Rock Opera Tommy

Aus When Life was a Miracle

 source: Wikipedia.

Story

Tommy's father, RAF Group Captain Walker, is away fighting the Germans in World War II. His plane is shot from the air even before Tommy is born. Tommy's mother believes her husband dead for nearly six years. She meets Frank Hobbs at a holiday camp and falls into an affair with him.

Captain Walker returns to find his wife in bed with another man and in a rage of passion is killed by Hobbs. Tommy is told that he "didn't hear it, didn't see it" and "won't say nothing to no-one," and as a result becomes deaf, dumb, and blind. Frank and Tommy's mother turn to such characters as the preacher (religion), the acid queen (drugs), and doctor (medicine) for cures to Tommy's ailment.

Tommy's salvation and cure comes from a strange chance of fate. Alone in a junkyard at night, Tommy comes into contact with a device that will change his life forever. A pinball machine scattered among the refuse heaps allows Tommy to rise to national prominence and fame. Tommy's pinball prowess transforms him into a cult hero and many followers attend his holiday camps to find a new perspective on life.

However, mercantile exploitation by Tommy's family and the tough and/or unreasonable demands of his cult cause the disciples to revolt against him and abandon him. His mother and stepfather are killed during the riot. Alone and abandoned by everybody, Tommy achieves a new enlightenment.

Symbolism

The visual part of the film involves many messages. It may be interpreted as containing a kafkaesque commentary on the rich and on the commercial, consumerist side of modern society in general (notably the famous scene with Ann-Margret bathing in the pool of beans). Also, perhaps not surprisingly, Tommy's cult is shown as resembling or imitating existing religions such as Christianity (e.g. its symbol is a "cross" formed by a T-shaped staff and a pinball on top of it) and Eastern religions (e.g. in the scene where Tommy is trying to teach cripples to meditate). The film also makes a large statement about how celebrities are loved almost to the point of being worshipped religiously, as seen in the church during the "Eyesight to the Blind" scene, where the church-goers are obviously worshipping an idol of Marilyn Monroe and not an actual religious figure.

Themes

• "Overture"/"It's a Boy" - British Army Captain Walker is reported missing in action during World War I, and is not expected ever to be seen again. Shortly after his wife, Mrs. Walker, receives this news, she gives birth to their son, Tommy.
• "1921" - Seven years later, Captain Walker returns home and discovers that his wife has found a new lover. An enraged Captain Walker confronts his wife and kills her new lover. To cover up the crime, Tommy's mother and father tell him he didn't see it, didn't hear it, and he will never say "nothing to no one ever in your life". A traumatized Tommy takes this literally, becoming deaf, dumb, and blind.
• "Amazing Journey"/"Sparks" - Tommy's subconscious reveals itself to him as a tall stranger dressed in silvery robes with a golden floor-length beard, and the vision sets him on an internal spiritual journey upon which he learns to interpret all physical sensations as music.
• "Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)" - Tommy's parents take him to a the church of a cult religion to try and cure him. "Eyesight..." is the cult leader's song.
• "Christmas" - Tommy's parents worry that his soul is at risk of damnation, since he is unaware of Jesus or prayer.
• "Cousin Kevin" - Tommy's parents become complacent and leave him in the care of a babysitter, his cousin Kevin. Kevin takes the opportunity to bully and torture Tommy without fear of anyone finding out. He ultimately gets bored with Tommy's limited reactions.
• "Acid Queen"/"Underture" - Tommy's parents once again try to cure him, this time by placing him in the care of a woman who tries to coax Tommy into full consciousness with hallucinogenic drugs. "Underture" is an extensive instrumental representing Tommy's experience on acid.
• "Do You Think it's Alright?"/"Fiddle About" - Tommy is left in the care of his uncle Ernie, an alcoholic sexual deviant who takes the opportunity to abuse Tommy without fear of anyone finding out.
• "Pinball Wizard" - Tommy is discovered to have a talent for pinball, and quickly defeats the game's tournament champion. This propels Tommy to international celebrity status. "Pinball Wizard" is the reigning champion's song.
• "There's a Doctor"/"Go to the Mirror!" - Tommy's parents find a medical specialist to once more try to understand and cure his symptoms. After numerous tests, they are told that there is nothing medically wrong with him, and that his problems are psychosomatic. However, as they are trying to reach him, Tommy's subconscious is also trying to reach out to them.
• "Tommy Can You Hear Me?"/"Smash the Mirror" - Tommy's mother continues to try to reach him, and becomes frustrated that he completely ignores her whilst staring directly at a mirror. Out of this frustration she smashes the mirror.
• "Sensation"/"Miracle Cure" - The smashing of the mirror snaps Tommy out of his unreceptive state. Tommy's cure becomes a public sensation and he attains guru-like status. Thereafter he assumes a quasi-messianic mantle and tries to lead his fans to an enlightenment similar to his own.
• "Sally Simpson" - One of Tommy's 'disciples', Sally is a young reverend's daughter who sneaks out of her home to attend one of Tommy's sermons. She ultimately attempts to touch him, only to be thrown from the stage by security and receive a gash on her face.
• "I'm Free" - Tommy attempts to spiritually enlighten those that are listening to his sermons.
• "Welcome"/"Tommy's Holiday Camp" - Tommy opens his own home to anyone willing to join him, and urges them to bring as many people with them as they can. His house is quickly filled though, so he builds a holiday camp to try to accommodate everybody.
• "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Tommy demands that his followers blind, deafen and mute themselves in order to truly reach their spiritual height, but the heavy-handedness of his cult and the exploitation of its followers by his family and associates cause his followers to revolt against him. Abandoned by his followers and worshippers, Tommy gains a new enlightment.

In its original album version, the story is quite sketchy, and details were often filled in post facto by Townshend in interviews. As other adaptations of the album appeared, some details were filled out and others were changed (for example the timeframe was changed to World War II and 1951 in some later versions and in the film version, the lover kills the husband rather than the converse).