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Contents

   



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1 Plot  





2 Film version  





3 Composition  





4 Concerts and versions  





5 Personnel  





6 Further reading  





7 References  














The Trial (song): Difference between revisions






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==Plot==

==Plot==

The song centres on the main character, Pink, who having lived a life filled with emotional trauma and substance abuse has reached a critical psychological break. "The Trial" is the fulcrum on which Pink's mental state balances. In the song, Pink is charged with "showing feelings...of an almost human nature". This means that Pink has committed a crime against himself by actually attempting to interact with his fellow human beings. Through the course of the song, he is confronted by the primary influences of his life (who have been introduced over the course of the album): his school's [[child abuse|abusive]] schoolmaster, his adulterous wife, and his overprotective mother. Pink's [[subconscious]] struggle for sanity is overseen by a new character, "The Judge". In ''Pink Floyd The Wall'', and the concert animations, the Judge is a giant worm for most of the song until his verse, at which point he transforms into a giant pair of buttocks (bigger than the marching hammers in "[[Waiting for the Worms]]"). A prosecutor conducts the early portions, which consist of the antagonists explaining their actions, intercut with Pink's refrain, "Crazy/Toys in the attic, I am crazy". The culmination of the trial is the judge's sentence for Pink "to be exposed before your peers" whereupon he orders Pink to "Tear down the wall!"

The song centres on the main character, Pink, who having lived a life filled with emotional trauma and substance abuse has reached a critical psychological break. "The Trial" is the fulcrum on which Pink's mental state balances. In the song, Pink is charged with "showing feelings...of an almost human nature". This means that Pink has committed a crime against himself by actually attempting to interact with his fellow human beings. Through the course of the song, he is confronted by the primary influences of his life (who have been introduced over the course of the album): an abusive schoolmaster, his wife, and his overprotective mother. Pink's [[subconscious]] struggle for sanity is overseen by a new character, "The Judge". In ''Pink Floyd The Wall'', and the concert animations, the Judge is a giant worm for most of the song until his verse, at which point he transforms into a giant pair of buttocks (bigger than the marching hammers in "[[Waiting for the Worms]]"). A prosecutor conducts the early portions, which consist of the antagonists explaining their actions, intercut with Pink's refrain, "Crazy/Toys in the attic, I am crazy". The culmination of the trial is the judge's sentence for Pink "to be exposed before your peers" whereupon he orders Pink to "Tear down the wall!"



As Waters sings the dialogue for each character he transitions into different accents including: upper-class British dialect (the prosecutor and judge), Scottish accent (the schoolmaster) and Northern English accent (Pink's mother). For the character of Pink's wife he used his normal voice on the album and the original 1980-81 tour. However, in his solo 2010-11 tour of ''The Wall'' he portrays the wife with a distinctively [[France|French]] accent.

As Waters sings the dialogue for each character he transitions into different accents including: upper-class British dialect (the prosecutor and judge), Scottish accent (the schoolmaster) and Northern English accent (Pink's mother). For the character of Pink's wife he used his normal voice on the album and the original 1980-81 tour. However, in his solo 2010-11 tour of ''The Wall'' he portrays the wife with a distinctively [[France|French]] accent.



{{listen | help = no | filename = Pink floyd the wall disc 2 the trial.ogg | title = "The Trial" | description = The album culminates with Pink's internal trial, leading to the collapse of his 'wall' | format = [[Ogg]]}}

{{listen | help = no | filename = Pink floyd the wall disc 2 the trial.ogg | title = "The Trial" | description = The album culminates with Pink's internal trial, leading to the collapse of his 'wall' | format = [[Ogg]]}}

This and the following song "[[Outside the Wall]]" are the only two songs on the album which the story is seen from an outsider's perspective, most notably through the four antagonists of "The Trial", even though it is all in Pink's mind. The film shows the three characters making it past The Wall in one of the famous animated sequences, symbolically invading Pink's mind, and telling The Worm their part of the story. Each of the animations references an earlier key moment:

This and the following song "[[Outside the Wall]]" are the only two songs on the album which the story is seen from an outsider's perspective, most notably through the four antagonists of "The Trial", even though it is all in Pink's mind.


