Tommy [Remastered] - Who (The) > Reviews > What was that all about then

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Unmemorable
Value for Money

Advantages:	challenging to watch .  .  . great soundtrack .  . all star cast
Disadvantages:	bad vocals .  .  . baffling in places

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Since I've acquired a DVD player...I'd better acquire a few DVD's to go with it. Never seen much point in buying films to keep though,especially thrillers (once you know the end thats it to me). So what will it be...musicals...Ive got Grease and Quandrophenia on video already. I know! cult movies!

They are normally shown so late that i'm too tired or drunk to watch them (could be an advantage tho!) and are punctuated with loads of annoying adverts...so to me well worth investing in.

First stop H.M.V ...I was in luck they had a sale on...and one of the first dvds I set eyes upon was TOMMY the WHO's 1975 experimental rock opera and it was only £7.99!

THE CAST

TOMMY has an extremely impressive cast list, the Who, obviously, with Daltrey taking the leading role
Oliver Reed, Ann Margaret, Alison Dowling,Robert Powell, and cameos by Jack Nicholson, Eric Clapton,Elton John , Tina Turner and Paul Nicholas.

THE SOUNDTRACK

I have always been a fan of the WHO and I particularly love Quadrophenia and I found the soundtrack to be very similar indeed. The music, aside from the arias (it is an opera of course!) pinball wizard by Elton John and Acid queen-Tina Tuner is not very memorable...with the exception of Daltrey's haunting "see me, feel me".It is very atmospheric and suits the film perfectly.

THE PLOT

Like a lot of "cult movies"...the plot is challenging and needs to be watched more than once in order to fully understand what's going on. TOMMY is no exception. It begins in quite a straightforward manner a beautiful young couple (Powell,Margaret) man called up to do national service...reported missing. This incidentally was beautifully filmed and I found myself in tears before the movie actually got properly underway.

The young lady gives birth to a son(Tommy) and when he is about 5 years old meets a slimy looking man on holiday in an extremely cheesey holiday camp. He, Frank (Reed) promises to raise the child as his own, treat him well etc ( he largely ignores him)

Child one night is visited by his father (war scarred)...he gets out of his bed a follows him in to his mother's room where he witnesses Uncle Frank killing his father. His told by his mother and Frank that he did not SEE anything,HEAR anything and he must not SAY anything. From this moment in the film the child transforms into the Deaf,dumb and blind kid that we've all heard of.

The remainder of the film shows his mother and Frank desperately trying to find a cure for his predicament. Trying out the most bizarre treatments...a faith healer which was a giant effigy of Marilyn Monroe and The Acid Queen (Tina Turner) I can't even begin to understand what that was all about!!!!!!!!! (he was locked in a giant silver contrption and was given what looked like a blood transfusion!).

If you look at the story objectively it is TRAGIC! We see Tommy teased and taunted, sexually abused, beaten. He becomes unbeatable at pinball of all things and after spending some time alone with his mother becomes free from his self imposed prison. He becomes "the new messiah" and receives a cult following. Eventually his followers turn on him with disastrous consequences...NOT a happy ending!!!

A "feelgood" movie this is NOT!!!!!!!!!!

Having said that I would highly recommend it. It is challenging to watch..partly because of the issues involved and partly because it is soooo bizarre in places. There is a scene in which the young Tommy is spinning around on a deserted beach with a black box on his head. I have heard that interpreted as him trying to empaphise with his natural father spinning to his death in his doomed RAF plane.....or did his father actually die...did Tommy really see him....interpret this film as you wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a opera so the dialogue is completely sung....rather badly i must say...(watch out for Ollie Reed and Keith Moon)!!!!

There is a lot of symbolism going on ie the bombs and the bullets and the pinballs....I shall certainly be watching it again soon to see what else i've missed or mis-interpreted!

Ann Margaret's silver crochet catsuit is well worth a look in if nothing else..I want one!!!!!

As I said before the films also worth watching for its haunting soundtrack and visual effects alone...its a good 'un.