tommy

Director: ken russell

Actor: roger daltrey,ann-margret,oliver reed,elton john

Data Published: Wed Mar 26 1975

Genres: Drama,Musical

Key Words: pinball,holiday camp,murder,jukebox musical,the who

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073812/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_(1975_film)

Description: Tommy is a movie starring Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, and Oliver Reed. A psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and, subsequently, the figurehead of a cult.

Plot: In the prologue, set in 1945, a montage displays the honeymoon of Captain Walker (Robert Powell) and his wife, Nora (Ann-Margret). After his leave ends, Walker goes off to fight in World War II as a bomber pilot, but is shot down in the middle of a battle. "Captain Walker" is listed as missing in action and is presumed dead, although—unknown to his family—the badly burnt Walker is in fact alive. Back in England, Nora goes into labour and gives birth to a son, Tommy, on V-E Day. Five years later, Nora has begun a new relationship with Frank (Oliver Reed), a worker she and Tommy meet at Bernie's Holiday Camp. Tommy looks up to his "Uncle" Frank and expresses his desires to run his own camp some day. In the 1950s, Nora and Frank dream of their future, but, late that evening, encounter the returning Captain Walker. He surprises Frank and Nora in bed, leading to a struggle in which Frank kills the Captain by striking him with a lamp. Tommy, having followed his father into the room, has witnessed everything. Nora and Frank nervously yell at Tommy, which, along with the trauma of watching his father's murder, puts Tommy into a psychedelia-like "Amazing Journey", in which, outwardly, he cannot seem to see, hear or speak. As time passes, Nora and Frank make several fruitless attempts to bring the now older Tommy (Roger Daltrey) out of his state. This involves a Preacher (Eric Clapton) and his Marilyn Monroe-worshipping cult ("Eyesight to the Blind") and an insane, LSD-serving cocotte ("Acid Queen") (Tina Turner), while also leaving him to be tormented by babysitters such as the bullying "Cousin Kevin" (Paul Nicholas), and perverted "Uncle" Ernie (Keith Moon) ("Fiddle About"). Nora and Frank begin to become more and more lethargic at the lack of effect and leave Tommy standing at the mirror one night, allowing him to wander off. He follows a vision of himself out of the house and to a junkyard pinball machine. Tommy is recognised by Nora, Frank, and the media as a pinball prodigy, which is made even more impressive with his catatonic state. During a championship game, Tommy faces the "Pinball Wizard" (Elton John) with the Who as the champion's backing band. Nora watches her son's televised victory and celebrates his (and her) success ("Champagne"), but soon has a nervous breakdown upon thinking about the real extremes of Tommy's condition. Later, Frank finds a Specialist (Jack Nicholson) for Tommy. The Specialist, upon testing the boy, concludes that his state is emotional, rather than physically triggered and the only hope is for him to continue to "Go to the Mirror". During the tests, Nora and the Specialist flirt, much to Frank's jealousy. Nora's growing frustration prompts her to "Smash the Mirror" by throwing Tommy through it, causing him to snap to full consciousness ("I'm Free"). Nora finds Tommy and explains what has happened during the time he has missed, while Tommy reveals that his experiences have transformed him and that he wishes to transform the world ("Mother and Son"). Tommy, a self-proclaimed "Sensation", goes on lecture tours which resemble glam rock/gospel shows and spreads a message of enlightenment by hang glider, gaining friends and followers everywhere he goes ("Sally Simpson"). Tommy and a more enlightened and elated Nora and Frank "Welcome" converts to their house, which quickly becomes too crowded to accommodate everyone. Tommy opens an extension for his religious campus ("Tommy's Holiday Camp"). The converts, confused about Tommy's odd practices and others' commercial exploitation of the compound, wrathfully demand Tommy teach them something useful. Tommy does so, deliberately deafening, muting, and blinding everyone, only to inadvertently invoke a riot. The followers kill Nora and Frank in the riot and destroy the camp in a fire ("We're Not Gonna Take It"). Tommy finds his parents in the debris and mourns before escaping into the mountains from the beginning of the film. He ascends the same peak where his parents celebrated their honeymoon, celebrating the rising sun ("Listening to You").[8]