Red-Barracuda Before I saw this one I always assumed that this would be a standard live performance film. Well, looking back on it, I guess the clue is in the title, as Pompeii is no longer a bustling metropolis so it seems kind of unlikely it was going to have a typical concert venue - mount Vesuvius put paid to all of this some time ago, I won't go into specifics as to why but trust me, it ended in tears.So what we have instead is Pink Floyd and crew in concert without an audience, but in the middle of one of Pompeii's amphitheatres. The performance is intercut with shots of the famous old Roman ruins, the beautiful artwork and still active volcano. The camera pans and zooms slowly around and it is all rather wonderful actually. This film catches Pink Floyd on the brink of superstardom, just prior to the release of the Dark Side of the Moon album. It captures them in their early psychedelic era, which I find the most dynamic and interesting in the band's history personally. There are many fantastic performances here, of songs such as 'Echoes', 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' and 'Careful with that Axe, Eugene', the latter a song forever immortalised alongside the explosion to end all explosions in the finale of Michelangelo Antonioni's misunderstood counterculture classic Zabriskie Point (1970). Live in Pompeii remains one of the very best live concert films ever and is a very successful marriage of visual artistry and music; which is appropriate given Pink Floyd's ambitions.

Seamus2829 I first saw this trippy concert documentary as a midnight movie some years ago (at least a year or two before 'The Wall'). As I always liked Floyd's music (especially the pre-Dark Side era Floyd), I sought out this film for some years, until the window of opportunity opened for me. As I watched Floyd perform a version of Echoes, which I liked even better than the one on the Meddle L.P., I just wished I had showed up stoned out of my bird. The film seems to have been filmed in several places,besides the ruins of that ancient Roman amphitheater (there are a few selections shot in a film studio). The interview sections are well documented, as well. There are sections of Floyd in the recording studio, working out the 'Dark Side' L.P. I wonder if any of that unused material has ever turned up on any Floyd bootleg? Now that I've heard that a longer version exists of this film, I'll have to scour the planet for a version of it. Does anybody know if there is either a DVD or VHS copy of it in existence? I would even settle for a bootlegged copy.

lukesauve Not a lot of people commented this great work of art, Pink Floyd are at their best jamming in the ruins of Pompei, playing wonderful songs like Echoes, or set the control...It seems no one is even trying these days to be original, except for a few british bands, everyone is going for the "cheesy" video, instead of trying something new...

Jose E This is what Pink Floyd were like before Dark Side of the Moon shattered their status as a cult band. By performing in such peculiar surroundings they showed they didn't care if this was a daring move - playing live with no public but an empty amphitheater build 2000 years before.The songs are greatly performed - the only flaws are the filming, that sometimes doesn't show what it should. Examples of that are One Of These Days and near the end of Echoes, part 1. However, the video is a must see and have for any true Floyd fan. The Mademoiselle Nobs bit with the dog singing to a blues melody is amusing, reminding us of the same device used in the track Seamus from the Meddle album.By the way, it is said there is one edition of this video featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the band in the studio, but unfortunately this is not the one I've got.Forget about the lame stuff the Roger-less Floyd have put out and sit down, relax and watch a great piece of music.10/10.