Original subtitles

These corridors were built really,

basically, for rich Romans to go to the best seats, the nearest to the arena.

That's why they were built in the first place.

But since the Vesuvius explosion,

they've been closed for 2000 years nearly.

I mean, I never had any idea

when I was setting this up that you would be back at the same time.

-It was coincidence. -Oh, this is coincidence?

-This is pure coincidence. -Yes.

So, this I think is really good.

- This is Echoes Part 2, of course. - Yep.

And that's Mount Vesuvius there, isn't it?

- Do you remember that? - Yeah.

- It was very cold and very windy. - Oh, that's a very good shot.

Because people still come to Pompeii and they say,

"Can we see the amphitheater where the Pink Floyd played?"

They don't want to see all the immortal treasures, you know.

Because, in fact, Steven, and I think David,

they said to me, "Well, maybe we might consider doing something

if you can find a good venue."

So you went to them to say "I would like to film

the musicians in a place..."

No, no. I said I wanted to combine their music with art Contemporary art,

like Krzysztof, Tinguely and Magritte, and so on and so forth,

and they didn't like that idea at all.

So then I came back saying,

"Well maybe, couldn't we do something in the amphitheater?"

And now you've set him on a course of amphitheaters.

-Yes. -And so now... Yes, yes. Wow.

Can't keep him out of an amphitheater now.

Good idea.

Well, it's a beautiful place. I mean, it's...

- You know, there's ghosts in here. - Exactly.

So the children, I read something saying that

some little children, kind of, did come and they were

allowed to sort of quietly watch.

Have any of those children ever sort of...

Well, one of them Isn't one of them the Mayor or one of those people?

- No, no. - One of them is... someone then.

There was the guy who brought you to the Mayor,

his name is Matteo Apuzzo, he was an old regazzi degli scavi.

- Oh, was he one of the children? - Yeah, yeah.

How funny.

I said, "Oh, my gosh. Inside the amphitheater there are Pink Floyd. I can't believe it. I can't believe it."

In 1971, I was fourteen or fifteen.

As young boys we go inside the ruins without paying,

at that time it was possible.

And so for three, four days, we were here to listen to the concert.

What remained is the fascination of music in a lonely place.

So, the history of Pompeii is strictly together the story of Pink Floyd.

In '71, really that music was something...

extra-terrestrial for all.

[Matteo] So, I said to the Mayor,

"David Gilmour is coming on seventh and eighth July.

We have to give him the honorary citizen."

He said, "Oh, my gosh, yes. Pompeii wants to make him honorary citizen."

-[Mayor] Prego. -Thank you very much.

-Thank you. Grazie. -Grazie Mille.

I'm honoured.

Welcome, welcome.

Welcome home. Welcome home.

Thank you very much.

[Matteo] This is your city.

[David] Thank you. It's lovely to be back here.

[Mary] What you tell kids when they come here is,

"Where do you think they went for a pee?"

-There are no facilities in this place. -There still isn't.

- They still haven't got any - They have to fight for the loos.

They wouldn't allow me to have a loo backstage here.

So, if in the middle of it I need to dash off...

-You think -Nothing changes.

Nobody knows quite how many people have been here because it depends how squashed they were.

But 12,000, 15,000, something twenty?

Twenty thousand people and no lavatories.

And what would the performances have I mean, they would have been...

From what, to what?

Well, I think it would have been quite crude.

We don't imagine guitars or lions, you know.

We think of it as being lions and tigers and hippopotamuses and...

Do you think it was just bare-knuckle fighting?

I think it was sheep. I always say, you know, probably...

Wild beasts, well, yeah.

You went out in the hills and you got a few sheep,

a few wild boar, and you had some guys with nets and spears

and you imagined what you were seeing.

Our hunch is... that they didn't die as much as you'd like.

Well, as much as you'd hate to think they did.

Like hate to think that... Only because they are terribly expensive commodities.

If you are the gladiatorial, kind of impresario,

you don't want to lose all of your property

-in a couple of fights. -Your stars.

Your stars.

Look, the big question really is

was it like boxing or was it like wrestling?

Yeah, yeah.

And we like to think of it like boxing...

Yeah.

...but the chances are, it was a bit more like wrestling.

Though, one of the things that's absolutely clear

is A, they became sort of, a bit heart-throbby.

So that, although gladiators were the lowest of the low in Roman terms.

You know, don't let your daughter marry a gladiator.

-Awful. -There's no future in it.

Absolutely no future.

They had a kind of, sort of, sexy, heart-throbby image.

And Roman writers go on about how elderly middle-class ladies...

-Rough boys. -...go for the rough trade.

[Matteo] Ruins are ruins, but...

from 1971, ruins are something more.

For Pink Floyd fans, it's like a church.

They go inside with a guitar, put the guitar on the ground

in the exact place where was David Gilmour playing the guitar,

and make like this...

It's unbelievable.

It's unbelievable.