A Saucerful of War Films
by Ron Fleischer
War!
What is it good for? Why, making war movies, of course! There have been numerous
great war films in the history of cinema, from the groundbreaking
Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925), to the recent Saving
Private Ryan (Steven Speilberg, 1999). The greatest contribution that
these directors made was to show the horrors, futility, and sometimes virtues
of war, in the hopes of mankind eventually learning from it's past mistakes.
I love the movies... always have. I graduated with a BA in film from Columbia College in 1983, and have made a few short films in the past, but these days I find myself directing animation. It's a very similar process, with the same end results: tell a story... move your audience.
The Floyd's music has always lent itself to a cinematic scope. In fact, one of the great filmed war scenes occurs in Pink Floyd The Wall, where Alan Parker captured the intensity (and aftermath) of the battle of Anzio.
"A Saucerful of Secrets" was perhaps the first "constructed" experimental piece by the band. Whereas "Interstellar Overdrive" had a structured beginning and end, it's middle free-form section was exactly that--free-form. When the band set out to create "A Saucerful of Secrets," however, it began as a concept piece "on the whole." If my memory serves me, it was Roger Waters who approached the band with the idea of creating a long piece of music that would follow a blueprint or specific pattern. A diagram was even created--a charted timeline of the song, displaying peaks and valleys, indicating where the song would build, lull, and eventually climax. This was to be an instrumental piece (with only Gilmour's "vocals" being used in the end as an instrument itself), and was well thought out before one note of music was written.
Listening to "A Saucerful of Secrets," I sometimes envision it as a piece that would accompany the visuals of war. Not so much the original track that appears on their second album (I hardly ever listen to the A Saucerful of Secrets album), but rather the live, explosive, passionate performance piece that it became.
David Gilmour once likened the piece to a musical depiction of war. "The first part is tension, a build up, a fear," he said. "And the middle, with all the crashing and banging--that's the war going on. The aftermath is sort of a requiem."
If I were to make a film of my vision of this song, I would want it to show the entire history of war as depicted by the great film directors through the ages. Not only would I use scenes from great war movies, but from documentary and propaganda films as well. I'd also like to shoot some original footage--no great battle scenes, but some the scenes that appear at the end of my "screenplay."
I have chosen the version of "A Saucerful of Secrets" from the Ummagumma LP. It's definitely not the "best" live version of the song by far, but a good one, and one that you all probably have. That's why I chose to work with this version of the song... so you can pop it into your CDROM drive before continuing on.
I'm going to refer to cue points in the song, both musically and numerically, to help you visualize while you listen to.
A Saucerful of Secrets
Part One "Something Else" (The Stormclouds Gather)
0:01 We begin with the sound of a throbbing bassline, slowly fading in and gaining intensity, a foreboding warning of what is to come... the eerie calm before the storm.
Fade in on a dark, gray sky. Dissolve to the war room (Dr. Strangelove). Long shot... a starkly lit scene... many military personnel gathered around a huge table.
0:18 Rick's organ fades in and we cut in closer to the table which is covered with maps. Different colored tiles are strategically positioned on the map and are pushed around by generals who surround the table.
We cut to a scene from the latest State of the Union address. Cut to news footage of the world's leaders all making televised speeches.
With each new measure of the song, we then cut soldiers bent over radar screens, troops lining up to be shipped out onto giant carriers (WWII newsreel footage). A group of knights huddle (Excalibur)... A Caesar surveys the landscape before battle (Gladiator)... an ape-man smashes a bone into the skeleton of a wild boar (2001: A Space Odyssey) which coincides with Nick's climaxing cymbal roll and crash at 1:07.
It is here that we cut to the great Nazi propaganda films from WWII. We now see the Nuremberg rally, with all the goose-stepping soldiers marching through the streets. Cut to shots of Hitler rallying the troops. The editing picks up its pace here, cutting with each 4-beat measure.
1:15 A cymbal crash, cut to the Japanese soldiers assembling in the great film epic Ran. At 1:23 another crash, cut to the soldiers assembling for battle in the opening scenes of Gladiator. And with each cymbal cue, we cut to scenes from The Patriot, Braveheart, Apocalypse Now, Battleship Potemkin, and Galipoli, each containing scenes of troops assembling for battle...
