News 26 Feb 2025

Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII

Restored film • Steven Wilson Atmos Mix

By Paul Sinclair

Classic concert film restored with audio mixed by Steven Wilson in Atmos

Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii, the legendary 1972 concert film directed by Adrian Maben, has been visually restored, with audio newly remixed, and will be reissued on audio and video formats, in May, as Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII.

Pink Floyd at Pompeii pre-dates the release of The Dark Side Of The Moon and is set in the ruins of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy. Filmed in October 1971 – without an audience – the performance was the first live concert to take place at Pompeii, and features ‘Echoes,’ ‘A Saucerful of Secrets,’ and ‘Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun’, amongst others. Additionally, the film includes rare behind-the-scenes footage of the band beginning work on The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios.

The film has undergone a full restoration: hand restored, frame-by-frame, from the original 35mm cut negative – recently discovered within Pink Floyd’s own archives.

Lana Topham, Director of Restoration for Pink Floyd, said: “Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii, so the recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment. The newly restored version presents the first full [near] 90-minute cut, combining the 60-minute source edit of the performance with the additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments filmed shortly after”.

Steven Wilson has remixed the soundtrack in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and stereo. The stereo mix features on new 2CD and 2LP vinyl sets, while the Atmos and 5.1 mixes are included on a blu-ray edition (there’s also a DVD version) which includes two cuts of Pink Floyd at Pompeii: the 85 minute feature film and the 60 minute concert. The CD and vinyl editions include two bonus tracks: ‘Careful With that Axe, Eugene – Alternate Take’ and ‘A Saucerful of Secrets – Unedited’. These are not on the blu-ray even though Steven Wilson told me he did remix them in Atmos!

The blu-ray edition is available from the SDE shop via this link or using the button below. Other formats and availability as listed below.

Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII will be released on 2 May 2025 via Sony’s Legacy Recordings.

Pink Floyd