Exploring Film Technique pt 2

The clip from The Wall that I found most intriguing was the scene in which the oppressive nature of the British school system is explored. The vocalist along with school children belt out the words “we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control.” These words of protest are heard while the viewer sees the children marching into a machine which transforms them into faceless dummies. The face is the most unique physical element of a human, so when the children go through this machine, they are essentially losing what makes them unique. This transformation is meant to be a metaphor for the oppression that the children are forced to experience. Rather than encouraging creativity and individuality, the teacher in the film seeks to produce a class of homogenous individuals. The way in which the school system restrict its students is particularly damaging to the film’s main character, Pink. It results in “another brick in the wall” being added to the emotional wall that he has build to separate himself from having meaningful relationships with others. He is mocked by his teacher when he tries to express himself creatively by writing poems in class, so he imagines himself and his classmates rebelling against the abuse they are forced to face day after day. This furthers the theme of oppression which this iconic scene is meant to illustrate.