Alan Parker: Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

First came the microgroove, then the LP, originally in the form of what we now call the vinyl album. Usually 12 inches in diameter and playing at a speed of 33 1/3 rotations per minute, it could accommodate up to 50 minutes of music, making it a respectable medium for even a complete rock opera. And Pink Floyd’s 1979 double album is indeed a rock opera, even without the accompanying film. It has sold 30 million copies. Although director Alan Parker had never shied away from taking on musical films previously, The Wall presents quite a complicated formula, depicting as it does the inner events and visions of a hero (or anti-hero?) played by Bob Geldof, images that are, not incidentally, drawn from the memories and thoughts of Roger Waters. Then along came graphic designer Gerald Scarfe, the artist behind the album cover, to produce about 15 minutes of – more than slightly depressing – animation. A tough, gut-wrenching film that never grows old.