from 'A Visual Documentary'
AUGUST 1986
The Cure play a string of festivals in Spain and France. The last, on August 9, at the Roman Amphitheatre in Provence, is filmed in it's entirety by Tim Pope, the first rock concert at the venue since Dire Straits two years previous.
"We wanted to film it ... because every concert we do now reaches a point that has seemed unattainable in the past and I wanted it captured for ever, before we move on or give up. I don't think it's a risk working with Pap because he isn't really a director. We could have got in some proper director to make a film of any old concert but he wouldn't know what the band was about and I want this to be a Cure film about The Cure." ...
Tim Pope: "This one's absolute psychedelic madness." To heighten the obvious comparsions with Pink Floyd's Live At Pompeii, the band play 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun' at soundcheck. And, reports Melody Maker, they play it perfectly.
"The risks, of course, are many. Because of the limited budget, all the live filming had to be done on Saturday, at the concert, with close-ups following during Sunday's mock up. Rain on one or both days would have scuppered the whole thing - £150,000 literally down the rain because they couldn't comprehend their cheapest insurance quote: £50,000. I didn't rain until Monday."
