I think it would be a great idea to have a Tommy themed costume party!! I, of course, would be the one covered in beans over by the hors d’œuvres table!!
What a post! I went to Leicester Square in 1975 to experience Tommy in what was called ‘quintaphonic sound’. The film was an almost overwhelming experience and - well - brilliant. Yes, some of it is terrible, but the Tommy movie lives in its own universe.
Brilliant post. Tommy came out when I was 10, and it remains a special memory of my childhood despite its obvious flaws, particularly Oliver Reed's singing.
At the time, my father was on enough pharmaceuticals to kill an elephant due to congenital neck and back issues that plagued him for the last 30+ years of his too short life. He took me to see the movie — actually my mom dropped us off at the second-run theater since he couldn't legally drive at the time. His reasons for seeing it: Ann-Margaret, Nicholson, Tina Turner, and Elton John (in that order, though for very different reasons for each). It turns out that, with the exception of a few odd singles, he wasn't into The Who.
I managed to persuade him to get me the soundtrack that year for Christmas and, oddly enough, that became my entree into The Who. While I agree that the soundtrack does not equal the original, I've always had a fond spot in my heart for it nonetheless.
I love this post. This movie is insane, and I mean that in the absolute best way. This film is messy and doesn’t always make sense and that is Ken Russell at his best. I like The Who and I like Pete Townshend, but he does tend to take himself too seriously at times, so applying Russell’s insanity was just the right touch. Plus it had Ann Margaret.
It’s an AWFUL movie but my friends and I were soooooo stoned when we saw it that we laughed out loud at the squirminess of it all. Singing all of the songs out loud was the only cure for terrible acting and shoddy screenplay.
Wow. That is awesome. Well done.
I think it would be a great idea to have a Tommy themed costume party!! I, of course, would be the one covered in beans over by the hors d’œuvres table!!
What a post! I went to Leicester Square in 1975 to experience Tommy in what was called ‘quintaphonic sound’. The film was an almost overwhelming experience and - well - brilliant. Yes, some of it is terrible, but the Tommy movie lives in its own universe.
Brilliant post. Tommy came out when I was 10, and it remains a special memory of my childhood despite its obvious flaws, particularly Oliver Reed's singing.
At the time, my father was on enough pharmaceuticals to kill an elephant due to congenital neck and back issues that plagued him for the last 30+ years of his too short life. He took me to see the movie — actually my mom dropped us off at the second-run theater since he couldn't legally drive at the time. His reasons for seeing it: Ann-Margaret, Nicholson, Tina Turner, and Elton John (in that order, though for very different reasons for each). It turns out that, with the exception of a few odd singles, he wasn't into The Who.
I managed to persuade him to get me the soundtrack that year for Christmas and, oddly enough, that became my entree into The Who. While I agree that the soundtrack does not equal the original, I've always had a fond spot in my heart for it nonetheless.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I love this post. This movie is insane, and I mean that in the absolute best way. This film is messy and doesn’t always make sense and that is Ken Russell at his best. I like The Who and I like Pete Townshend, but he does tend to take himself too seriously at times, so applying Russell’s insanity was just the right touch. Plus it had Ann Margaret.
It’s an AWFUL movie but my friends and I were soooooo stoned when we saw it that we laughed out loud at the squirminess of it all. Singing all of the songs out loud was the only cure for terrible acting and shoddy screenplay.
I ALSO saw the play in 1995, which was not much better, but least false in its depiction of the story.