979, Roger Waters (with some help from David Gilmour and Bob Ezrin) wrote _The Wall_, a rock opera album about a rock star's descent into madness. In 1980-1981, Pink Floyd toured the show.In 1989, The Berlin Wall fell. Waters, who had left the band some years before, decided to stage the concert on the ruins of the Wall.The fact that this isn't PINK FLOYD becomes glaringly obvious. Key Gilmour moments, such as Pink's part in "Comfortably Numb" or "Young Lust" have been handed off to "guest" stars, such as Van Morrison and Bryan Adams. Some Waters moments, such as "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II", are also handed off. Cyndi Lauper should die for her butchering of "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II." Other than the performances of Lauper, Morrison, and Jerry Hall, who performed the groupie's part in "One of My Turns", the guest performers fit well with their songs.Fans of the album will notice some differences, such as the absence of "Outside the Wall" and "The Show Must Go On". The "Empty Spaces" that appears in the DVD menu is not the "Empty Spaces" of the album, but rather the "What Shall We Do Now?" of the film _Pink Floyd The Wall_.The song "The Trial" is done as a Broadway performance by Tim Curry, Al Finney, Ute Lemper, Thomas Dolby, and Marrianne Faithful. Although good, it doesn't quite match up to the Gerald Scarfe animation, which luckily plays in the background.Any fan of the album ought to watch this DVD at least once. All in All, not a bad concert de rock.

absolutely fabulous! Watched the tape till it wore out. now the DVD is absolutely wonderful. the graphics and sound amazing. If you are a true fan, this is a must have. Crystal clear video, Dolby surround fills the room, like being there. The historical info is well done and the bonus material informative.

This was an awesome concert! Almost everything about it is flawless. Roger's band, the great guests, and of course, Roger Waters himself. It does have its flaws, but it doesn't kill my 10 rating. The Scorpions did a half decent "In The Flesh?" and I'm not a heavy metal fan. Ute Lemper did a good duet with Roger on "The Thin Ice." Garth Hudson (organist from The Band) did a nice sax solo on "Another Brick In The Wall, part 1." "Mother" is well executed by Sinead O'Connor, The Band, and The Hooters. Joni Mitchell pours her heart out on "Goodbye Blue Sky," while James Galway does a cute little flute solo. Bryan Adams's appearance during "Empty Spaces/What Shall We Do Now?" and "Young Lust" was cool. During "One Of My Turns," I like watching toss guitars and lamps out of a hotel room set in the wall (like Bob Geldof did in "Pink Floyd The Wall.") And I love watching the crew finish building the massive wall one brick at a time. It's amazing how they could build the whole thing in only one hour! The second half is even better. "Hey You" was sung by Paul Carrack, the best guest at the whole show. I like the classical guitars on "Is There Anybody Out There?" as well as Snowy White's guitar solo on "Nobody Home." The military orchestra on "Bring the Boys Back Home" was outstanding. Van "the man" Morrison does a soulful version of "Comfortably Numb," with more good guitar solos by Rick DiFonzo and Snowy White (although not as good as David Gilmour's solo.)The orchestra really adds some mmph on the second "In The Flesh." "Run Like Hell" was good, but it sounded weird when only sung by one person. I like watching that marching hammer animation in full (unlike in the movie.) "The Trial" was awesome, with Tim Curry, Thomas Dolby, Ute Lemper, Marrianne Faithful, and Albert Finney playing the different characters. It's really cool watching the entire wall get torn down before the eyes of 250,000 people. "The Tide Is Turning" made a great finale to a marvellous concert. It does, however, have flaws. Cindi Lauper was a bad choice for "Another Brick in the Wall, part 2," although Thomas Dolby managed to save it from her wrath. "Nobody Home" became less of a powerful song in blues form. And I was disappointed to not here "Outside The Wall" at the end (although the video plays the movie version over the credits.) This concert goes down easily into rock and roll history, as well as the history of Germany, as it's a celebration of the destruction of the real Berlin Wall. Leonard Cheshire does a nice intro by starting the show by blowing a war whistle. If you're a Pink Floyd/Roger Waters fan, this is a must-see. Also, see P.U.L.S.E., a live Floyd concert which ranks up with this show. And of course, see the movie, "Pink Floyd The Wall."