Roger Waters: The Wall

Roger Waters and Sean Evans co-directed this film capturing Waters's The Wall Live tour, which became the highest-grossing solo tour in history. In between performances of songs from Pink Floyd's classic 1979 album, the film inserts scenes of Waters driving through France and Italy while reflecting on the father and grandfather he lost to war. It's like two films in one, with the road trip offering a respite from the busyness of the stage sets that feature animated segments, puppet sequences, and dramatic lighting (11 musicians fill out the sound, including G.E. Smith on guitar). In concert, Waters conjures up the past by singing “Mother” paired to footage of his 1980 self, whom he dismisses as “fucked up little Roger from all those years ago.” In France, Waters's adult children join him to visit their great-grandfather's grave site. He also meets up with director Peter Medak, who describes his wartime escape from Hungary (oddly, Waters doesn't identify Medak). There appears to be a twofold goal at work here: to protest the futility of war while also recognizing those who lost their lives to it. A worthy aim, but Waters makes a tactical error when he appears clad in a Gestapo-style trench coat against a red and black background of Fascist imagery as planes appear to dive-bomb the stage. Audience members raise their arms, and it looks like they are at a Nazi rally—the intended effect, but it plays more like endorsement than critique. On the plus side, the Blu-ray release offers a bonus disc with live performances of “Comfortably Numb” and “Outside the Wall” featuring Waters's former band mates David Gilmour and Nick Mason, as well as extra segments. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 on DVD, and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 on Blu-ray, extras on both formats include “A Visit to Frank Thompson” (with Waters at the grave of a war hero) and “Time Lapses” (with footage from Athens and Buenos Aires). Sure to be popular, this is recommended, overall. (K. Fennessy)