In the prologue, set in 1945, a montage displays the honeymoon of Captain Walker and his wife, Nora ("Prologue - 1945"). After his leave ends, Walker goes off to fight in World War II as a bomber pilot, but is shot down during a mission. "Captain Walker" is listed as missing in action and is presumed dead, although—unknown to his family—the badly burnt Walker is still alive. Back in England, Nora goes into labour and gives birth to a son, Tommy, on V-E Day ("Captain Walker/It's a Boy"). Five years later, Nora has begun a new relationship with Frank, a holiday worker she and Tommy meet on their holiday. Tommy looks up to his "Uncle" Frank who expresses his desires to run his own holiday camp someday ("Bernie's Holiday Camp"). In the 1950s, Nora and Frank dream of their future ("1951 / What About the Boy?"), but, late that evening, the returning Captain Walker surprises the couple in bed, leading to a struggle where Frank kills the Captain (in the original album synopsis, the Captain kills Frank). The heat of the moment panics Tommy into a psychedelia-like "Amazing Journey", where he outwardly appears "deaf, dumb, and blind". Later, at a Christmas party, Nora is distressed that Tommy "doesn't know what day it is" ("Christmas").
MPAA Rating: | PG |
Genre: | Drama, Musical |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Produced By: | Christopher Stamp, Beryl Vertue, Robert Stigwood, Ken Russell, Harry Benn |
Directed By: | Ken Russell |
Written By: | John Entwistle, Ken Russell, Pete Townshend, The Who, Keith Moon |
Cast: | Jeff Roden, Jennifer Baker, Eric Clapton, Eddie Stacey, Mylon LeFevre, Barry Winch, Elton John, Gary Rich, Victoria Russell, John Entwistle, Tina Turner, Alison Dowling, Ken Russell, Steven Longhurst, Billy Nicholls, Oliver Reed, Pete Townshend, Dick Allan, Jack Nicholson, Peter Brace, Arthur Brown, Roger Daltrey, Simon Townshend, Keith Moon, Imogen Claire, Paul Nicholas, Liza Strike, James Payne, Mary Holland, Ann-Margret, Ben Aris, Robert Powell, Alex 'Alien' Russell |
In Theaters: | Mar 26, 1975 |
Runtime: | 1 hour 51 minutes |
Production: | Robert Stigwood Organisation Ltd., Hemdale |
Budget: | $5,000,000 |
Box Office: | $34,251,525 |
Available On: | Amazon, Vudu |
Read More On: | Wikipedia |