1:40 Gilmour's "spacey" guitar sounds kick in... something is amiss here. Jews are being led into concentration camps (Schindler's List). People are being shipped off in cattle cars... a line of archers prepare their bows (Gladiator). Guns are being loaded (The Patriot)... a troop of soldiers marching in formation (Full Metal Jacket).
2:14 A piercing guitar and we cut to a series of shots, all massive in scope, as the troops prepare for battle. The Indian tribes assemble in Little Big Man, preparing for Custer's last stand. The doomed troops in the trenches of Galipoli removing all of their personal belongings, knowing very well that they are about to die. The Zulu army in Zulu gathered to slaughter the British troops. The Russian army in Reds. The soldiers in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory.
2:26 Nick's cymbal crashes begin to build and we begin to cut more quickly from one image to another. These are now shots of the generals and leaders rallying on the troops. Mel Gibson's great pre-battle speech from Braveheart; George C. Scott from Patton; documentary footage of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower. A shot of the Japanese commander rallying on his kamikaze pilots in the film Midway, Russell Crowe rallying his men in Gladiator. We cut to shots impassioned shots of Henry Fonda (The Longest Day) and Lew Ayers (All Quiet On The Western Front). The editing becomes quicker towards the end of the sequence. We cut back to the ape-man smashing the skeleton...
On the final shot of this sequence, we return to the Nazi propaganda film where we see Hitler at the podium. His words are intense, as he shakes and pounds his fist. At 3:23, our prelude comes to a close as Hitler slams the podium just as the final crash of part one comes to a close and we cut to...
Part Two "Syncopated Pandemonium" (The Battle)
3:24 Nick begins his famous drum loop. It is here that we first see the "hardware" of war. Tanks are deployed, bombers are launched from aircraft carriers, battle ships are cruising towards their targets, submarines disappear below the water's surface, paratroopers drop from planes by the dozens, silhouetted against the sky. Once again, these shots are all taken from newsreel footage.
We then cut to the soldiers about to land on the beach in Saving Private Ryan, the crew in Das Boot, the bombers being launched from Midway, the catapults being loaded in Gladiator, the battleships from Battleship Potemkin, the cannons being loaded and advancing in Glory.
4:00 We now cut to a series of reaction shots of the troops in each situation. All tight close-ups of the men about to enter battle, used from all the films previously mentioned.
4:15 Gilmour's guitar swells as the first shots of battle are fired. The ape-man strikes, and knocks down his enemy. A shot blasts from the barrel of a civil war gun (Glory). The Roman army launches their flaming arrows and catapults (Gladiator) in a massive display of power; a submarine launches a torpedo (U571); huge cannons fire from the cliffs (The Guns of Navarone); a Samurai sword is swung in battle; a soldier fires his M-15. The tools of distruction are the theme of this sequence.
4:40 The drum loop continues as we see the troops charging onto battle. These include scenes from The Longest Day, Ran, The Patriot, Spartacus, Braveheart. We see the British troops charge the Indian protesters in Ghandi, and finally Galipoli, as the men charge out from the trenches into battle.
5:11 The music swells as we cut more rapidly from one scene to another. We witness the first human impact of battle. We see soldiers being speared, shot and blown to bits. This is where the most graphic and violent of all the war scenes are portrayed.
We first center on individuals being killed: the ape-man continues to pummel his victim in 2001; a man is scalped in Little Big Man, a gladiator is speared to death in Spartacus. We cut to the heart of the battles of Braveheart and Excalibur for more one-on-one contact. A soldier's head gets blown off in The Patriot. Willem Dafoe is gunned down in Platoon.
We then move on to groups of soldiers being slaughtered: the D-Day scene from Saving Private Ryan, the submarine being hit in Das Boot; the great Anzio beach scene from The Wall. We cut to the famous Odessa Steps sequence from Battleship Potemkin, where a mother is fatally shot as we helplessly watch her baby's carriage roll down the flight of the titular stairs. Next we see the British army slaughtering the Indians (Ghandi), and the scores of men being fatefully gunned down in Galipoli.
