Pink Floyd fans of a certain vintage will often tell you the first time they saw the band was in Pink Floyd At Pompeii. The group played barely 60 shows in the UK between 1971 and 1977, and many who discovered them then could only see them through occasional TV screenings or late-night cinema showings of the film. Though lacking the visual extravagance that Pink Floyd’s stage shows became infamous for, …At Pompeii’s depiction of four young men playing in an empty arena decorated with little more than dust, grass and sunlight (and in the case of David Gilmour and Rick Wright, without a shirt), and intercut with shots of the ruined city, became a powerful ambassador for their aesthetic.
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The film was financed by three European TV companies, French, Belgian and German, and was originally intended for the small screen. But one of the producers suggested using four cameras and 35mm film to give it cinema quality, and the band insisted on multi-track recordings of their performance. Those sharp decisions mean that, today, the film’s impact is undiminished, in fact, may be greater than ever in the stunning new, meticulously restored and Atmos-remixed, IMAX-ready version fans will be able to enjoy in cinemas from today.
Pink Floyd themselves, it must be said, have not always seen its merits. In 2017, promoting his DVD of a solo return to the site, David Gilmour was typically disparaging: “I find it rather embarrassing. I’m sure it’s a lot of fun for many people, but not much for me.” Speaking in the latest issue of MOJO, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason doesn’t recall much enthusiasm for the project at the time, either.
“We never took a huge interest in it,” he tells Jim Irvin. “We dithered about doing it because it meant we had to give up a couple of gigs in England that had to be replaced later. We were incredibly offhand about it and didn’t have any idea of what we were getting into or where we were filming.”
The idea to stage a concert film in the ruins of Pompeii’s amphitheatre came from French filmmaker Adrian Maben, who had been trying to get a Pink Floyd film off the ground but had been met with resistance from the band and management.
Although not particularly enthusiastic about the project, when the group arrived at Pompeii in October 1971 for the initial six-day shoot they suddenly understood what a great location it was. “Pompeii had a fantastic, unique atmosphere,” recalls Mason. “And it was going to be like a gig but without an audience, giving an unusual feel to the thing.”
However, once all the equipment was set up, it was discovered that the power source was unreliable, failing after just a few seconds and making filming impossible. The band was adamant that they wanted to play everything live, no miming to playback, so until the issue was resolved no filming could go ahead.
It was decided that the best use of the Floyd’s time was to take a handheld camera and shoot them walking over the volcanic landscape in nearby Solfatara.
“Alas, this was the first Sunday in October, the day of the procession of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary between the Cathedral of Pompeii and the Piazza Garibaldi in Naples,” Maben tells MOJO. “Thousands of pilgrims block the streets leading to Naples. So the Pink Floyd and the camera crew sat in their car and waited for three hours. I began to think that the film had been cursed and we would never be able to shoot anything. But we finally arrived at Solfatara and managed to get some images. Upon our return to the amphitheatre we got good news: the electricity was working! A long cable had been connected from the Cathedral of Pompeii.”
It soon became clear that, with four cameras running, they were soon going to run out of their stock of expensive 35mm film. They might also run out of time after two days wasted without power. One Of These Days was shot after dusk, with a few lights on the band. Only the footage of Mason’s drumming was entirely satisfactory, which is why it looks close to a solo performance. As the shoot ended Maben suggested extra shooting later in the year in Paris, at the Studios de Boulogne. Careful With That Axe Eugene, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun and Mademoiselle Nobs – a new version of Meddle’s Seamus with a different singing dog – showed the band surrounded by white spotlights, giving the impression these songs were shot in Pompeii after dark, as One Of These Days had been, but were actually shot indoors.
Maben’s 60-minute concert version of Pink Floyd At Pompeii debuted at The Edinburgh Film Festival in 1972. Some months later, Adrian Maben, while fly-fishing with Roger Waters, suggested adding some documentary material to it, leading to an invitation to Abbey Road to film during The Dark Side Of The Moon sessions, where Maben captured the group in the studio and at lunch in the Abbey Road café.
Among the footage – Roger Waters fiddling with the VCS3 synthesiser used to create TDSOTM’s On The Run, Gilmour discussing the criticism that anyone could do what they did with access to the same gear – the scenes of Mason fussing over whether or not the apple pie he orders for lunch comes with crusts has entered into Floyd legend.
“I have no idea!” Mason laughs today when questioned about his younger self’s apparent aversion to pastry crust. “I can’t possibly imagine. This film is full of surprises. Bare-chested David never happened again, for one thing.”
The version restored for release in 2025 is this second, extended film – 83 minutes long with the footage from Abbey Road – that was widely circulated in 1974, and had the most impact overseas, especially in the US and Canada, where it was an art-house and college cinema favourite.
“I have to say, it looks and sounds fantastic,” says Mason of the new Pink Floyd At Pompeii. Seeing it again has given him an opportunity to reassess the film’s place in the band’s canon and its reputation among Floyd fans.
“It was,” he decides, “far more important than we ever gave it credit for.”
Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII is in cinemas and IMAX worldwide from April 24. The live album is available on multiple formats from May 2 via Legacy Recordings.
“It’s almost like watching a dream…” Get the latest issue of MOJO to read the feature on the making of Pink Floyd At Pompeii in full. Plus! Pulp's first interview in 23 years, Nick Drake unheard, Alison Krauss, Sparks, Dire Straits, Smokey Robinson and more! More info and to order a copy HERE!
