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Who flicks



Mark Leaman did a great job with his analysis
of the two movies re:symbolism, the over-the-top
Glam Rock nature of the time, so I won't rehash that here.

Big agreement on the symbolism in the Tommy movie.
I saw it on HBO in like '77 or '78 (right when cable
first made it to Utah), and it had a big impact on me.
At that age (must have been around 7 or 8 years old),
I didn't really "get" the story, but  I realized after 
watching it that  rock and roll could mean more
than just dancing and having a good time. 
My brother bought the soundtrack
LP and I would listen to it and look at the cover
in real amazement. 

Basically, when someone tries to visualize a piece
of music, you may or may not agree with that
interpretation. I think that's why MTV is a major
letdown. It just became one big commercial 
for the latest Big Thing. The bands I like anyway
mostly don't get their videos played on MTV anyways.

Despite the fact that the Tommy film looks dated, I think
 Ken Russell did a great job of
exploring the whole idea of religion and a
messiah and how following blindly can
lead one astray. Whenever I go to a rock
concert and see people lining up to buy
tshirts, posters etc. I think of the scene
from Tommy where Keith is selling Tommy mirrors,
crosses, sunglasses, records "where you can
really hear him talk!" etc. etc. 
What if these people actually met the "rock stars"
they came to see and found out they were
jerks! Wow, how disillusioned these folks would be!

And Elton John's huge Dr. Marten boots are still cool! ha!
(FYI: I recently bought a pair of Dr. Martens and the
little booklet that came with them mentions the fact
that they custom made these for the movie).

I also like how both the Tommy and Quadrophenia
movies come full circle: Tommy starts and ends
with a lone figure in front of a blazing sun.
Quad isn't so blatant, but at the beginning of 
Quad, Jimmy walking towards the camera takes place 
after he throws the scooter over the edge. 
Basically, the whole movie is a flashback.
For me, Quad is about growing up and realizing
you're not a kid anymore  ("when I became a man
I put aside childish things"), which is symbolized
by Jimmy throwing the scooter over the edge of the cliff.
He's not a teenager anymore following the crowd, but
an adult, a unique individual.

For the general populace, Quad is a much better
movie, once you get past the thick accents.
Tommy is a visual allegory, and pretty much a film for Who fans only.
Quad is based in reality, and covers themes most
people can identify with more readily. 

-B







=====================================================
                                    Brendon Macaraeg
               http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~brendonm 
    Finger macaragb@acf2.nyu.edu for my PGP Public Key