Tommy [WS/P&S]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Tommy (Roger Daltrey) is a "deaf, dumb and blind kid" who retreats into himself after the death of his father. His mother, Nora (Ann-Margret), and stepfather Frank (Oliver Reed) take him to see a specialist (Jack Nicholson) but Tommy is apparently a hopeless case. That is, until Tommy discovers that "he sure plays a mean pinball." Tommy gains fame when he defeats the Pinball Wizard (Elton John) for the world championship. As a result, Tommy becomes such a celebrity that he even founds his own religious cult. But his fans begin to commercialize his fame, while Tommy wants to stick to the straight and narrow. When Tommy wants to end the commercialization of his message, his supporters accuse him of being hypocritical and turn on him. Ann-Margret, with a slinky red dress slit way up the side, was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, losing out to Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen), 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.0, Dolby Digital Surround
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV, Pan and Scan
• Subtitle: Spanish, French, English
• Features:
  • • Interactive menus
    • Original Quintaphonic mix
    • Audio: English 5.0 [Dolby Digital] and two-channel [Dolby Surround]
    • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
    • Talent files
    • Audio restoration essay
    • Scene selections
    • Full-screen and widescreen formats

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Actress - 1975 (Ann-Margret)
•     Nominated Best Adapted or Original Song Score - 1975 (Pete Townshend)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1975 (Ann-Margret)
•     Nominated Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1975
•     Nominated New Star of the Year - Male - 1975 (Roger Daltrey)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Ken Russell

• Producer:

  Ken Russell, Robert Stigwood

• Screenwriter:

  John Entwistle, Ken Russell

• Cinematographer:

  Dick Bush, Ronnie Taylor

• Composer (Music Score):

  Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Pete Townshend

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Pete Townshend

• Composer (Music Score):

  Keith Moon

• Editor:

  Stuart Baird

• Art Director:

  John Clark

• Associate Producer:

  Harry Benn

• Executive Producer:

  Beryl Vertue, Christopher Stamp

• Set Designer:

  Paul Dufficey, Ian Whittaker

• Costume Designer:

  Shirley Russell

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Bill Rowe, Iain Bruce

• Makeup:

  George Blackler, Peter Robb-King

• First Assistant Director:

  Jonathan Benson

• Choreography:

  Gillian Gregory

• Production Manager:

  John Comfort

REVIEW:

• The Who's Tommy was the first rock opera. When it came time to adapt the material for the silver screen, director Ken Russell, with his penchant for irreverent interpretations of classical musicians' lives and works, seemed like a natural fit. Russell certainly shapes the material to fit his particular vision; one is hard-pressed to think of any other filmmaker who would have Ann-Margret roll around in baked beans. Elton John, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson all show up to sing a song, but mostly so that the audience will say, "look, there's more famous people," than to add anything musically or cinematically (only Tina Turner's rendition of "The Acid Queen" improves on, or even equals, the original performances). The album is, despite its length, compact and powerful, while the movie is visually, emotionally, and musically gaudy. Russell's visuals make it continuously watchable, but the film version of Tommy sacrifices the fragile emotional core of Pete Townshend's work for grandiose spectacle. Townshend is more rock, and Russell is more opera. The film adaptation of Quadrophenia would eventually capture Townshend's vision more clearly, but less spectacularly. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi