Tommy
by Ken Russell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ann-Margret, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Oliver Reed, Roger DaltreyDirector: Ken Russell
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-09-28
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Tommy
Movie Review: Strange! (and watchable!)
Summary: 4 Stars
Hard to sum up or interpret the meaning of this film or the motivations of the story composer/writer Pete Townsend, but it's recommended for a look even if not a fan/familiar with the famed rock opera.
Another star would have been awarded had the movie not featured the unwatchable and less than listenable Oliver Reed in the role of Tommy's(Roger Daltrey)stepfather. Mother Ann-Margaret is a little easier on the ears and eyes and shines in a don't-miss scene with beans and soap suds that must have been conceived on strong hallucinogenics.Be warned however that with the exception of "Eyesight to the Blind" "Acid Queen" and maybe another, the majority of songs here are far inferior to the 1969 album versions.
Frankly the music is not as good as the album, even for the all-star cast of Tina Turner, eric Clapton and Elton somebody. First 15 minutes or so are weak and show-tuney, but starts to rock when Clapton appears. There's a message here but who knows what it really is. It's a tale that may be about false prophets, religion or self-awareness, but remains ambiguous enough to be a good topic of discussion. Visually imaginative sets and backgrounds make a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. Save your drug money and see this instead, kids. It is weird!!
Summary of Tommy
If you've ever wanted to hear Jack Nicholson sing (or try to) or marvel at the sight of Ann-Margret drunkenly cavorting in a cascade of baked beans, Tommy is the movie you've been waiting for. As it turns out, the Who's brilliant rock opera is sublimely matched to director Ken Russell's penchant for cinematic excess, and this 1975 production finds Russell at the peak of his filmmaking audacity. It's a fever-dream of musical bombast, custom-fit to the thematic ambition of Pete Townshend's epic rock drama, revolving around the titular "deaf, dumb, and blind kid" (played by Who vocalist Roger Daltrey) who survives the childhood trauma that stole his senses to become a Pinball Wizard messiah in Townshend's grandiose attack on the hypocrisy of organized religion.The story is remarkably coherent considering the hypnotic dream-state induced by Russell's visuals. Tommy's odyssey is rendered through wall-to-wall music, each song representing a pivotal chapter in Tommy's chronology, from the bloodstream shock of "The Acid Queen" (performed to the hilt by Tina Turner) to Nicholson's turn as a well-intentioned physician, Elton John's towering rendition of "Pinball Wizard," and Daltrey's epiphanous rendition of "I'm Free." Other performers include Eric Clapton and (most outrageously) the Who's drummer Keith Moon, and through it all Russell is almost religiously faithful to Townshend's artistic vision. Although it divided critics when first released, Tommy now looks likes a minor classic of gonzo cinema, worthy of the musical genius that fueled its creation. --Jeff Shannon
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