We finally see shots of the last remaining stragglers of the battle scenes... the walking wounded from The Wall, Saving Private Ryan, and Gladiator, among others.
5:40 We now cut to a series of slow-motion shots. We are taking our film from a horrific close and personal viewpoint to a more detached, surreal mode. A forest is defoliated and a huge bridge is blown up (Apocalypse Now). We cut to the famous news footage of the execution of a Vietnamese man being shot point blank in the head in front of the cameras. A screaming naked child runs down a dirt road, away from her burning village... all in slow motion.
6:04 The music and battle begin to subside, but our images do not. The H-bomb is dropped with Slim Pickens straddling it (Dr. Strangelove), ultimately exploding on impact. Several shots of nuclear weapons being detonated, and their devastating effects, follow. We see the bomb dropped on Hiroshima; the US tests where we witness buildings being blown apart as if made from paper; all in slow motion. The horrific nuclear devastation of a city in Terminator 2.
Part Three "Storm Signal" (The Aftermath of Battle)
6:16 Rick's organ emerges as Nick's drumming begins to slowly fade away. We now cut to a series of shots showing us the horrors of the aftermath of battle. The slaughtered British troops in Zulu, the valiant warriors writhing in agony in Gladiator, and the aftermath of the D-Day beach scene from Saving Private Ryan. We see the results of the Hiroshima bomb; the devastating remains of Europe after the German blitzkrieg; Pearl Harbor in smoke and flames. We see Scarlett O'Hara carefully stepping over the sea of wounded in Gone With The Wind, the wounded soldiers from The Wall, The Longest Day, and Full Metal Jacket.
6:50 We cut to shots of the dead. Soldiers lying dismembered, washed up on the shores half buried in the sand; the remains of the battle. All footage coming from previously used films.
7:02 The music takes a gentler turn. We begin to stray from the close ups of the dead and now focus on the battle from a wider perspective. A shot of zeppelins hovering over the Anzio beach head; the smoking, defoliated jungles of Vietnam; the crater and shadow left from the Hiroshima blast; the mist above the Germanian battlefield.
Part Four "Celestial Voices" (Requiem)
7:14 Rick's organ initiates the piece's final sequence. To me, this section has always been a requiem--a sad, emotional piece of music which builds to an empassioned climax.
The film continues with soldiers gathering themselves and returning from battle. We see the wounded and dying. A lot of attention is paid to close-ups once again. We return to classic newsreel footage from the great wars of the past century. We see huge make-shift hospitals lined with rows and rows of beds. We cut back to the aftermath of battle, soldiers walking in single file, being lifted onto stretchers. We keep cross-cutting back and forth between the wounded and the troops returning from battle, but still on foreign soil.
8:09 The second time through Rick's melody, we cut to shots of our triumphant leaders, all in slow motion. Again we see Churchill, Eisenhower, and Truman. We see the ticker-tape celebrations--a sailor kisses a girl in Times Square; troops returning from war exiting aircraft and ships finally returning home. All newsreel footage.
9:03 The melody is repeated once again. We now cut to a national cemetery, a wide establishing shot of a military burial. We cut in closer to see soldiers folding the American flag that was draped over the casket. The flag, once folded, is carried over and given to a pair of waiting hands. We do not see a face.
9:27 The camera continues to move, even though the flag has been handed off. It keeps moving until we see the entire cemetery, slowly coming into focus, as our attention shifts from the foreground to the entire scene. We are still only a few feet off the ground, having just followed the flag being passed off. Without a cut, the camera begins to rise into the air. As we rise higher and higher, more and more rows of headstones are revealed until they consume the entire frame.
9:52 The drums begins to kick in, and the melody is now repeated, accompanied by Nick. In this section, we turn our camera to all the famous was memorials around the world. We see the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, the 100-Mile House Memorial in Montana and all the great cenotaphs from around the world. We begin with a tight shot on each one, slowly pulling away from each memorial's plaque, revealing its full scope. We pan slowly up to the soldiers on the Iwo Jima memorial, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier... all are very slow-moving and deliberately long shots that take up the next two repeats of the melody.
