Tommy (1975)

A psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and, subsequently, the object of a religious cult.

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

The Who (by) (as 'The Who'), Ken Russell (screenplay)

Stars:

Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Oliver Reed	...	Frank
Ann-Margret	...	Nora
Roger Daltrey	...	Tommy
Elton John	...	The Pinball Wizard
Eric Clapton	...	The Preacher
John Entwistle	...	Himself
Keith Moon	...	Uncle Ernie
Paul Nicholas	...	Cousin Kevin
Jack Nicholson	...	The Specialist
Robert Powell	...	Captain Walker
Pete Townshend	...	Himself
Tina Turner	...	The Acid Queen
Arthur Brown	...	The Priest
Victoria Russell	...	Sally Simpson
Ben Aris	...	Reverend Simpson

Storyline

Nora Walker is told that her British fighter pilot husband is missing in action and presumed killed in World War II. On V.E. Day, Nora gives birth to their son, who she names Tommy. While Tommy is an adolescent, Nora marries Frank, a shifty camp counselor. Shortly thereafter, Tommy suffers an emotionally traumatic experience associated with his father and step-father, which, based on things told to him at that time, results in him becoming deaf, dumb and blind, a situation which several people exploit for their own pleasure. As Nora tries several things to bring Tommy out of his psychosomatic disabilities, Tommy, now a young man, happens upon pinball as a stimulus. Playing by intuition, Tommy becomes a pinball master, which in turn makes him, and by association Nora and Frank, rich and famous. Nora literally shatters Tommy to his awakening, which ultimately leads to both the family's rise and downfall as people initially try to emulate Tommy's path then rebel against it.

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Plot Keywords:

pinball | holiday camp | murder | jukebox musical | the who | 

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Taglines:

Your senses will never be the same

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Genres:

Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1975 (UK)

Also Known As:

Tommy: The Movie

Filming Locations:

Lee International Studios, Kensal Road, Kensal Town, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$34,251,525

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Stigwood Organisation Ltd., Hemdale

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Quintaphonic (5 channel Stereo) (as Quintophonic Sound®) Dolby (as Dolby System Noise Reduction - High Fidelity Optical Sound Track)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pinball machine played by Tommy (Roger Daltrey) is Gottlieb's "Kings & Queens".

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Goofs

(at around 37 mins) The American flag on display during the victory celebration seems not to be the "6x8=48-star" flag appropriate for the time period circa 1945.

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Quotes

Nora Walker Hobbs: Got a feeling '51 is gonna be a good year, especially if we see it out together.
Frank Hobbs: So you think '51 is gonna be a good year? We'll marry now and see it out together.
Nora Walker Hobbs: I have no reason to be over optimistic, but somehow when you smile I can brave bad weat

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Alternate Versions

In the UK PAL version DVD, between the "Uncle Ernie scene" and the scene that Frank Hobbs walks up the blue lit staircase, there is a scene showing Nora and Frank coming through the front door of their flat and ponder for a moment where the strange noises are coming from. Proceeding this, Frank walks to the staircase and heads upstairs.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Teenagers from Outer Space (1992)

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Soundtracks

Amazing Journey
(uncredited)
Written by Pete Townshend
Performed by Tony Newman, Nicky Hopkins, Alan Ross, Phil Chen,
Pete Townshend

User Reviews

A crazy but wonderful interpretation of a legend's music

I first came across Tommy when I saw the West End theatre production about 10 years ago, and I instantly fell in love with the music and the plot. However, at the time I was only 11 years old and couldn't really appreciate the many levels to Tommy. I did watch the film pretty soon after but was constantly comparing it to the show and to me it didn't even come close.

Now I'm a little older (and hopefully wiser), I have watched the film a lot in the past couple of years and all I can say is WOW! The music is fantastic, Pete Townshend is a genius, and the way he uses it to tell the story is awesome. When you listen to the original Who album a lot is left open to the imagination as regards plot, and I think its important to realise that Ken Russell's film version is merely one interpretation of the story told by the music.

Having not seen any of Russell's other work, it's impossible for me to say that this is typical of him. However, what I will say is that the imagery he uses in the film really does spark a lot of interest, for example the hypocrisy of organised religion and icon worship (particularly when Tommy causes Marlyin Monroe to crash to the floor after the rest of the church have been "brainwashed" by the priests).

A lot of people criticise the film for its cast, particularly Oliver Reed and Jack Nicholsons' debatable singing abilities. However I feel that this only adds to the sleaziness of their characters, especially Reed's - I think if he was note perfect it would be out of character. I think Ann Margret is fantastic as Nora - it's obvious that as Tommy's mother she feels torn between the love for her son and the love for fame and money, and she portrays that really well. As for Roger Daltrey, what a voice and what a body!!

I think it's important not to take the film too seriously though, like I said it's just one interpretation. I feel that "Tommy" as a whole - the music, words, story etc can only be fully appreciated if you listen to and watch as many versions as you can in order to make your own opinion of it.