Tommy

UPC: 043396100152

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Adult Situations, Questionable for Children]

Summary: 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

Category: Musical

Awards: Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – null New Star of the Year - Male – null Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted or Original Song Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences New Star of the Year - Male – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
Widescreen presentation
Audio: English 5.1 [dolby digital] dts
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Scene selections

Tommy

Format: DVD

Release Date: 12/17/2002

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Theater Systems

Runtime: 111 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Start
2. "Prologue 1945"
3. "Captain Walker/It's A Boy"
4. "Bernie's Holdiay Camp"
5. "1951"
6. "You Didn't Hear It"
7. "Amazing Journey"
8. "Christmas"
9. "Eyesight to the Blind"
10. "The Acid Queen"
11. "Cousin Kevin"
12. "Fiddle About"
13. "Sparks"
14. "Pinball Wizard"
15. "Champagne"
16. "There's A Doctor I've Found"
17. "Go to the Mirror, Boy"
18. "Tommy Can You Hear Me?"
19. "Smash the Mirror"
20. "I'm Free"
21. "Miracle Cure"
22. "Sally Simpson"
23. "Sensation"
24. "Welcome"
25. "Tommy's Holiday Camp"
26. "We're Not Gonna Take It"
27. "Listening to You"
28. End Credits

Perry Seibert

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

Cast and Crew: Arthur Brown  Actor 
The Who  Actor 
Jennifer Baker  Actor 
Pete Townshend  Actor 
John Entwistle  Actor 
Imogen Claire  Actor 
Mary Holland  Actor 
Ben Aris  Actor 
Eddie Stacey  Actor 
Susan Baker  Actor 
Roger Daltrey  Composer (Music Score) 
John Entwistle  Composer (Music Score) 
John Entwistle  Screenwriter 
Pete Townshend  Composer (Music Score) 
Keith Moon  Composer (Music Score) 
Ken Russell  Director 
Ken Russell  Producer 
Ken Russell  Screenwriter 
Beryl Vertue  Executive Producer 
Robert Stigwood  Producer 
Christopher Stamp  Executive Producer 
Ann-Margret  Actor 
Oliver Reed  Actor 
Roger Daltrey  Actor 
Elton John  Actor 
Eric Clapton  Actor 
Keith Moon  Actor 
Jack Nicholson  Actor 
Robert Powell  Actor 
Paul Nicholas  Actor 
Tina Turner  Actor 
Barry Winch  Actor 
Victoria Russell  Actor 

Country: UK