Roger Waters:The Wall Live In Berlin DVD Review

The picture framed in 4:3 video has been digitally cleaned for this DVD release. The image however does suffer from a lack of detail, and is rather soft in its focus. However the original filming would have been on beta tape, instead of 35mm film stock, and you can forgive these small problems. The colours and vivid stage design are there for all to see, and the direction is in keeping with the theatrical feel of this concert. Although this image struggles with overall clarity, it does not detract from the experience, and colours are rich and vibrant, if a little noisy in places. You really can’t expect much more than that, given the poor master material and the age of the production. A good effort, but not perfect.

The original concert multi tracks have been given the full 5.1 remix treatment, by none other than the original recording engineer Nick Griffiths. And I have to say that the sound quality on this disc is extremely good. The recording gives that Live feel right from the start, with clever use of the surround channels as the band are introduced to screams of approval from the thousands present. And right from the first drop of the bass drum, the LFE channel adds again to the “being there” experience. The overall sound mix is extremely well handled, never drawing your attention away from the screen, but opens up a huge sound field across the front channels, with clever placement of instruments. This is an excellent remix, and the overall effect is stunning when you add in the visuals. A downmixed Dolby Stereo track is also available on the disc.

A 30 minute Documentary kicks of the extra features on the disc. This starts with a quick history lesson on the Berlin Wall, and sets up the story of how the idea and concepts came together for the concert. The entire production crew give a retrospective glance back through interviews, of why they put together the concert, and the problems they faced. We also get a look at Set design, animations and previously unreleased footage. All together this rounds the themes of the disc, and the concert, into a must have package for Floyd fans everywhere.Apart from some small issues with the picture quality, the concert is brought to life by a stunning 5.1 channel remix, and some well thought out extra features. Recommended, especially if you are a fan of Pink Floyd.