10:42 This time through, we continue to cut to different war memorials, this time superimposing the names over the entire screen...
11:30 We begin the big "pull out." Again, we start at a memorial and slowly pull up higher and higher. We rise above trees and climb higher and higher into the sky. We begin to see the landscape in a larger scale.
11:54 Our ascent continues into the clouds. We see towns, cities, and then the entire country. We can see some of the continent's geography.
12:07 We continue to rise through the atmosphere and can now see the oceans and the continents. We pull further back and can see the entire Earth and soon begin to leave it behind. The camera finally slows down and stops. We can hardly recognize the Earth anymore, it's just one of the multitude of stars in the sky.
12:14 A distant twinkle comes from the direction of where the Earth is...
12:18 A tiny, distant starburst, barely enough to cause a lensflare, illuminates the frame. A remaining twinkle slowly subsides and fades away. We still cannot tell if the Earth is still there or not amongst the millions of other stars.
Fade to black .
Ron Fleischer is a Spare Bricks staff member.
So Long, and Thanks for Just About Everything
by Elisa Ward
Author's note: I am still in shock over the untimely passing of the legend that was (and in the hearts of many, many readers always will be) Douglas Adams. I feel incredibly fortunate to have met him twice. He was the author of various books, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series being his most famous, as well as the BBC radio series of the same name. An avid internet and Apple Macintosh supporter, he had his own community on the 'net called the Digital Village. Some of the characters of his complex and fascinating video game, "Starship Titanic", were from an episode of "Dr. Who" he had written years beforehand when he was a script editor for the program. He was a wonderful man.
Below are recollections of my fond memories of meeting him.
The
first time I met Douglas Adams was in a bookstore in Sherway Gardens, a mall
just outside Mississauga in Etobicoke. It is probably the prettiest mall around--small
and unassuming with lots of nooks and crannies in which to hide bookstores
and gift shops. In one of these corners of the mall there was The Book Company--a
lavish, decadent bookstore swathed in dark, classy, forest green. From
the outside, it looked small, but it was like a cave--once you got inside,
it was very deep and comforting, like being back in the womb. I frequented
it for its good prices and its ability to stock the best in British literature
and the best comedy Canada had to offer.
As I was skimming through the paper on a lazy Saturday morning, I came across an ad for a book signing at The Book Company. Almost weekly, there were authors coming to sign their books and meet their adoring fans. Just the week before Nick Bantok (of Griffin and Sabine fame) had come to the store. This signing, though, was of major interest to me. Douglas Adams was coming! Not just any other writer, he was my favourite living writer and the man who had made me laugh and smile through his series of books, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I had to go. I begged my dad to take me to the mall on a school night and meet the legend whom I had adored for so long. To my delight, he agreed. I knew I had to come prepared, but I only had second-hand copies of the books (I was in high school still!) with price tags that said "reduced" on the covers. I knew this wouldn't look good that I had not bought a "new" book for him to sign. His latest at the time was Last Chance to See, which I unfortunately had not read yet either! I decided to carefully peel the price tags off my copy of Life, The Universe and Everything and hope for the best.
We got to the mall early, and there was a small line already formed. I was amazed not more people had shown up; this was DOUGLAS ADAMS for goodness sake! I soon realized I had gotten there at a perfect time. A line soon began snaking around the store and out into the mall itself. My mother, in all her resourcefulness, had borrowed a Polaroid camera from our local library in hopes of getting a few shots of me and Douglas together. My dad held it safely in his hands; I knew I would probably drop it.
We waited and we waited, my father becoming more and more impatient. "Is he going to show up?" he whined. Then suddenly, a huge shadow fell over the crowd. An enormous man in just an enormous a duffel coat walked gently into the store. A smaller man helped the giant remove his coat and the man sat down at the small table, his long legs jutting out from under it. It was Douglas Adams.
