MovieChat Forums > Tommy (1975) Discussion > Tommy Directed by George Lucas.

Tommy Directed by George Lucas.

posted 15 years ago by Mr_McLaurel
14 replies | jump to latest

Just got done watching Tommy for the first time - my senses will never be the same!

But anyway I was looking at the trivia section on this site and was fascinated to see that George Lucas was offered the job to direct but turned it down because he was working on American Graffiti. The idea of a Lucas-directed Tommy is very intriguing to me. What would be different? What would be the same? Would there be lots of camera wipes and clumsy comic relief? Would we be sitting here complaining about the Special Edition of Tommy with enhanced computer effects now? The mind boggles at the idea.

What's the Spanish for drunken bum?

[–] the_sculptor_1 15 years ago

"Would we be sitting here complaining about the Special Edition of Tommy with enhanced computer effects now?"

Yes we would.

http://captain-smiley.livejournal.com/

[–] samanthajane13 15 years ago

I think it would have been a nightmare crapfest.

ii:iv

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] catjoescreed 14 years ago

Kubrick would have made this the great film that it deserves to be, instead of the self-indulgent drivel that Russell turned out.

The Haunted Man, by Dori Davis: Sometimes it's the living who torment the dead
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[–] WehoSteve 14 years ago

Roger Daltrey has said many times over the years that only Russell had the balls to do "Tommy" right. I love Kubrick AND George Lucas but I agree with Daltrey about Russell being the perfect fit.

[–] lucens 14 years ago

I think you're right...for the move, and the era in which it was made, Russell was the best choice.

Lucas just really didn't have the right mindset...I have never seen him do anything even remotely surrealist, no knock on him, just not his strong suit.

Stanley Kubrick would have re-written it to the point of unrecognizability and would have taken until the 1980s to get it done (and would have had a tremendous problem because Moonie would have died before they finished it). On the other hand, the surrealism would have been superlative.

So, all in all, I think Russell was the best choice at the time.

[–] Flying-DeLorean 13 years ago

Lucas just really didn't have the right mindset...I have never seen him do anything even remotely surrealist, no knock on him, just not his strong suit.

I don't know, the atmosphere of "THX 1138" is pretty surrealist in its own right. Some parts of it kind of remind me of "Tommy" in some ways, which is probably the reason Lucas was considered as a candidate to direct the latter film.

[–] KP-Nuts 14 years ago

Kubrick would have made this the great film that it deserves to be, instead of the self-indulgent drivel that Russell turned out.

I disagree. Russell helped make "Tommy" a masterpiece.

Better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do!

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lenono68 14 years ago

Do you remember adding anything to the script that he didn't have in there?

[–] zachlen48 14 years ago

No. Not on paper. But once we started shooting I would comment suggesting an idea which Ken would use if he liked it but not before he would announce to the entire crew, "Lenny's got another good idea".That part was always very embarrissing.

[–] PMan15 11 years ago

Well for one thing, on the re-release, Captain Walker would have hit first.

[–] StarskyandChinaHutch 10 years ago

As terrible a dialogue writer as Lucas can be, he sure as hell ought to be able to do a better job of it than Russell. At least he wouldn't jam every picosecond chock full of pointless symbolism.

[–] jefgg 9 years ago

I am just glad it wasn't directed by Martin Scorsese.