I’m more than a little surprised that in a recent poll RTH’s readers and/or contributors declared the 1977 Bee Gees/Peter Frampton vehicle Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to be the worst rock movie, over my preferred choice, Ken Russell’s 1975 film of The Who’s Tommy. Don’t get me wrong – Sgt. Pepper completely deserves its reputation as an utter and complete perversion of everything good and right that The Beatles stood for. But I submit that Tommy is an even worse film and, more importantly for the purposes of this blog, a greater Rock Crime.
Context is everything. Consider that Sgt. Pepper contained precious little input from the actual stewards of The Beatles legacy. Rumor has it that George Harrison and Paul McCartney appear in the star-studded finale, but frankly, if George and Paul are indeed there, they’re overshadowed by rock titans like Carol Channing and Jon “Bowzer” Bauman. Sgt. Pepper’s soundtrack was produced by George Martin, true, but I must remind you that he was not, in fact, a Beatle.
On the other hand, the travesty Tommy features notable work by all four members of The Who. Not only did Roger Daltrey handle the title role, with Keith Moon in the, shall we say, noteworthy role of Uncle Ernie, and not only did John Entwistle lend his distinct bass lines to the enterprise, but Pete Townshend helmed the horrible, horrible soundtrack. Let me tell you: More synthesizer-related Rock Crimes were committed on this soundtrack than at any time in the 1980s.
Let’s also consider who sat in the director’s chair for each film. Sgt. Pepper was helmed by Michael Schultz who, besides having helmed subsequent music-related films like Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon and Disorderlies, has since moved on to a career directing for television. I’m not calling him a hack per se, but he’s doesn’t seem like an auteur either.
Tommy, on the other hand, was written and directed by Ken Russell, a man who is seldom able to contain himself in realizing his horrible, frightening, gaudy visions on film. That whole artistically dubious glam-camp genre of cinema (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Phantom of the Paradise, the end of All That Jazz) can mostly be blamed on Russell.
But these elements are ultimately only parts of the bigger whole; the main reason Tommy defeats Sgt. Pepper in the badness game. See, everybody knows that Sgt. Pepper sucks, and we can all revel in its badness in the best Mystery Science Theater way. On the other hand, while I know plenty of intelligent people who can tolerate Tommy, the people who truly hate it tend to be Who devotees. This movie is essentially designed to piss off the very people it should be courting first and foremost. Beatles fans can laugh at the folly that is George Burns posing with a white Les Paul in Sgt. Pepper. Who fans can only grit their teeth in pain at the combined memories of Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Jack Nicholson, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Elton John and every other moment of every other frame of Tommy. I hold Russell and Townshend both directly responsible for this, and you could make a case that the film of Tommy sets the stage for The Who’s many subsequent artistic travesties. Thank God for The Kids Are Alright.
I see how it goes, Mr. Moderator is unhappy with the lack of support for Almost Famous and he just writes about it in an All-Star Jam. Townsman Oats writes a full-blown defense of his nominee!
Well, you know what? Bravo! Either way works, and you, Oats, took the boldest of approaches to the situation. This is how this list is intended to function. I hope those of you feeling like there’s an “oligarchy” in place wake up and realize it’s time to join it. There’s plenty of room in the Politburo. Make your presence felt.
But enough of my soapboxing… I’m a defender of Tommy. I saw it in the theater when it came out. How old was I, 10 or 11? I’ll let Townsman Chickenfrank speak mor e to this, but Ann-Margaret in baked beans was worth the price of admission. I’ve also gotten a lot of mileage out of the whole “Eyesight to the Blind” concept (as in, “I don’t care if the lyrics of Morrissey provide eyesight to the blind, I hate the Smiths!”). In short, on many formative levels (sexual, rock nerd, Look, awareness of pedophilia…), Tommy was an extremely important film. It’s also one of the only Ken Russell films that I don’t completely hate, so that counts for something.
I feel the opposite. I don’t think I’d ever watch Sgt Pepper again, it’s just thoroughly bad in a cheerful way that would make ridiculing it far too easy and loutish. But if Tommy comes on at the right moment, the weirdness of some of those scenes would keep me from changing the channel. Listening to some of that train-wreck singing from Oliver Reed and ensemble strikes me as the aural eqivalent of rubbernecking.
I don’t see a big problem with pissing off Who fans, and I find the recklessness of Ken Russell watchable, if not really great cinema.
I wish I still had my boyhood cassette of the soundtrack to Tommy. I believe some of the soundtrack versions top the real album. How ’bout them apples?
Maybe you’ll prefer this over the original, then.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHRCuNlNhAg
That’s hitting below the belt, Oats!
As defender of obscure talents, let me give props to auteur extrordinaire Michael Schultz. He got his start directing the critical and popular hit COOLEY HIGH (referred to often as “a Black AMERICAN GRAFFITI), directed three of the best Richard Pryor films (CAR WASH, WHICH WAY IS UP and GREASED LIGHTNING) and actually escaped being labeled a black director of black projects. Sure, he’s done a lot of TV, but on some high quality shows like ROCKFORD FILES, BRISCOE COUNTY and LA LAW, as as well as hit stuff like FELICITY, THE OC and THE GILMORE GIRLS. He also had a film in theaters again in 2004, WOMAN THOUGH ART LOOSED, which I watched a second time this week and was a surprise box office hit. As an auteur I’d say his film are usually anecdotal, character-driven comedies. If I ran the Film Festival, I’d consider a tribute to his work.
Didn’t that win the Oscar for Worst Title?
“Didn’t that win the Oscar for Worst Title?”
It was in the same year with The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Lemony Snicket, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, so let’s not pretend it won by a mile.
It’s a religio-spoitation movie with Rev TD Jakes going to death row to save the soul of a woman who shot her molesting stepdad at his alter. There’s lots of praying and preaching followed by grueling pimp, drug and horny stepdad action, followed by the characters giving testimonials from some spooky limbo. I realize this isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but it’s crazily fascinating stuff. It was fun to see in the theater surrounded by true believers (and a mentally handicapped man who screamed “YOU’RE BAD!” to the screen at regular intervals). An experience more phantasmigorical than Ann-Margaret in baked beans.
-db
np – new Blonde Redhead
I’ll drop in late here to say I’d watch Tommy just to see Moonie and Daltry anyday over the BeeGees.
For me Tommy is miles more watchable than Pepper…
Here’s something that occurred to me while thinking about this issue last night: Did Daltry raise the bar for deaf, dumb, and blind acting, as set by Patty Duke in the Helen Keller Story?
Yeah, two pretty weak movies, but come on: The baked beans scene! What does Sgt Pooper have that can compare to that? When Tommy is on TV, I can at least make a rough estimate of when to switch to that channel to catch Ann writhing on the giant hotdog shaped pillow drenched in beans. Saying baked beans in relation to Tommy is as immediately understandable as saying “the lemon scene” in relation to Atlantic City. Also, at least Tommy was an attempt by Ken Russell to create a cinematic version/vision of what he took from the album while Stigwood’s Sgt Pooper is only a shameless attempt to sell a covers album. It’s probably not fair to even call either one a Who movie or a Beatles movie regardless of the level of participation of band members.
Thanks, Chickenfrank.
chickenfrank- I ran right out, got Grumpy Old Men (only thing available with Ann), a can of beans and having just wiped down wanted to thank you as well.