Tommy

Tommy (1975)

Timing: 1:51 (111 min)

6.451/10
305

7.361/10
1907

6.6/10
22200

All about film

Video 2

Photo 15

Actors and characters

Release date

1975-03-19

Country

United Kingdom

Production

Robert Stigwood Organization, Hemdale Film

Genre

Music, Drama

Budget

$5 000 000

Revenue

$34 300 000

Website

Director

Ken Russell

Actors

Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Eric Clapton, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Robert Stigwood, Ken Russell, Christopher Stamp, Beryl Vertue

Operator

Ronnie Taylor

Composer

Pete Townshend

Artist

Terry Ackland-Snow

Audition

Editing

Stuart Baird
All team (22)

• The film is based on the rock opera of the same name by The Who.
• Initially, David Bowie (1947-2016) was considered for the role eventually played by Tina Turner.
• According to Pete Townshend, Oliver Reed found it extremely difficult to record his part of the soundtrack, as he couldn't sing at all. He only managed it by recording in short fragments. Townshend was very nervous when it became known that Jack Nicholson was chosen for the role of the doctor, but calmed down only when Nicholson sang his parts without any problems.
• Elton John initially refused the role he eventually played. For some time, David Essex, who played Tommy in the 1973 stage production, was seriously considered for the part of the Pinball Wizard, but producer Robert Stigwood (1934-2016) insisted on Elton John, who ultimately agreed, but only on the condition that he would get to keep the enormous shoes provided for the role by the costume designers.
• It took three days to film the scene in which Mrs. Walker hallucinates soap, beans, and chocolate coming from the television. According to director Ken Russell (1927-2011), the scenes with beans and detergent (and the advertising parody of Red Baked Beans) were a kind of "revenge" for the commercials for beans and detergents that he had to shoot at the beginning of his career. Ann-Margret, who played Nora, improvised practically all the time. Russell simply told her that her character was having a nervous breakdown and that she could play it however she wanted. Unfortunately, during filming, she accidentally hit her hand on a broken television screen, and Russell had to rush her to the hospital, where she received stitches.
• In the early 1970s, George Lucas was offered the opportunity to direct this film, but he declined the offer because he was busy filming 'American Graffiti' (1973) at the time.
• The building on fire that the viewer sees is actually burning. The fire started accidentally, and it was decided to film it for use in the movie. The firefighters and fire engines are all real. Everything damaged by the fire was subsequently rebuilt.
• Pete Townshend helped Eric Clapton overcome his drug addiction, and in gratitude, Clapton played a cameo role in the film.
• The entire film was shot to a pre-recorded soundtrack, with the exception of the scene with the Pinball Wizard character, where the band The Who actually performed in front of the audience (although the soundtrack features Elton John). At the end of the scene, fans are shown running onto the stage. This wasn't in the script; the audience simply couldn't contain themselves, having just seen The Who perform live, and then Peter Townshend began smashing his guitar.