In October, we told you about the screening of Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii in Montreal, in its newly restored version, along with the bonus of the world premiere of some newly discovered additional interview footage with the band, presented as the 60 minute "Le festin des huîtres" (Chit Chat with
Oysters).
"Chit Chat with Oysters is the opposite of Live at Pompeii," summarised director Adrian Maben to the La Presse newspaper. "I shot these pictures with a camera light, just as if it is a family film. We see how the group worked. There are a lot of great, and trivial, conversations. On
food. About friendship. On how to avoid conflict in a group. We find a group with a lot of humour. This is the hidden face of Pink Floyd."
On the official website, Adrian talks about the new footage: "In December 1971, Pink Floyd met at the small Europa Sonore studio in Paris
to work on the multi track mix of “Live in Pompeii” previously recorded by Charles B. Raucher. Sound effects were added to the original tapes.
David Gilmour and Richard Wright overdubbed their voices for Echoes, part I and II. Roger Waters and Nick Mason remained in the control room.
In the middle of the day, the roadie Chris Adamson was sent to buy a few dozen oysters and beers at the nearby Brasserie Lorraine. During an
improvised lunch the four members of the band answered questions about their music and the schemes they had devised to avoid infighting. They
poked fun at the director and at themselves. Their hilarious, off-the-cuff, chit chat was unique because in those days the Floyd
rarely talked about themselves to the media. This 16mm black and white film is an authentic portrait of the group as they were a few months
before the release of the first version of Live at Pompeii. It’s a miracle that the recently rediscovered rushes are still undamaged. They
have never been seen before with the exception of a ten minute sequence previously used for The Director’s Cut. The images were restored and
edited with the help and support of the Cinémathèque française."
If you are in or near Paris, France, this weekend, there's a special opportunity to see Chit Chat with Oysters tomorrow. You need to head for the Cinémathèque française on Sunday (December 8th) for the screening at 7pm. Adrian himself will be presenting the footage, and more details of the event, the venue, and ticket purchasing can be found at www.cinematheque.fr.
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