Pink Floyd Live In Pompeii

Pink Floyd： Live In Pompeii 1972
by RM PRODUCTIONS / UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Publication date 1972
Topics Pink Floyd, Live In Pompeii 1972, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason, Adrian Maben
Language English
Pink Floyd： Live In Pompeii 1972

Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii is a 1972 concert documentary film directed by Adrian Maben and featuring the English rock group Pink Floyd performing at the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy. Although the band performed a typical live set from the era, there was no audience beyond the essential film crew. The main footage in and around the amphitheatre was filmed over four days in October 1971, using the band's regular touring equipment, including a mobile 8-track recorder from Paris (before being bumped up to 16-track in post-production). Additional footage filmed in a Paris television studio the following December was added for the original 1972 release. The film was then re-released in 1974 with additional studio material of the band working on The Dark Side of the Moon and interviews at Abbey Road Studios.

Pink Floyd had already experimented with filming outside the context of a standard rock concert, including an hour-long performance in KQED TV studios in April 1970. Adrian Maben had become interested in combining art with Pink Floyd's music. In 1971, he attempted to contact the band's manager, Steve O'Rourke, to discuss the possibility of making a film to achieve this aim. After his original plan of mixing the band with assorted paintings had been rejected, Maben went on holiday to Naples in the early summer.

During a visit to Pompeii, he lost his passport and went back to the amphitheatre he had visited earlier in the day to find it. Walking around the deserted ruins, he thought the silence and natural ambient sounds present would make a good backdrop for the music. He also felt that filming the band without an audience would react well to earlier films such as Woodstock and Gimme Shelter, where the films paid equal attention to performers and spectators. One of Maben's contacts at the University of Naples, Professor Carputi, a Pink Floyd fan, managed to persuade the local authorities to close the amphitheatre for six days that October for filming. Access was secured after payment of a "fairly steep" entrance fee.

The performances of "Echoes", "A Saucerful of Secrets", and "One of These Days" were filmed from 4 to 7 October 1971. O'Rourke delivered a demo to Maben in order for him to prepare for the various shots required, which he finally managed to do the night before filming started. The choice of material was primarily the band's, but while Maben realised it was essential to include material from the band's new album Meddle, he was also keen to include "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "A Saucerful of Secrets", as he felt they would be good numbers to film.

The band insisted on playing live and brought their regular touring gear with them. Their roadie, Peter Watts, suggested that the 8-track recorder would produce a sound comparable to a studio recording. In addition, the natural echo of the amphitheatre provided good acoustics for the recording. The equipment was carried by truck from London and took three days to reach Pompeii. When it arrived, it was discovered there was insufficient power to drive the equipment correctly. This problem plagued filming for several days and was finally resolved by running a lengthy cable from the local town hall.

The first section of footage to be filmed were montage shots of the band walking around Boscoreale, mixed with shots of volcanic mud, which can be seen at various points in "Echoes" and "Careful with That Axe, Eugene". For the live performances, the band recorded portions of the songs in sections, which were later spliced together. After each take, they listened to the playback on headphones. Maben closed all the entrances to the amphitheatre, but a few children managed to sneak in and were allowed to watch the filming quietly from a distance.

Richard Wright's Farfisa Compact Duo is featured prominently on several songs in the film, particularly "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "Echoes Part 2".

The remaining songs were filmed in Studio Europasonor, Paris, from 13–20 December and can be distinguished by the absence of Richard Wright's beard. To fit in with the theme of the earlier work in Pompeii, the filming around Boscoreale, along with stock footage of waterfalls and lava and various shots of Roman mosaics and drawings from the Naples National Archaeological Museum, were added to the Paris footage. Maben also filmed additional transflex footage for insertion into the Pompeii performances. While both the director and the band were disappointed with this footage, due to a lack of time and money, there was no alternative left but to use it.

During the filming in Paris, the band spontaneously suggested they would like to film a short blues with a howling dog in the style of "Seamus" from Meddle. Maben knew Madonna Bouglione, daughter of circus director Joseph Bouglione, who was known to walk about Paris with a dog called Nobs. Accordingly, Nobs was invited into the studio, where the footage was filmed.

Maben subsequently did some of the editing of the final cut at home due to financial constraints. He regretted doing this, as he felt it was important to separate his work and home life, but, at the time, he had no choice.

1972 ORIGINAL FILM
01 "Pompeii"
02 "Echoes, Part 1"
03 "Careful with That Axe, Eugene"
04 "A Saucerful of Secrets"
05 "One of These Days"
06 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"
07 "Mademoiselle Nobs"
08 "Echoes, Part 2"

CAST
Pink Floyd
Roger Waters – bass guitar, rhythm guitar on "Mademoiselle Nobs", gong, cymbals, screams and spoken words on "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", lead vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", additional piano on "Echoes."
David Gilmour – lead guitar, slide guitar, harmonica on "Mademoiselle Nobs", lead vocals on "Echoes", vocals on "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "A Saucerful of Secrets", additional vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun."
Richard Wright – Hammond organ, Farfisa organ, grand piano, lead vocals on "Echoes", VCS 3 on "Pompeii" (intro)
Nick Mason – drums, percussion, vocal phrase on "One of These Days"

Production
Based on an idea and directed by Adrian Maben
Cinematography: Willy Kurant, Gabor Pogany
Camera: Claude Agostini, Jacques Boumendil [fr], Henri Czap, Gérard Hameline
Sound: Charles Rauchet, Peter Watts
Script: Marie-Noel Zurstrassen
Road managers: Chris Adamson, Robert Richardson, Brian Scott
Production directors: Marc Laurore, Leonardo Pescarolo, Hans Thorner
Editor: José Pinheiro
Assistant editor: Marie-Claire Perret
Mixer: Paul Berthault
Special effects: Michel Francois, Michel Y Gouf
Post-production: Auditel, Eclair, Europasonor
Special thanks to Professor Carputi (University of Naples), Haroun Tazieff, Soprintendenza alle Antichità della Provincia di Napoli
Associate producers: Michèle Arnaud, Reiner E. Moritz
Executive producer: Steve O'Rourke