Hosted by The cult film club - Extreme
Tommy
A psychosomatically blind, deaf, and mute boy becomes a master pinball player and, subsequently, the figurehead of a cult in The Who's star-studded wild and weird '70s rock opera.
Director: Ken Russell
Cast includes: roger daltry, Oliver reed, ann-margret, elton john, paul nicholas, tina turner, jack nicholson , robert powell, john entwistle, Keith Moon, pete townshend, arthur brown
PRESENTED by the cult film
114 mins / 1975/ UK
It's nearly 50 years since this iconic rock opera from The Who first thrashed its way onto the big screen, and now you can see it again on ours!
The film version of The Who's guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend’s concept album Tommy is a flashy, star-studded concoction of colours, with Tina Turner and Elton John providing standout performances with The Acid Queen and Pinball Wizard.
Young Tommy goes into shock having witnessed his stepfather murder his father in an argument. Tommy becomes psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind, but when he's a teenager, Tommy begins to develop an expertise for pinball. Fame and fortune follow as he becomes a pinball sensation and later the messiah of a religious cult!
The film features a star-studded ensemble cast, including the band members themselves (most notably, lead singer Roger Daltrey, who plays the title role), Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Elton John, and Jack Nicholson.
About The Cult Film Club EXTREME
The brainchild of film historian Dr Adrian Smith, The Cult Film Club was established in Eastbourne in 2018 following a screening of Evil Dead II at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre. A season of highly entertaining films followed, including such classics as The Warriors, The Man With Two Brains and Enter the Dragon before the club relocated to the Towner Cinema where fans gathered for The Thing, Labyrinth, Heathers and The Dead, before lockdown intervened.
This new EXTREME version of the club sees us bringing a mix of films to the Electric Palace that are shocking, controversial, or just extremely silly. With an emphasis on crowd-pleasing, a good time is guaranteed for all brave enough to join us.
About Dr Adrian Smith
Dr Adrian Smith is a film historian and lecturer at the University of Sussex. He co-hosts two film podcasts (Second Features and Wild, Wild Podcast), writes for Cinema Retro magazine, has provided essays and commentary tracks for a number of cult film blu ray releases, and is co-author on the recently published book Norman J. Warren: Gentleman of Terror. He will talk endlessly about films to anyone who will listen.
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