*The Prosecutor himselfisrepresented as short and rotund; wearing a long navy gown which trails behind him, at points above his own head, such as when he leaps onto the "wall" (depicted as being composed of white bricks, as in the album's cover). His facial features are occasionally greatly exaggerated; depending on what he is saying. For instance, when he describes Pink's charges, during saying that Pink has experienced "feelings... feelings of an almost human nature", his face moves close to the camera and assumes a grotesque expression of disgust and contempt.

*The School Master is brought down like a puppet on strings by his wife, referencing the earlier song "[[The Happiest Days of Our Lives]]" and "[[Another Brick in the Wall#Part 2|Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)]]".

*The Wife comes out from underneath The Wall, represented as a [[scorpion]]/[[Mantis|praying mantis]],<ref>According to [[Gerald Scarfe]] in ''Behind the Wall''.{{where|date=February 2011}}</ref> which is done during "[[Don't Leave Me Now (Pink Floyd song)|Don't Leave Me Now]]".

*The Mother (mentioned in "[[Mother (Pink Floyd song)|Mother]]") comes in through the bricks in an abstract, morphing image of an airplane (referencing the plane which killed Pink's father, and also the plane which Pink was playing with in "[[Another Brick in the Wall#Part 1|Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)]]"), and then transforms into a talking vulva, which then encircles Pink.



This further emphasizes the fact that Pink is the true guilty one, leading to the Judge's response to the trial "...the way you made them suffer, your exquisite wife and mother..." and his sentencing "...since, my friend, you have revealed your deepest fear, I sentence you to be exposed before your peers..." The song ends with the sound of a wall being demolished amid chants of "Tear down the wall!", marking the destruction of Pink's metaphorical wall.

This further emphasizes the fact that Pink is the true guilty one, leading to the Judge's response to the trial "...the way you made them suffer, your exquisite wife and mother..." and his sentencing "...since, my friend, you have revealed your deepest fear, I sentence you to be exposed before your peers..." The song ends with the sound of a wall being demolished amid chants of "Tear down the wall!", marking the destruction of Pink's metaphorical wall.



==Film version==

==Film version==

The segment in the film version is a full-length animated sequence of vivid color and unusual visuals. Political cartoonist [[Gerald Scarfe]] directed the design for the segment. The film segment relies not only on visuals, but also on the themes, music, and lyrics of the original song. The three principle antagonists have pronounced cartoon forms and are known individually by their role:

<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:PinkFloydJudge.JPG|right|thumb|200px|The Judge as he is seen in the film]] -->

*"The Schoolmaster" is brought down like a [[marionette]] on strings, controlled by his overbearing wife, referencing the earlier song "[[The Happiest Days of Our Lives]]"

The segment in the film version is a full-length animated sequence of vivid color and unusual visuals. Political cartoonist [[Gerald Scarfe]] directed the design for the segment. The film segment relies not only on visuals, but also on the themes, music, and lyrics of the original song. The three principle antagonists have pronounced cartoon forms and are known individually by their role. "The Schoolmaster" (from "[[The Happiest Days of Our Lives]]") is portrayed as a [[marionette]] and is controlled by his overbearing wife. "The Mother" is portrayed as overprotective, and "The Wife" is portrayed as a scorpion-like creature. The Judge is a fourth featured caricature used in the segment and is portrayed as a giant pair of buttocks&nbsp;— complete with two backwards facing legs, an [[anus]] for a mouth (with a monstrous voice), and a [[scrotum]] for a chin (referencing a cleft)&nbsp;— wearing a judge's wig; this choice was derived from a line in [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[Oliver Twist]]'': "The law is an ass".{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} The Prosecutor is a caricature of the stereotypical 18th century attorney. After a moment of silence, when the judge orders the wall to be torn down, and after a [[Montage (filmmaking)|montage]] of clips from the movie shown before were played, the wall begins to fall apart.

*"The Wife" comes out from underneath the Wall, represented as the [[scorpion]]/[[Mantis|praying mantis]], that already appeared during "[[Don't Leave Me Now (Pink Floyd song)|Don't Leave Me Now]]".<ref>According to [[Gerald Scarfe]] in ''Behind the Wall''.{{where|date=February 2011}}</ref>

*The Mother comes in as an abstract, morphing image of an airplane (referencing the plane which killed Pink's father, and also the plane which Pink was playing with in "[[Another Brick in the Wall#Part 1|Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)]]"), and then transforms into a talking vulva, which then encircles Pink.