When it came to be my turn, I was so nervous and excited, that I know I actually blurted something really stupid out that I can't even remember. As he was signing my book, my father quickly asked him to look in the direction of the camera and instructed both of us to "smile". I felt a little embarrassed by my father, but others in line were envious of my foresight to bring a camera. I still have that picture, tucked inside my autographed copy of the book, my conspicuous blue framed glasses hiding the elation in my eyes. Now I wish I had the copy with me here, but I know it's safe back at home with all of my copies of Mr. Adams' other masterworks.
And Last Chance to See? I did get around to reading it, and loved it. As the saying goes, "I've never read a Douglas Adams book I didn't like."
My second meeting happened in early 1992. My dad and I got tickets to go and see Douglas Adams read at the Harbourfront Reader's Series, a local, annual festival that I had had no interest in before this.
I had written two pieces for my typing class, of all things, that were loosely based on his famous Hitchhiker's series. My teacher loved them so much that to this day they are still used as examples. One was a menu from Milliway's, "the Restaurant at the End of the Universe", and the other was a mock front page of a newspaper, called "The Hitchhiker". I brought copies of these pieces with me, with the small hope that I would get a chance to show them to my inspiration.
The reading was in a large convention hall in Harbourfront Centre in downtown Toronto. Dad and I got there early enough to be first in line and found ourselves seats right near the front. There were three writers reading, one from Australia, one from somewhere else, and Douglas. The three writers filed in and sat down.
I nudged my dad.
"There he is!"
"That tall guy sitting at the front, on the right?"
I nodded vigorously.
The funny thing was, we had about fifteen minutes to kill before the whole thing started. I thought I'd have to fight my way through crowds of fans to get to Douglas. I was wrong. It's sad, it's hilarious. There were so many fans there, but they had no idea what Douglas Adams, their savior, their hero, creator of Marvin the Paranoid Android looked like!!! Perhaps it's the curse of choosing writing as a profession. You're never really known like an actor or a singer. I had met Douglas at a book signing not six months before and had the brain to look at the back cover of the book, so I knew his face perfectly.
We befriended two boys across the way after they heard my outburst to my dad. "That's him?" they asked incredulously. I nodded vigorously again, grinning proudly.
Then, I took my moment in the sun. Actually, I will always thank my dad for making that night a little more special. He gave me the last pinch of courage I needed to go up and talk to one of my favorite writers. He reminded me that Douglas Adams was just another person and not some god, although that's only half-true.
So, I approached him, hands shaking and said, "This is just a little something based on your work."
He was a little confused, but I handed him those two pieces of writing done for my typing class and beat a quick path back to my seat. (Hey, I was 17, I was shy, overweight and not a great conversationalist, especially when I had no idea what to say to the Douglas Adams!)
While we were waiting for the first Australian writer to come on, he didn't stick my pieces under his seat, he didn't set them aside... he read them!!! I was aghast, I was in awe, I was honored! My pieces were short and since they were based on Hitchhiker's, they were supposed to be humorous.
Douglas Adams sat reading my pieces and laughing!!! He loved them! You could see the enjoyment on his face. I was so pleased, I was bursting! I had left my name and number on the back of both, but sadly, I never got a call. But still, having your work read and enjoyed by Mr. Douglas Adams is quite enough for me.
When Douglas finally got on stage, the whole place first did a double-take ("Hey, it's that tall guy that was sitting right over there!" "Aw man, why didn't I know that?!?!") then burst into applause.
Even though there was a signing afterwards (our two young men friends from previously had brought their towels), I didn't bother to stay and get a signature. I had my prize for that night and for a lifetime.
In 1999, I found out that Douglas Adams had an email address and welcomed emails from his fans. I roused up the courage and sent him a brief letter, asking him if he remembered me from the reading. Of course he didn't, but what I remember most was how polite he was. He apologized for not remembering me and wasn't angry I had asked such a foolish question. I couldn't blame him for not remembering me, though. He's probably met tons of people over the years.
I emailed him once again several months later, asking his opinion on the iMac. My husband had just bought one and we were really excited with it. He said he liked iMacs, but wouldn't own one, since he's more of a G3, G4 kind of guy. The casual, friendly conversations he had with his fans is a big part of why he was so adored and revered. He was just "another bloke" who wrote novels and was interested in what his readers had to say.
