Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii

Pink Floyd concert recorded in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy.

Cinema premiere September 1972
Release on DVD in October 2003.

Alternate version of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii

There are now 3 different releases of this film:

• The original theatrical version from 1971 is about 60 minutes long and only has the recordings from Pompeii.
• In 1973 a new "full length version" was released with new clips added. Director Adrian Maben had visited Pink Floyd in the studio while they were recording the historical album Dark Side of The Moon. These sequences from the studio, interviews and footage of Pink Floyd eating oysters and applepie in the Abbey Road Studios were put in between the original songs. The full length version runs for about 80 minutes.
• For the newly released DVD we finally have soemthing called the "directors cut". Again Adrian Maben went back to the editing table, but this time he should probably have stayed away. The films original opening sequence has been changed into some poor CGI animations of planets circling around in space and a rocket launching (completely uninteresting and doesn't match the great Pompeii footage). The long and daring zoom in Echoes part 1 has been cut in pieces. Other old clips from the dustbin has also been added: suddenly we see an old lady crossing the street in front of Abbey Road or a bus passing. In the last part of the film we fly through a computer animated version of the old Pompeii. Makes you think of Discovery Channel and is all in all distracting and out of content. The directora cut is 92 minuntes long.

It seems that director Adrian Maben has been scared that his original work was not good enough for a modern audience. Sadly his attempts to modernise the film had the opposite effect and the original version is by far the best. Luckily the newly released DVD features both the directors cut and the original theatrical version.

DVD extra features

The DVD features two versions of the film: The directors cut and the original 1971 version. Other features are:

• Interview with director Adrian Maben
• Documentary
• Pompeii map and history
• Lyrics
• Photo gallery
• Album graphics
• Odd's N' Sods

Pink Floyd:

Roger Waters
David Gilmour
Nick Mason
Rick Wright

Credits

Produced by Michele Arnaud
Directed by Adrian Maben
Production Directors - Marc Laurore, Hans Thorner, Leonardo Pescarolo
Directors of Photography - Gabor Pogany, Willy Kurant
Cameramen - Claude Agostini Idermo, Gerard Hameline, Henri Czap, Jaques Boumendil
Sound Editors: Peter Watts, Charles Rauchet
Art direction: José Pinheiro
Assistant: Marie Claire Perret
Dubbing editor: Paul Berthault
Special Effects: Michel Francois
Continuity: Marie-Noel Zurstrassen
Cover design: Intro, London
Original photograph by Stephanie Colsanti, FHP

DVD cover design by Peter Curzon and Storm Thorgerson

Cover notes form video:

The music of Pink Floyd - colorful, imaginative, surrealistic, and highly inventive - lends itself very well to visual representation. Shot in and around an ancient amphitheatre among the ruins of old Pompeii,  Pink Floyd treat the viewer to a stunning audio-visual experience, the like of which has not been seen outside their sell-out concerts. this session was skilfully recorded in the beautiful sun-splashed arena by day, and amidst the eerily-lit scene of volcanic destruction by night, and is a perfect transition from audio to video media. Hailed by the press as a "technically perfect production", the set begins and ends with the massive composition "Echoes" from the album "Meddle" and also includes the following titles...

INTRO (Pompeii)

Pink Floyd 1972

Music: Pink Floyd
 

(Instrumental)

The 'main title' intro to the movie 'Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii' is probably an early version of 'Speak To Me'. There are different versions of the intro in the different versions of the movie (see above)
 
 
 

MADEMOISELLE NOBS

Pink Floyd 1972

Music: Pink Floyd
 

(Instrumental - vocals by Rick's dog)

The dog Mademoiselle Nobs is somehow related to the dog 'Seamus'. But I am not sure whether it is a sister, mother, wife or lover!