PERHAPS buoyed by the recent success of the Led Zeppelin documentary at the box office, another 70s rock behemoth has seen fit to resurrect a vintage concert film for audiences new and old.
Pink Floyd, one of rock’s most successful acts with 250 million albums sold worldwide, has decided to give its trippy, experimental concert film Live in Pompeii, a new makeover. It will be released on Imax format globally on April 24.
Filmed in 1971 and released the following year, Live in Pompeii has the band performing amid the historical ruins of Pompeii, sans crowd. The absence of any hysterical fans cheering lent a distinctly haunting and eerie atmosphere to the proceedings which suited the psychedelic tunes to a tee.
These included songs from 1971’s Meddle as well as earlier acid-drenched tunes such as the Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. The film includes interviews with the band as well as a look into the recording process that took place at Abbey Road Studios in London. The results which became the band’s defining album, Dark Side of the Moon.
The original film was directed by Adrian Maben, Live in Pompeii underwent the makeover after a long search for the original negatives.
The film has now been restored to 4K quality from the original negatives which were found in Pink Floyd’s archives.
“Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd at Pompeii. So the recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment,” said Lana Topham, the band’s director of restoration.
The film’s soundtrack has also undergone a remastering process by Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame. It will be available to stream as well as be available on compact disc and vinyl formats, including in the Dolby Atmos spatial audio format on May 2. A Blu-Ray and DVD of the film will be released the same day.
The band’s guitarist David Gilmour had returned to play a live show in Pompeii in 2016, this time with a live crowd in attendance. Given that a Pink Floyd reunion featuring the surviving members is highly unlikely with the animosity between Gilmour and bassist Roger Waters, there is an inherent demand for anything Floyd-related.
It should not be forgotten that the Pink Floyd “brand” has an enormous and devoted following. This prompted Sony Entertainment to handover US$400 million (RM1.78 billion) to the band in 2024, with the deal including rights to Pink Floyd’s back catalogue, name and likeness. The band, however, retained the rights to the songwriting.
This new version of Live in Pompeii will surely add a few more pennies to the band’s coffers with fans eagerly anticipating its release. If fans are willing to pay good money to watch Nick Mason play the drum tracks off Dark Side of the Moon live, then it is a safe bet that this cinematic release will be enjoy a successful run.
