BIG Home Video - Rd. 699/-
Surely a treat lies in store for Pink Floyd fans.

Over 35 years later the newly released DVD has something new called "directors cut". Adrian Maben went back to the editing table, and has included a host of special effects with planetary images and rocket launches. He has made the new flick run about 92 minutes. While it is commendable fans will be happy to have a lot more on the DVD and by that we mean both the Directors Cut and the original theatrical version (1971 version – 61 minutes) in different segments.

The music of Pink Floyd can be described as colorful, imaginative, surrealistic, and highly inventive. Against the backdrop of the Mount Vesuvius and the deserted streets of Pompeii, Pink Floyd plays the songs from their album especially for Adrian Maben's cameras alone. The visuals and the shots…..close up and long shots taken of the band in the majestic ancient Roman amphitheatre among the ruins of old Pompeii is fabulous to say the least. It’s an audio visual treat, something that not any Pink Floyd or music lover has ever seen before. The filming was done during the night and day with the sun splashed all over the area during day and the eerie feeling of suspense at night.

The set begins and ends with the massive composition of ‘Echoes’ from their album ‘Meddle’ also includes the following ‘Careful with that axe Eugene’, ‘A saucerful of secrets’, ‘Us and them’, ‘One of those days’, ‘Mademoiselle Nobbs’, ‘Brain Damage’, ‘Set the controls for the heart of the sun’. The song ‘Mademoiselle Nobbs has Rick's dog an Afghan Hound on vocals, the great howling mixed well with the instrumentation. The song has to be seen to be believed. ‘Careful with that axe Eugene’ and ‘Set the controls’ are shot at night with minimal lighting, giving off a wonderful setting. Don’t miss the moment when banging the huge gong on ‘A saucerful of secrets’. In the long version you have interviews with the band on various topics including the making of ‘Dark Side of the moon’ including footage taken from the actual recording sessions, some replies being very hilarious and some downright serious and music related.

At the first watch you can make out that the band members Roger Waters and Rick Wright are absent from the concert footage. This is due to Adrian claim that the footage of both members was lost before the film was edited. Maben simply edited the film using what footage he had of the group, David Gilmour and Nick Mason.
Memorable moments would include is Roger Waters banging a gong against the setting sun, and the whole band with the backdrop of the amphitheatre. Also one close up shot is zoomed tot eh top of the amphitheatre. The sound of a few tracks can surely surpass any of their studio albums, a perfect example being Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, which is much longer and more distinct than its studio version.

The ‘Interview with the Director’ (24 minutes) is a must watch. Maben talks about the ideas behind the film and the discussions he had both with the band and their management. He discusses at length on the experiences and difficulties he had filming in Pompeii, from a failure in electricity to handling the equipment and dealing with the administrative work to get permission to film in this historic place. Maben had only three days both in the streets and the amphitheatre, with other recordings done at Paris and London given the tight schedule to which the band were operating.

This is a good DVD more for the fact that there is good music and less talk, surely a documentary well made. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Mason and David Wright create a memorable watch.

Anyone even remotely interested in popular music that too live concerts, this is one DVD you just cannot miss.

-- By Verus Ferreira