Roger Waters The Wall

Gaining critical acclaim as “a monumental achievement” that is “nothing short of breathtaking,” Roger Waters The Wall is the new feature film written and directed by Roger Waters and Sean Evans. The film unfolds on many levels—an immersive and epic concert experience of the classic Pink Floyd album, road movie of Waters' reckoning with the past and an anti-war protest film, highlighting the human cost of conflict. The film received a “one-night only” global cinema release in September 2015, where hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide witnessed the impact of The Wall in a special cinematic event. The film was photographed during “The Wall Live” sold-out 2010-13 world tour. Seen by over 4 million fans at 219 shows over a period of three years, the show was the highest grossing tour by any solo artist in history. The film features never-before-seen concert footage from the tour and includes the hits “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2,” “Comfortably Numb,” and “Run Like Hell." (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes Time Lapses: Athens (HD 06:26) and Buenos Aires (HD 04:14), Driving (HD ), and A Visit To Frank Thompson the poet and soldier who lost his life during World War II (HD 04:58); Facebook films; Comfortably Numb Live At The O2 with special appearance by David Gilmour (HD 08:19); Outside The Wall Live At The O2 with special appearance by David Gilmour and Nick Mason (HD 08:50); and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture was photographed in Panavision® with the Red One camera system. The imagery is spectacularly dramatic and visually stimulating. As a concert film, there is no equivalent. The production design and staging is superb, exhibiting an immense scale. The lighting shifts continuously, though, there is a heavy emphasis on red filtering. Intercut with the concert footage is footage of travel through France to Italy in a black Bentley. These segments exhibit a generally natural but roughish character. Fleshtones are pushed to red during these segments. Contrast is good, with deep blacks, during the concert film. Lighting highlights enhance the contrast, as the concert segments are rather dark by design. The audience shots are hauntingly impressive, as are the rear projected imagery on The Wall. The Wall itself progresses to a mass that completely dominates the staging, which is a spectacular feat on its own. The special visual effects, especially at the break-up of The Wall and the colorful imagery throughout, are dramatic and exciting. The actual tear down of The Wall is an incredible feat. Resolution is quite good, especially during close-ups of Roger Waters, exhibiting every aging line in his facial features. This is a magnificent visual experience, which effectively enhances the deep seriousness of Roger Waters’ musical epic. This is an unforgettable experience. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic, with solid fidelity and natural-sounding deep bass extension. Drummer Graham Broad's and Waters' bass guitar keep the proceedings perfectly driven. The other instrumentation, from guitars to organ to synthesizers, produces a huge soundstage that aggressively extends to the surrounds, as do various sound effects, which are directionalized. There are even violin highlights intermixed with the score. Various narration from old recordings and war-related sound effects are integrated well. Of course, the actual music is classic Waters, which will thrill fans. The vocals are projected directly with lips to microphone. Every channel is fully activated, for a stunning holosonic® immersive experience. This is a wonderful concert film that is poignant and emotionally moving. (Gary Reber)