Right, I'm going to try my best here, wish me luck...
(NOTE: SPOILERS BE HERE)
The Wall basically deals with depression and, as a result of that, a loss of sanity. The protagonist, Pink, is beaten down all his life; his mother smothers him (Mother), his father was killed in an act of pointless sacrifice during World War II (When The Tigers Broke Free), his teachers destroyed his confidence (The Happiest Days Of Our Lives) and his wife cheating on him (Don't Leave Me Now). He then goes from merely depressed (merely!) and crosses over into madness. The difference between the two is clearly delineated; on Disc One he is depressed and is looking over his past, in Disc Two he is mad.
This also coincides with the building of The Wall, which is designed to keep everyone out and leave Pink alone, inside and undisturbed. It is gradually built up over the course of Disc One and by the end of it is completely finished.
In Disc Two, Pink has gone over the tipping point into total insanity. His manager finds him comatose in his hotel room, and enlists a doctor to wake him up (Comfortably Numb), however Pink is trapped behind the Wall and in a world of his own. In his mind, the concert he is about to perform is nothing but a Nazi rally (In The Flesh), and the image of him being a cold-blooded dictator comes fully formed into his mind (Run like Hell). He eventually rebels against this (Stop) and puts himself on trial (use your bloody common sense). At this trial, he finds himself to be responsible for a lot of his problems, for pushing away his wife and mother, and is ordered to tear down the Wall. In the end, he finds that the "bleeding hearts and artists" have been trying to reach out to him, but thanks to the wall their efforts were in vain. This is neatly summed up in the beautiful line "After all, it's not easy; banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall".
The Wall is a brilliant work on depression and insanity, showing those who have probably never been so low just how terrible it is...in the end however, you don't know whether to feel sorry for Pink or to scold him; the Trial is quite vague on what the verdict is. Is it Pink's fault for not talking, or everyone else's fault for not listening? Maybe a bit of both; he was so far gone, he didn't care any more. Whatever the verdict, this is a powerful work which every single person on Earth should listen to...the film is a work of genius, a mindfuck in every single way. Very well recommended.
![Cover art for [The Wall Concept] lyrics by Pink Floyd](https://images.songmeanings.com/8e6b4a4d-4b7a-4ee7-8c09-7340f6273a95.webp)
Right, I'm going to try my best here, wish me luck...
(NOTE: SPOILERS BE HERE)
The Wall basically deals with depression and, as a result of that, a loss of sanity. The protagonist, Pink, is beaten down all his life; his mother smothers him (Mother), his father was killed in an act of pointless sacrifice during World War II (When The Tigers Broke Free), his teachers destroyed his confidence (The Happiest Days Of Our Lives) and his wife cheating on him (Don't Leave Me Now). He then goes from merely depressed (merely!) and crosses over into madness. The difference between the two is clearly delineated; on Disc One he is depressed and is looking over his past, in Disc Two he is mad.
This also coincides with the building of The Wall, which is designed to keep everyone out and leave Pink alone, inside and undisturbed. It is gradually built up over the course of Disc One and by the end of it is completely finished.
In Disc Two, Pink has gone over the tipping point into total insanity. His manager finds him comatose in his hotel room, and enlists a doctor to wake him up (Comfortably Numb), however Pink is trapped behind the Wall and in a world of his own. In his mind, the concert he is about to perform is nothing but a Nazi rally (In The Flesh), and the image of him being a cold-blooded dictator comes fully formed into his mind (Run like Hell). He eventually rebels against this (Stop) and puts himself on trial (use your bloody common sense). At this trial, he finds himself to be responsible for a lot of his problems, for pushing away his wife and mother, and is ordered to tear down the Wall. In the end, he finds that the "bleeding hearts and artists" have been trying to reach out to him, but thanks to the wall their efforts were in vain. This is neatly summed up in the beautiful line "After all, it's not easy; banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall".
The Wall is a brilliant work on depression and insanity, showing those who have probably never been so low just how terrible it is...in the end however, you don't know whether to feel sorry for Pink or to scold him; the Trial is quite vague on what the verdict is. Is it Pink's fault for not talking, or everyone else's fault for not listening? Maybe a bit of both; he was so far gone, he didn't care any more. Whatever the verdict, this is a powerful work which every single person on Earth should listen to...the film is a work of genius, a mindfuck in every single way. Very well recommended.