March 2015 sees the anniversaries of
The Sound of Music premiering (2nd
March 1965 in US, 29th in the UK) and 40 years since the silver
screen release of the Who’s rock opera Tommy
(19th US, 26th UK).
The Sound of Music
Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, and featuring
unforgettable songs penned by Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Sound of Music is the story of a young woman (Andrews) who
leaves a convent to become governess to an Austrian naval officer’s seven
children.
Filmed on location in Salzburg,
Austria and around the
German region of Bavaria, studio scenes were
finished at the 20th Century Fox studios in California.
Including such memorable tunes as "Edelweiss",
"My Favorite Things", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Do-Re-Mi",
and the title song, “The Sound of Music," the film won 5 Oscars including
Best Picture and became (at the time) the highest grossing film of all time.
Tommy
10 years later, the Who’s 1969 rock opera album Tommy was
adapted and released on to the big screen.
Directed by Ken Russell and starring Roger Daltrey with the
other members of the band, such star names as Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Eric
Clapton, Tina Turner, Elton John, Arthur Brown, Paul Nicholas, Robert Powell
and Jack Nicholson made up an impressive cast list. Ann-Margret won a Golden
Globe award for her performance.
At the outset, Elton John turned down the role of the
Pinball Wizard and UK
pop star David Essex (amongst others) tested for the role. Eventually Elton
agreed to play the part, on condition (it is believed) that he could keep the
giant pair of Dr Marten’s boots he wore.
Much of the movie was shot around the English south-coast
city of Portsmouth along with scenes at the Borrowdale Valley in the English Lake District.
It is many years since I have had the pleasure of watching
either movie, but the anniversaries are surely a good reason to get hold of the
DVD’s and once again indulge.
