A psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and, subsequently, the object of a religious cult.
Director: Ken Russell
Stars: Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Tina Turner, Elton John, Jack Nicholson.
Gillian Gregory ... choreographer
Director: Ken Russell
Stars: Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Tina Turner, Elton John, Jack Nicholson.
Gillian Gregory ... choreographer
Watched out of sequence because it is British, not American, but mentioned on the JC Superstar c.track, so gave it a shot.
~32 songs in the Soundtracks.
An ugly little tale where ~4 yo Tommy witnesses his stepfather kill his real father, who was reported killed (or was it missing?) in action in the WW2, and breaks into his home. But the parents yell at Tommy that he didn't hear or see anything, and so he can't say anything (but you have the intruder defense?), so he goes deaf, dumb and blind.
When he's a young adult, he undergoes various shock and drug therapies. No luck, but he becomes a pinball wizard, and earns lots of $$. Then, at last, something works (I didn't catch what). And he becomes a guru, opening a drop-out holiday resort for $$, which was his stepdad's dream. I think we end on that going well.
The music is catchy. I remember some of the songs well, even though I never owned a copy. Everything is sung (Rock Opera). Now that I've seen the film, I wouldn't want to hear the music since it might remind me of these images.
Tina Turner's segment was brief and brutal; she's the drug therapist (Acid Queen), whose treatment has no effect. Some other treatments are even worse.
Not sure why AM has such a messy hallucination when Tommy becomes famous. She throws a champagne bottle through the TV (remember cathode ray tubes?) and all sorts of liquids pour into the room. But when OR arrives, she's just writhing on the floor with her fur coat. That's some potent champagne she was guzzlin'.
Please avoid watching this again.
distr. Columbia, dir. Russell; 5