I will always love Douglas Adams. To extremes. He continues to be one of my favorite writers. I was also given hope that writing could be difficult even for the best writers. It took him years to write Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and only with the aid of Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony" album was the book finally completed.
You will be missed, Douglas.
Elisa Ward is a staff writer for Spare Bricks
The Poetry of "Southampton Dock"
by Edward D. Paule
"Southampton Dock" represents Roger Waters' lyrical poetry at its absolute pinnacle.
A well-known cliché states that "a picture is worth a thousand words." A good poem uses a lot less than a thousand words to paint an image and a mood that could never be captured by a single picture. A great poem paints an image and a mood that would require an entire movie to recreate. This is what "Southampton Dock" from Pink Floyd's 1983 release The Final Cut accomplishes.
The image and mood painted by this poem are so graphic and intense, I cry every time I hear it.
"Southampton Dock"
Southampton is a major port city on England's southern coast. There are many docks there for ships large and small to berth at.
They disembarked in '45
In 1945, World War II had ended. British troops that had been fighting overseas would be coming home. Their transport ships would arrive at ports like Southampton and the soldiers would come ashore.
And no-one spoke and no-one smiled
The dock, where the men disembark, is the first place for relatives of those returning soldiers to meet each other. Normally this would be a happy occasion, with lots of screaming, yelling, hugging, and kissing as loved ones were reunited. But instead, it's quiet. No one is happy. Why?
There were too many spaces in the line.
Each space in the line of disembarking soldiers represents a soldier that would not be returning home. These spaces represent the soldiers who were killed during the war. Of course, some loss of life during war is to be expected. But, there were too many dead. So many, in fact, that even the relatives of soldiers who did return were stunned into silence.
Gathered at the cenotaph
All agreed with the hand on heart
To sheath the sacrificial knifes.
A cenotaph is a memorial for those whose remains lie elsewhere. In this case, it is a memorial for those soldiers that died overseas and whose bodies were buried there. All the mothers, fathers, spouses, and (metaphorically) the entire country are gathered together at this shrine to their fallen sons and daughters and take a solemn vow to not sacrifice anymore of their children to the god of war.
But now...
The first verse took place in the past (1945). The second verse takes place in the present (1983).
She stands upon Southampton dock
Who is she? Is she a mother who lost a son? Or is she a wife that lost a husband? It doesn't really matter. But given the thirty-eight year timeframe, I imagine the latter. After all this time, she has returned to the dock.
With her handkerchief
And her summer frock
Clings to her wet body in the rain.
In quiet desperation
Knuckles white upon the slippery reins
Here she is, standing on the dock, with a handkerchief in one hand and her other hand grasping as tight as she can the rope railing at the water' edge. She's wearing a long thin summer dress--not something you would want to be caught in the rain with. Nevertheless, the rain has caught her; but she's oblivious to it.
She bravely waves the boys goodbye again.
From within her despair, she somehow manages the courage to reenact that moment. That moment when she last saw her husband alive. That time when his transport ship carried him off to war. But this time it's different. The first time she waved goodbye, it was a "Goodbye, see you again soon" kind of goodbye. But this time, it's a "Goodbye forever" kind of goodbye.
I envision a woman that for many years had been unable to cope with her loss. I see a woman that for thirty-eight years had not set foot in this place, avoiding the pain of her memories that being there would unleash. I see a woman that with this act has brought closure to her grief.
In a mere 72 words and as many seconds, Roger Waters has painted a picture more powerful than most 2-hour long "tear jerker" movies.
In my opinion, the picture is complete. I'm in tears at this point. Nothing more needs to be said. End of movie, fade to black. But some would argue, even Roger himself, that "Southampton Dock" has a third verse. However, it is my feeling that this verse is separated musically from the first two and belongs as the first verse of the next track, "The Final Cut", or as a segue between the two songs. That's the way I always have, and always will, listen to this piece.
Ed Paule is a guest contributor to Spare Bricks.