Watch Tommy For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The combination of The Who's concept rock/opera album Tommy and director Ken Russell in his pomp led to this visual, surreal, hallucinogenic and flawed musical film. There is no dialogue, just songs and music. It is also disturbing especially when Cousin Kevin and Uncle Ernie turn up.The film begins with Robert Powell as Captain Walker and Ann Margaret as Nora, a young couple in love. Powell goes off to fight in the war and his RAF plane crashes and he is missing presumed dead.Tommy was born on VE day and only knows his father through his photograph. Some years later his mother meets Uncle Frank (Oliver Reed) an entertainer in a holiday camp. He seems well intentioned but rather a murky character.One night Powell returns home and catches Margaret and Reed in bed together and after a scuffle, Reed kills Powell an act witnessed by young Tommy who ends up in a near catatonic state as with the cajoling of Margaret and Reed he loses his ability to see, hear and speak.The adult Tommy (Roger Daltrey) grows up deaf, dumb and blind but somehow manages to play a mean game of pinball. Margaret and Reed bring on all sort of quacks to cure Tommy be it religious, medical or charlatans. Leading to cameo appearances by Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson.As Tommy excels at pinball we have that famous duel with Elton John as the Pinball Wizard.However Tommy regains his senses miraculously and he becomes quite a cult that brings him and his family fame and fortune. However it is at this point the film loses its lustre and the music and visuals just seem to lose its impact.The film has a religious subtext, almost messianic as Tommy is reborn and gains a devoted following. It also has an underlying sexual and child abuse elements as well.The bold film is a British classic of 1970s experimental cinema thanks largely to Ken Russell at times unrestrained direction but he is in his element in marrying the music, songs and visuals.Ann Margaret probably did not realise what she was letting herself into when she agreed to this film. However she throws herself at with whatever Russell throws at her including being covered in baked beans and chocolate goo. She bagged herself an Oscar nomination for best actress and she also looks beautiful.The film starts at rather conventionally at first but quickly becomes an assault on the senses as Tina Turner struts her stuff as the Acid Queen and we have all sorts of striking imagery. Some other darker thoughts enter your mind when Paul Nicholas and Keith Moon start singing.Once Tommy can see, hear and speak the film loses its purpose and becomes less interesting. It is only now you think the film is self indulgent and over-long. There is a great sunrise shot at the end but gosh, how did Daltrey manage to climb that mountain with his bare feet?

TOMMY, a film version of The Who's rock opera musical, is an exercise in everything 1970s: horrid fashions, glam rock, complete excess in terms of story, filming style, and the like. But then you'd expect nothing else from infant terrible director Ken Russell (THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM), a guy who could film an old man walking down the street and turn it into something campy and unrealistic. Still, Russell's out-there style, complete with zooms and dizzy editing, is part of the charm, I reckon.The story is a series of set pieces about the rise of a pinball wizard, played by an enjoyable Roger Daltrey, and the religious cult that forms around him. In reality, though, it's a series of vibrant songs, each seeking to eclipse the former, delivering excess after excess. The list of cameos from musicians and stars is endless: Jack Nicholson, Eric Clapton, and Tina Turner are just a few of the appearances here, although my favourite is Elton John with those crazy trousers and boots. The music's pretty good and I did enjoy the visuals, which are as colourful and over the top as some gaudy Christmas decorations. See it to believe it!

Absolutely dreadful film and will always wonder why the Motion Picture Academy gave Ann-Margret a best actress nomination for it. She is rarely seen in the film as her son approaches adulthood.While it is certainly true that the music is supposed to carry the plot, this was way overdone here. You needed some regular interaction of talking among the characters.Since when is Marilyn Monroe a person to be worshiped? This was absolutely ridiculous but that's true regarding the rest of this awful film.Tommy lapses into this state after seeing his father killed, but wasn't dad killed during the war?Tommy, as an adult, resembled Tiny Tim.

It is not easy to adequately review this film properly. I am doing a series of presentations to the Society on Ken Russell and while I have the original sound track of Tommy on vinyl I had not seen the movie since its release. With some difficulty I sourced a DVD and watched it the other night and subsequently. This is my fifth attempt at writing a review that I am satisfied with.This could be an offensive movie to many despite the stellar cast and music. It really is quite deranged in parts and simply would not be made today in this form. Cousin Kevin, Uncle Ernie, the Acid Queen, and the Eric Clapton scene (Eyesight to the Blind, in which he reprises the Clapton is God theme from the 60s) are surely calculated to upset everyone, or challenge traditional viewpoints such as Catholicism, false rituals, cults etc. and that clearly is what KR intended doing, and he does it brilliantly. We even get a good measure of paedophilia, sadistic abuse and drug use thrown in as well.In the end I suppose it is also about redemption and the triumph of good over evil which is a marked counterpoint to KRs 'The Devils'. Is it just my opinion or is the close out shot a depiction of Christ on the Cross offering redemption and salvation to all, not just Tommy himself? This is an incredible juxtaposition to Clapton's 'God' scene earlier in the movie. Are also the lyrics to 'Listening to You' not a strong association between Tommy and Christ? I think they are. Listen closely or source the lyrics.This is a movie that deserves and needs serious reflection because it challenges convention, and if you don't like the music, don't go there. It is for me utterly audacious and original but I also appreciate it will be disturbing to many. Appreciate it or hate it for its originality but if it is viewed with an open mind the incredibly positive ending is a tonic for the soul.And of course, the music cannot be faulted. Did Elton John ever exceed his Pinball Wizard role? I think not. I also think Roger Daltrey (Tommy) singing 'I am Free' and "Listening to You' are incredibly uplifting and spiritual. And are Ann-Margaret and Roger Daltrey not the most beautiful creatures on the planet? The 'Healed' scene in the ocean is just gorgeous, as is the strong message about materialism. If Tommy is Christ reborn, is Nora his mother Mary? You can go on and on analysing this movie but the easiest thing is to just go along for the ride.