Now, it's a relatively well know fact that if you play "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd while watching Wizard of Oz, it all synchs up well and makes sense. Or something. Anyway, I've wondered how well it would work for The Wall with Eva, specifically Death. They both look at similar subjects, i.e. alienation, longing for emotional contact, etc etc. So I thought I'd try it.
A few notes before we begin:
- I was using "Every Brick In The Wall", the revised-and-extended version of The Wall for the music, since it is far superior to the original. It also includes some of the songs from the movie that were left out from the album, one of which, "When The Tigers Broke Free", is quite important, as we will see.
- Due to a, ah, oversight on my part, I was forced to skip the tracks between "Hey You" and "Waiting for the Worms" due to a lack of time. I had been planning on skipping "The Trial" anyway, since Shinji never really undergoes anything that could be considered analogous to it, at least not until EoE.
- There was something else I was going to write here, but I totally can't remember what.
Anyway. Onto my observations!
Firstly, we open with the Katsuragi's expedition to Antarctica with "When The Tigers Broke Free (Part 1)" playing over the top. This is an obvious parallel; the events that happened and their effect on Misato are analogous to how Pink's father dieing at Anzio affected him.
Then, as Second Impact occurs, there's the silence at the end of "Tigers". It continues until Adam starts to spread his wings, and then the explosive guitar of "In The Flesh" kicks in. The rapid shots that follow all seem to be deliberately choreographed to the songs guitar, it's quite disturbing.
We see Asuka running towards her house, shouting to her mother that she's been chosen as a pilot as the lyrics begin;
So ya
Thought ya
Might like to go to the show.
To feel the warm thrill of confusion
That space cadet glow.
We see the hung bodies of Asuka's mother and her doll:
Tell me is something eluding you, sunshine?
Is this not what you expected to see?
Close-up of the young Asuka's face, fading into the 14-year olds during a synch test
If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes
You'll just have to claw your way through this disguise.
It is incredibly trippy, this coincidence. Those lyrics sum up Asuka's character incredibly well.
The first "rehearsal" segment, of Shinji sitting alone is to the quite lyrics of "The Thin Ice". When the credits begin it's with a few seconds of the guitar instrumental, with the credits jumping almost in time with the guitar.
The fight against Sachiel is quite disconcerting, "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1" is playing during it, which is quite a chilled out track. It goes on up to the bit with teenage mute-Misato in her cell. Interesting, since both the fight with Sachiel and Misato's experience at Antarctica are both "bricks" in their respective walls.
There is a very curious parallel during "When The Tigers Broke Free (part 2)". In the film of "The Wall", during this scene Pink finds his (dead) fathers old army revolver and uniform and dress himself in it; by contrast during this song Shinji is practising in the Eva simulator.
The next two songs, "Happiest Days of our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" have very few connections to the events on screen. This is not overly surprising, since they deal with the trauma Pink received during his school days, which never seemed to be an issue with the Eva cast.
"Mother" begins just as Asuka is introduced. OEDIPUS COMPLEX FTW
The line "Mother, should I build the Wall?" occurs as we see Asuka lying in the bathtub of her own blood from #22. Poignant, since by this point Asuka has pretty much retreated totally behind her own Wall, and won't come out until #25'.
The long, extremely good guitar solo in Mother starts almost synchronized with the montage of Asuka's fights. This is very interesting, since the guitar is supposed to represent one of Pinks violent "turns".
Right at the end of Mother is the scene with Rei and Asuka in the elevator; for a few minutes they don't talk, and Asuka sneezes. This is exactly timed with the "high" of "Mother did it need to be so.....high." Funny as hell.
Goodbye, Blue Sky is linked with Rei's section, and again is eerily synchronised with the visuals. Of note is "Did-did-did you see the frightened ones?" as Shinji is staring at Rei during the beginning of their rehearsal.
The next song, Empty Spaces- What Shall We Do Now? does mesh very well. The music synchs well enough, but the lyrics and the meaning of the song has very little bearing on the events happening. This isn't too surprising since Eva disregards the social and lifestyle problems which this song deals with.
The next two songs, "Young Lust" and "One of my turns" are much the same. Of note however, is the lyric "This is just a passing phase; one of my bad days." which occurs at about the same time as Gendo's line "Memories are enough, for now.". Seemed interesting.
Don't Leave Me Now is synched with Naoko talking to (and killing) Rei-I after listening to what Gendizzle's been saying about her.
The Last Few Bricks begins as Ritsuko destroys the Rei-tachi from #23, with Shinji watching, which is another interesting parallel.
Another Brick In The Wall (part 3) begins exactly as Kaoru enters the rehearsal. Ominous!
The long instrumental in ABITW3 is played as Bardiel bitch-slaps Shogouki as Shinji refuses to fight; as the control is switched over to the Dummy system Goodbye Cruel World plays. Significant, since Sho being used to kill Bardiel was a very important event in Shinji's downward spiral.
Goodbye Cruel World cuts off suddenly, representative of the last gap in the Wall being filled, thus cutting off all sound. This occurs exactly as Sho crushes Sangouki's entry plug.
Hey You is next, with the profile of Kaji. This is, in some ways, the most interesting part. It highlights an aspect of Kaji that never really came across to me before. He is, in essence, just as fucked up and desperate as most of the rest of the cast of Eva; he merely hides it better and deal with it better.
There are also some more interesting concurrences with the lyrics:
But it was only fantasy (- Kaji staring at his murderer)
The Wall was too high, as you can see
No matter how he tried, he could not break free (-Shinji from the beginning of #24, staring out to the see
A very desperate "HEY YOU!" is screamed as Shinji first meets Kaoru. This really highlights how very messed up Shinji was by this point.
It was just as Kaoru hijacks Nigouki that I had to skip to Waiting for the Worms, at the end of Hey You.
The first part, with Shinji/Pink "sitting in a bunker, here behind my walls" is a very obvious connection, but the second half, the "rally" does not really link. Shinji never really reaches that level of delirium until the "Come, Sweet Death" scene in EoE.
Just as Sho has Kaoru in his grip, with him begging to be killed, the famous minute-long scene of Sho holding him in his hand, perfectly still follows. This is accompanied by STOP.
Stop
I wanna go home
Take off this uniform
And leave the show
And I'm waiting here in this cell
Because I have to know
Have I been guilty all this time
I don't think comment is needed here.
Then the credits role, over the sunset at the beach where Shinji and Kaoru met, with Outside the Wall playing;
All alone, or in two's,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall.
I don't believe there could possibly be a more fitting ending.
EDIT: Out, damn typo-demons! I BANISH THEE!