*The Prosecutor is a caricature of the stereotypical 18th century attorney. He is short and rotund, wearing a long navy gown which trails behind him, at points above his own head, such as when he leaps onto the "wall" (depicted as being composed of white bricks, as in the album's cover). His facial features are occasionally greatly exaggerated; depending on what he is saying. For instance, when he describes Pink's charges, during saying that Pink has experienced "feelings... feelings of an almost human nature", his face moves close to the camera and assumes a grotesque expression of disgust and contempt.

*The Judge is portrayed as a giant pair of buttocks — complete with two backwards facing legs, an [[anus]] for a mouth (with a monstrous voice), and a [[scrotum]] for a chin — wearing a judge's wig.


After a moment of silence, when the judge orders the wall to be torn down, and after a [[Montage (filmmaking)|montage]] of clips from the movie shown before were played, the wall begins to fall apart.



The animated sequence was used in the 1980/81 concert versions of ''The Wall'' with [[Roger Waters]] singing the song in front of The Wall as "The Trial"'s animation played behind him on the wall. It was then used again in the 2010/2011 touring concert version.

The animated sequence was used in the 1980/81 concert versions of ''The Wall'' with [[Roger Waters]] singing the song in front of The Wall as "The Trial"'s animation played behind him on the wall. It was then used again in the 2010/2011 touring concert version.

Line 62: Line 63:


In the last verse (The Judge's verdict), a [[Distortion (music)|distorted]] electric guitar enters, playing a [[leitmotif]] from the album, the melody from "Waiting for the Worms". Here, the theme is in the key of E minor (indeed, most expressions of this theme have been in E minor, rather than the D minor of "Another Brick in the Wall"), and as in an earlier song from the album, "[[Hey You (Pink Floyd song)|Hey You]]", it alternates between E minor (with the notes E, F#, G, F#) and A minor (A, B, C, B). However, the overall tonality of the orchestration is really alternating between E minor and F major, in keeping with the introduction of the piece. This results in further tension, as the guitar, with its aggressive, distorted tone, is starting on the [[major third]] of the second chord, rather than the root as the listener would expect—and concluding on the tritone, B.

In the last verse (The Judge's verdict), a [[Distortion (music)|distorted]] electric guitar enters, playing a [[leitmotif]] from the album, the melody from "Waiting for the Worms". Here, the theme is in the key of E minor (indeed, most expressions of this theme have been in E minor, rather than the D minor of "Another Brick in the Wall"), and as in an earlier song from the album, "[[Hey You (Pink Floyd song)|Hey You]]", it alternates between E minor (with the notes E, F#, G, F#) and A minor (A, B, C, B). However, the overall tonality of the orchestration is really alternating between E minor and F major, in keeping with the introduction of the piece. This results in further tension, as the guitar, with its aggressive, distorted tone, is starting on the [[major third]] of the second chord, rather than the root as the listener would expect—and concluding on the tritone, B.

<!--I'M HIDING THIS PARAGRAPH AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DELETING IT. SEE TALK PAGE:


Many Pink Floyd fans debate the significance of The Trial. One theory is that Pink puts himself on trial for the abuse he's inflicted on others, which was a result of his lapse from sanity. Another theory is that the trial was not self-inflicted, but was mainly a metaphor for the fear and emotional abuse that had been inflicted upon him in his life. The song mentions that he was being put on trial for showing "feelings of an almost human nature," probably indicating that the trial was set up as a sort of self-protecting rationale, but in which he realizes everything was really his fault. It has since been confirmed by Roger Waters that Pink puts himself on trial.{{fact|date=February 2011}}


END HIDDEN PARAGRAPH.-->



==Concerts and versions==

==Concerts and versions==


Revision as of 20:55, 22 April 2012

"The Trial"
Song

"The Trial" (work title "Trial by Puppet") is a track from the rock opera/concept album The Wall, by Pink Floyd.[1][2] The song, written by Roger Waters and Bob Ezrin, marks the climax of the album and the film.

