One of the two or three most underrated albums I've ever heard, Pink Floyd's (or, more appropriately/truthfully, Roger Waters') 'The Final Cut' is a sort of sequel to 'The Wall' in theme and style...however, it hasn't had the same culturally significant and largely highly acclaimed impact. Regardless, Waters and friends made this 19 minute video accompaniment to a few of the songs on the art rock concept album, including the title track which is my definite favourite. The visual accompaniment is worth at least seeking out as a curiosity. The video is very interesting throughout, but really picks up speed around the point in which the title track is performed, a little bit less than halfway through the film. Many archival clips of contrasting beauty and pain, happiness and sorrow, flash, a perfect depiction of the album's clear anti war themes. When the song 'The Fletcher Memorial Home' kicks in, the video gets rather strange. A man dressed up as Hitler is dancing around, Napoleon is on a rocking horse, Winston Churchill throws up a peace symbol, and plenty more. It's somewhat playful and I'm quite sure is somewhat intentionally comic, but in a rather bleak, black, and highly satirical manner. While the video isn't consistently entertaining exactly, it has many moments that absolutely shine, and everything is extremely well done on a technical level. And, of course, I love the music.
6 Reviews
Waters album Final Cut as a final adieu to Pink Floyd
cfourie625 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This short is best enjoyed if you have listened properly to the full album, Final Cut, which is a story in itself listened from start to finish. Contrary to the other two reviewers on this link who clearly have little knowledge or appreciation of the album. Its a definitive work and was the final turning point for the band, highlighting as it did the way the individual band members had grown apart both personally and musically. The Fletcher Memorial and Gunner's dream are both individually brilliant. Highly recommended to all Pink Floyd and Waters fans.....but listen to the album properly as I said before commenting to appreciate this short fully.
Great visual concept carried by an outstanding performance by Alex McAvoy. But Floyd doesn't sound much interesting.
Rodrigo_Amaro31 January 2015
Roger Waters concept criticizing Thatcherism and UK's involvement in the Falklands War in the Pink Floyd's album "The Final Cut" is also used in this movie as well, with the songwriter analyzing facts from his period and also a look back at WWII, as evidenced by his "alter-ago" represented by Alex McAvoy - the nasty teacher from "The Wall". This time, McAvoy plays a good character, saddened by the world he's living, no longer the nation he used to live and know. The recurring images of his father who died in World War II are just a way to contrast his idea of patriotism, he's sad because he lost his father but he can accept that it was for a noble cause, quite opposite to what he thinks was happening with the Falklands war. He can't be patriotic with that. And so, the teacher tries to find ways to overcome this pessimistic moment.
The movie comprises four songs from the album in one continuous way reflecting on Waters criticisms of England during the 1980's. They are 'The Gunner's Dream', 'The Final Cut', 'Not Now John' and 'The Fletcher Memorial Home'. The images that follow them compensate the soundtrack's lack of greatness, with memorable sequences such as the old man dreaming of killing political leaders gathered on an asylum; or the countless real archive footage used during one of the tracks. Gladly, the lyrics go in tune with the images.
Though being a fan of Pink Floyd, I don't know much about their album "The Final Cut", except that it was mostly a Roger Waters effort, to the point of leaving all the other members (except Richard Wright who wasn't there) behind a wall that later on dismantled the band that kept on without Waters. The brief medley of songs presented in the film left me unimpressed and not even feeling like listening to Floyd tracks - except the great 'Not Now John' but that song sounds like being a rejected track from "The Wall".
Despite the minor derailments along the way, "The Final Cut" deserves to be seen. It accomplishes its mission of portraying valid criticism, though very early in time considering Thatcher was only four years in power, so it goes to show that Waters was a pioneer in making remarks on her; and above that, the movie has an excellent performance, credit must be given to Mr. Alex McAvoy who goes on a complete different direction from what he played in Alan Parker's film. I'd never imagine that he could generate sympathy after playing an unforgettable loud tyrant ("Poems, everybody!") in "The Wall" (if you haven't seen it, at least you probably know the clip taken from it). He doesn't say a word but manages to express a lot with his face and his eyes, conveying plenty of emotion without excess, going in plenty of directions, full of double meanings and it's up to us to discover what's inside his head. A poetic performance! 8/10
The movie comprises four songs from the album in one continuous way reflecting on Waters criticisms of England during the 1980's. They are 'The Gunner's Dream', 'The Final Cut', 'Not Now John' and 'The Fletcher Memorial Home'. The images that follow them compensate the soundtrack's lack of greatness, with memorable sequences such as the old man dreaming of killing political leaders gathered on an asylum; or the countless real archive footage used during one of the tracks. Gladly, the lyrics go in tune with the images.
Though being a fan of Pink Floyd, I don't know much about their album "The Final Cut", except that it was mostly a Roger Waters effort, to the point of leaving all the other members (except Richard Wright who wasn't there) behind a wall that later on dismantled the band that kept on without Waters. The brief medley of songs presented in the film left me unimpressed and not even feeling like listening to Floyd tracks - except the great 'Not Now John' but that song sounds like being a rejected track from "The Wall".
Despite the minor derailments along the way, "The Final Cut" deserves to be seen. It accomplishes its mission of portraying valid criticism, though very early in time considering Thatcher was only four years in power, so it goes to show that Waters was a pioneer in making remarks on her; and above that, the movie has an excellent performance, credit must be given to Mr. Alex McAvoy who goes on a complete different direction from what he played in Alan Parker's film. I'd never imagine that he could generate sympathy after playing an unforgettable loud tyrant ("Poems, everybody!") in "The Wall" (if you haven't seen it, at least you probably know the clip taken from it). He doesn't say a word but manages to express a lot with his face and his eyes, conveying plenty of emotion without excess, going in plenty of directions, full of double meanings and it's up to us to discover what's inside his head. A poetic performance! 8/10
Great Album Sheathed in an inferior Video
arfdawg-12 October 2019
The album is one of Floyd's best.
The video is just OK. Seems like Waters made this and stuck himself i it. BIG mistake.
Still, The Final Cut is P.F.'s last album that is also one of their best (the subsequent non-Waters) albums were not Floyd in my book. They sucked.
The video is just OK. Seems like Waters made this and stuck himself i it. BIG mistake.
Still, The Final Cut is P.F.'s last album that is also one of their best (the subsequent non-Waters) albums were not Floyd in my book. They sucked.
It's really good
natef-765462 February 2020
I like the band more usually
Horst_In_Translation1 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Pink Floyd: The Final Cut" is a 19-minute live action short film that includes several songs by the band in the title. This one is from 1983, so it will have its 35th anniversary already next year. I must say I really like some of Pink Floyd's work, but the performances we heard in here left me really cold. The story, i.e. the video, wasn't much better and the inclusion of people dressing up like Napoleon, Adolf Hitler or Maggie Thatcher looked rather foolish. Of course, there is always a bit of absurdity to PF's works and songs, but in this very case here I must say it sadly wasn't working out. So I think this one was rather underwhelming, but hey it's okay, not everyone can be a winner. So as I said I like Pink Floyd I would not even recommend this one to Pink Floyd fans, except the very biggest perhaps as several cast and crew members have appeared in other works by the band too. All in all a thumbs-down from me. Not recommended, but it's fairly difficult to get a hand on anyway, so if you don't find it don't worry. You aren't really missing much here.
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