Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII

Long a favorite of rock fans, the carefully assembled footage of Pink Floyd’s 1971 performance at the ancient Roman amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy, gets a thorough A/V scrub and a new name, Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII.

Why now? The original 35mm negatives were discovered in the band’s archives, remastered in 4K, and prepped for IMAX — definitely the way to experience director Adrian Maben’s film, though any large screen will do it justice.

From its Jesus Christ Superstar-esque set-up in the wide open, historic space, Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII establishes an epic vibe on which the musicians and filmmakers quickly make good. Plentiful camera sources and tasteful cuts to featured/soloing artists during “Echoes: Part One” enhance the overall energy, but it’s the slow, 360-degree tracking shots from behind the speaker stacks to the front of the band that deliver the film’s biggest “wow” factor.

Maben returns to this rich visual well as the action shifts to Abbey Road Studios for session work on Dark Side of the Moon. And though not cinematic in the least, one-on-one interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason provide compelling insights on this pivotal moment in Pink Floyd’s history when they were right on the precipice of their phenomenal decade-plus run.

With so much working in his favor, Maben mysteriously undermines the performances with occasional transflex overlays, giving the footage a cheap music video look. The filmmaker and the band — particularly Waters — disliked these scenes, and Maben removed nearly all of them in the 2002 Director’s Cut. But they appear frequently enough in Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII that their presence becomes a distraction.

However, these directorial choices can only hamper the music so much. Seriously — It’s Pink Floyd! At Pompeii! Concert films don’t get much better than this, even (especially?) when there’s no audience.

Treat yourself and see it on the big screen while you can.

Grade: B-plus. Playing April 24 and 27 at Carolina Cinemark. Check theater’s website for showtimes and tickets.

(Photo: Sony Music Vision and Trafalgar Releasing)