Roger DaltreyTommy [DVD]

This was purchased for my husband for Christmas.It was a trip down memory lane, as we both went to see this when it first came out. The music is classic and the theme of the story is one of mental trauma cause by witnessing murder and the consequences of this unholy action.A must for anyone who is A WHO fan, an Elton John Fan and a Tina Turner Fan who is amazing as The Acid Queen.

Great

Fabulous musical

I have been looking for this DVD for ages. I saw the movie when it was first launched, and -as almost any Ken Russell film- I was overwhelmed by the exuberance of colours, sounds, etc. Even after all these years, the rather simple story (young boy turns deaf, dumb and blind, but becomes a Messiah to all) impressed me and even though things might seem a bit old-fashioned after more than 35 years, I loved it. Great performances of classic actors like Ann Margaret and Oliver Reed, and good cameos (or even more) of many famous pop artists as Elton John, Tina Turner and -of course- all of the members of The Who.

Tommy remains an ageless psychedelic classic in the annals of rock opera.A sensational mind stretching combination of music by a great outfit at its stunning peak and an explosive visual experience keeps this release as fresh and attractive as it was in the 70 's where it was classified as groundbreaking and revolutionary. To a degree The Who had come to own "rock opera" and really applied meaning and definition to rock as an opera art form. Throw in Elton John who performs a great version of Pinball Wizard, a young and spicy Tina Turner and the beauitiful Anne Margaret swimming in baked beans and you have an offering which has never lost its appeal to the 70 's generation and must have subsequently recruited further ge\nerations of fans. Much is to be said for a group that was never intimidated by other big name stars and to all intents and purposes was quite happy to remain in the background of this production and yet never lost any profile or recognition as a result. But then the Who had achieved that sort of status in an era where great bands and song writers were just abour common place. This is a must for any rocker who is serious about his or her's collection.

The film version of "Tommy" is sheer audiovisual overload. It's probably impossible to sit all the way though this extravaganza without popping out the room to make a cuppa or putting the player on hold overnight It's probably unfashionable to admit to liking it, though calling it a Cult Classic goes someway to sparing one's blushes. But thanks to DVD, we can now treat Ken Russell's rendering of Pete Townsend's rock opera like a box of rich chocolates: dip into your favourite scenes, or digest the whole lot at one sitting. Everyone knows by now the rather slender storyline of how young Tommy becomes deaf, dumb and blind after witnessing his war-hero father (Robert Powell), supposedly long-lost, return, only to be killed by his wife's thuggish lover (the joys of having Oliver Reed to cast in those days). The mother (Ann-Margaret) and lover take Tommy around a bunch of "specialists" in the course of the film, looking for a cure, including visits to Tina Turner's Acid Queen, and Jack Nicholson's psychiatrist, but all to no avail. Tommy, played as an adult by the Who's singer Roger Daltrey, complete with famous bubble perm, goes onto become the Pinball Champion and a cult hero... and then on to become something much, much bigger.The Devil is in the details, and what riches this film has for a fan of the 1970s! The music of the original late 60s rock opera is here revisted as a highly synthesized score; very prog in places. Its actually at ite most dazzling in the Overture, where we see Captain Walker and his young bride rock-climbing in the Lake District. For a film in which a mirror plays a significant and symbolic role, "Tommy" stands as an especially rich mirror of 70s infamous rock excess. Who can forget Ann-Margaret getting half-drowned in a torrent of baked beans, champagne and chocolate spewed out by the TV set? (Famously, she insisted on wearing her own jewellery on the shoot and lost a diamond earring in the melee: stagehands had to sort through all the choccy-beans mess on set to find it). Who can forget a seriously high Eric Clapton almost literally sleepwalking though his role as a cult leader in a white church filled with Marilyn Monroes? He looked so soporiphic on film that they had to get Arthur Brown in as his priest-cum-court jester to prance about and liven up the screen. There's Ollie Reed's Teddy Boy lover, all sideburns and brothel creepers: no singing voice whatsoever, but always a joy to see that famous mug on film. There's the creepy seediness of the late, great Keith Moon's Uncle Ernie, a paedophile on Ollie's side of the family ("down with the bedsheets/up with the nightshirt/fiddle about"), cracking a raw egg into his beer and gulping it down. And it would be a sin not to mention Elton John as the Pinball Wizard in probably Tommy's most famous song, towering over everyone on his enormous sequinned bovver boots. By the end of the film, the attention wanders a bit, and it all gets a bit anti-climatic: the best set-pieces are over and done with. But "Tommy" stands as a pretty entertaining mix of 70s Glam style and features some of the decade's biggest stars, from both sides of the Atlantic. "Tommy" actually looks a bit tame compared to some of the things Ken Russell went on to do (I'm thinking of the impaled nuns in "Lair of the White Worm" now). Ken's glory days may be behind him, but he is great fun to listen to, as his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother proved, and his audio commentary on the DVD is well worth checking out.

Took me back. Good film.

great movie