MIAPUSS

Saw this post (no pun intented check ,out the avatar!) Tommy was a great movie. Ken Russells films contibuted to my love of cinema. Even the bad ones possess a watchable quality and an unusual view of the world that sets him apart from many other directors. I can only think of how many books I would not have read and how much music I wouldn't have listened to without him.

booby trap

link to Tommy pics and other Who connected movies:
The Who - Tommy

Gilliam89

That was indeed actually John Lennon (and Yoko I believe). I cannot remember the situation, but it certainly is him. The full account is in one of my biography books on The Who.

booby trap

The "I'm Free" running sequence was filmed along the beach and Esplanade at Eastney. There's a rumour that John Lennon was sitting in one of the cars Daltrey runs past - it ain't true. Pause the tape or DVD and you'll clearly see it's just some bloke who looks a lot like Lennon.

The Who Location Guide: Tommy - The Movie

Make your own mind up, i'm sure it would have been mentioned on the 2 disc deluxe version of Tommy, or at the time of the film's release.

byebyebadman

its one of the best films of all time. everytime i watch i cant resist singing along to every song out loud and playing air guitar! even him who played jesus christ superstar was excellent.

sarahs

robert powell,hes a legend love him in the detectives with jasper carrott,sum may say a step back in his career but its so funny lol makes me smile every time

faginsgirl

Ahhh! Thanks, so my eyes wern`t decieving me!

xx

We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

booby trap

As a fan and collector of all things Beatles, i have one book on Lennon that is a month by month account of his life. Tommy started filming in April of '74, John was in that period of his split with Yoko and was with May Pang at the time. Infact in early April '74 there was a jam session with McCartney and Stevie Wonder, it was to be the last time John and Paul played together. Later this year Lennon recorded the 'Walls and Bridges' album. He did hang out with Keith Moon a bit in the USA, but these seemed to be acohol-fuelled. In '74 Lennon was still appealing for his immigration visa, so i guess he would not have left the States to come over here for a couple of frames in a movie, they may not have let him back in. Having seen this movie more times than i can remember, it is definately NOT John Lennon. Run the movie frame by frame on the 'I'm Free' section, where Daltrey runs along the beach in front of parked cars with trippers sat in, looking out. There are probably two candidates for Lennon look alikes, one is an older guy with his hair pulled back, but has not got the Lennon nose and is too old for Lennon at the time it was filmed in 1974, the other guy is near the last in the rank of cars, it has two guy's with a kid sat between them, and he is on the right hand side, very much like Lennon, and a good look alike, but it's not Lennons hair style of the mid 70's, and the face is too rounded.

MissH

Keith Moon is hilarious as Uncle Ernie,that scene makes me laugh everytime,and the scene just before it with the cousin makes me laugh alot aswell.Oliver Reed and Ann Margret are hilarious too,and Roger Daltrey is brilliant as Tommy.Great cameos from tina turner,Elton John.e.t.c aswell.

torinfan

I saw Tommy when I was in high school - during the last week of class, everyone got to see videos, and we saw some good ones, too. The same year we saw Tommy we saw a Rush concert (I love their music!). I was in high school during the 1980's. Ah, those were great years. :)

LocalHero

I vividly remember watching the BBC broadbcast of Tommy in 1982. It was running simultaneously on TV, with the soundtrack on Radio One.

I had loads of friends round and we put the speakers on either side of the TV for full effect.

I have to say though, that it was the first and last time I watched it. I liked it in a way but I found it really scary. Individual things scared me, like Uncle Ernie and Cousin Kevin and the Acid Queen, but it was more the overall hysterical atmosphere of the whole thing that frightened me. Deeply sinister the lot of it.

I was 18 in 1982 so you'd think I'd have been able to cope, but I'm no better now all these years later.

My husband, however, loves the film, so has to watch it when I'm out...

Pricey

I particularly like the "Eyesight to the Blind" number with Clapton and the weird worship of Marilyn Monroe. I think that still has a powerful resonance even now. I've had the double LP soundtrack for years, still listen to it regularly, particularly the smash the mirror / i'm free bit. The movie is a weird mix of those who were particularly "in" at the time like Paul Nicholas and Robert Powell and those, like the aforementioned Tina Turner who were not "in" at all.
And I loved The Who's money suits in the Pinball Wizard section.

MissH

The acid queen frightens me aswell.