Plot

The song centres on the main character, Pink, who having lived a life filled with emotional trauma and substance abuse has reached a critical psychological break. "The Trial" is the fulcrum on which Pink's mental state balances. In the song, Pink is charged with "showing feelings...of an almost human nature". This means that Pink has committed a crime against himself by actually attempting to interact with his fellow human beings. Through the course of the song, he is confronted by the primary influences of his life (who have been introduced over the course of the album): an abusive schoolmaster, his wife, and his overprotective mother. Pink's subconscious struggle for sanity is overseen by a new character, "The Judge". In Pink Floyd The Wall, and the concert animations, the Judge is a giant worm for most of the song until his verse, at which point he transforms into a giant pair of buttocks (bigger than the marching hammers in "Waiting for the Worms"). A prosecutor conducts the early portions, which consist of the antagonists explaining their actions, intercut with Pink's refrain, "Crazy/Toys in the attic, I am crazy". The culmination of the trial is the judge's sentence for Pink "to be exposed before your peers" whereupon he orders Pink to "Tear down the wall!"

As Waters sings the dialogue for each character he transitions into different accents including: upper-class British dialect (the prosecutor and judge), Scottish accent (the schoolmaster) and Northern English accent (Pink's mother). For the character of Pink's wife he used his normal voice on the album and the original 1980-81 tour. However, in his solo 2010-11 tour of The Wall he portrays the wife with a distinctively French accent.

This and the following song "Outside the Wall" are the only two songs on the album which the story is seen from an outsider's perspective, most notably through the four antagonists of "The Trial", even though it is all in Pink's mind.

This further emphasizes the fact that Pink is the true guilty one, leading to the Judge's response to the trial "...the way you made them suffer, your exquisite wife and mother..." and his sentencing "...since, my friend, you have revealed your deepest fear, I sentence you to be exposed before your peers..." The song ends with the sound of a wall being demolished amid chants of "Tear down the wall!", marking the destruction of Pink's metaphorical wall.

Film version

The segment in the film version is a full-length animated sequence of vivid color and unusual visuals. Political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe directed the design for the segment. The film segment relies not only on visuals, but also on the themes, music, and lyrics of the original song. The three principle antagonists have pronounced cartoon forms and are known individually by their role:

After a moment of silence, when the judge orders the wall to be torn down, and after a montage of clips from the movie shown before were played, the wall begins to fall apart.

The animated sequence was used in the 1980/81 concert versions of The Wall with Roger Waters singing the song in front of The Wall as "The Trial"'s animation played behind him on the wall. It was then used again in the 2010/2011 touring concert version.

Composition

The track is noted for its distinctive voice work by Roger Waters, as well as its grandiose musical style, which is more akin to a Broadway musical than a rock song; it is fully orchestrated, with no traditional rock elements until David Gilmour's guitar starts up at the verdict, to the main melody of "Hey You".

Musically, the structure of "The Trial" is similar to an earlier track on the album, "Run Like Hell", with the same basic chord sequence. However, there are various differences between the two songs, not the least of which being vastly different instrumentation. The bass alternates between the root (E) and fifth (B) of the E minor chord, and when the chord changes to F Major, the bass remains the same, resulting in a strong feeling of tension and dissonance, as the relationship between the F chord and the B note is a tritone, the most unstable interval in music.

In the last verse (The Judge's verdict), a distorted electric guitar enters, playing a leitmotif from the album, the melody from "Waiting for the Worms". Here, the theme is in the key of E minor (indeed, most expressions of this theme have been in E minor, rather than the D minor of "Another Brick in the Wall"), and as in an earlier song from the album, "Hey You", it alternates between E minor (with the notes E, F#, G, F#) and A minor (A, B, C, B). However, the overall tonality of the orchestration is really alternating between E minor and F major, in keeping with the introduction of the piece. This results in further tension, as the guitar, with its aggressive, distorted tone, is starting on the major third of the second chord, rather than the root as the listener would expect—and concluding on the tritone, B.

Concerts and versions

Personnel

In the Berlin 1990 performance, "The Trial" contained these cast members and their roles:[citation needed]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
  • ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
  • ^ According to Gerald ScarfeinBehind the Wall.[where?]
  • ^ Full Albums: Pink Floyd's The Wall Pt. 2, Cover Me Songs, 2010.
  • ^ a b c d e f Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, Comfortably Numb — A History of The Wall 1978–1981, 2006, p. 111.

  • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Trial_(song)&oldid=488711098"

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    This page was last edited on 22 April 2012, at 20:55 (UTC).

    This version of the page has been revised. Besides normal editing, the reason for revision may have been that this version contains factual inaccuracies, vandalism, or material not compatible with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.



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