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Author
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Topic: Tommy Both Iver 400ft Releases side by side review.
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Tom Photiou
Film God
Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted May 04, 2019 12:42 PM
Doug, I have started a new review on this as this is for the two different Iver version side by side. Hope this is OK.
Iver promo version 300ft.
I bought my first 400 footer direct from Iver Film Services after reading Bill Davidson’s review in movie maker. At this time, as far as I knew, this was the only version Iver released. As we all know there is also the longer version from Columbia which contained quite a bit more as the Iver version was only around 300ft in length.
The reason I chose the Iver version was simply because Bill Davidson talked a lot about how the it was taken from a 35mm master and the sound was from a certain source, (cant remember what it was now) which made it a top quality print. He wasn’t wrong either, the sound is fantastic with every word sung crystal clear with the music pounding through the speaker and no over-recorded distortion what so ever. All in all this is a far superior quality print compared to the Columbia version which in itself was actually OK. I did get a copy but the two were chalk and cheese and snipping together would have ruined both prints. I sold the Columbia one on. The running order on the Iver version 300ft version is as follows, (which reading in another thread on here seems to be a promo to show to distributors a Cannes, please correct me if I am wrong). A better opening with only a couple of short titles, it begin where the feature starts with Robert Powell standing against the orange Sun, he then joins his wife (Ann-Margret), this flows into the scene where they are in the water where Tommy is soon conceived. This flows nicely into the blitz sequence with showgirls running through the rubble with gas mask on, this sequence is not in the Iver longer version, we then see Robert Powell’s character in the crashing plain as Ann-Margret’s character runs her hand over the broken picture of her husband. This cuts to the Victory scene with Ann-Margret in the hospital having given birth to “Tommy”. Next up is a young boy “Tommy” in bed as Robert Powell, presumed dead enters the bedroom and sees his Son, He then leaves the room, followed closely by Tommy, as he opens his own bedroom door he sees his wife with “Uncle” Frank Hobbs, (Oliver Reed) as Powell opens the door and shouts Reed picks up a bedside lamp and smashes it over his head with the characters singing "What About the Boy?" This scene cuts to the classic Pinball Wizard where Tommy is now grown up but is Deaf, Dumb and Blind. This scene is very slightly edited but probably 95/98% intact. The sound on this number on the Iver 300ft version has to be heard to be believed given how many years ago this was released. After Elton John throws his hat into the crowd in submission this version cuts to the bikers gang having a shot up, this one is not is the later Iver version, just as an injured biker is about the shot the music to the song Sensation begins, this goes on up until the teddy boys in the arcade are all dancing in the street and this then flows onto the best song of the movie, (only my opinion) Listening to you, on this 300ft promo version the song is around 90% of the full version and it begins where Tommy is just about to step nito the water fall, the film ends where the original feature finishes and of course the big orange Sunrise, where Robert Powell’s character stood at the start.
The upshot of this version now that I have both Iver versions is that while this one is a fare bit shorter and doesn’t really try to be a digest it is far superior as far a quality is concerned. Very sadly though it does now have colour fade however, there are still fair colours in there and all I need from it is around 80ft in order to complete the other Iver version, a much improved cut. If I could find a low fade one I would buy it again. While much shorter, it actually flows much better with abrupt music cuts. If you can find a copy it’s well worth it just for the music and the quality of the sound. This was an A1 release by Iver.
Iver Version 450ft edition.
This is the version I didn’t know existed until I read about it recently on here. It came up for sale on Paul Fosters list and I enquired as to whether it was the Columbia version or the Iver version and he said it was the Iver print and was a very full 400ft spool and also that the colours were good, and they certainly are, no fade on this one at all. On the up side, this is a full cut down of the film with a shed load more scenes, image is lovely and sharp and colours are very good, very vibrant. The down side is that the sound is good, but nowhere near as good as the promo version, fortunately, the final song I have took out of the promo and put onto this one now plays the film out perfectly, ending on a very good song with belting sound. Having had the Columbia version before, I would say that this longer edit form Iver is indeed almost identical in quality to the Columbia version. This was confirmed by my good friend Hugh Scott Thompson who confirmed that he had the two edits and has made a good 2 x 400ft version and frames lines, focus and sound are all but the same. Again, I checked both my Iver versions and the frame lines are very close, by over lapping the image into the black frame of the screen it isn’t noticed. The Focus is almost identical so a very small adjustment sorts it, I have now perfected it and can show it seamlessly but I do need to drop the volume on the last song due to the much better recording. A shame they didn’t use the same sound source for the longer edit.
So here is the running order of the Iver 450ft version,
A poor edit at the start from music taken from the end of the film, (for some reason) to the opening scene here which is Nora Walker, (Ann Margerate) & Captain Walker, (Robert Powell) in the Water by the fountain, (much longer then the promo), moves onto the couple in there house kissing as the phone goes, clearly showing that he is called away for the war, next we see his plane crashing which is extended in this version and then onto the VE day and hospital scene with the song “It’s a boy” here in full on this version. Then “Tommy” as a boy is attending a funeral as Captain Walker is presumed dead, this cuts to the Bernie’s Holiday camp as the bus arrives where Nora and Tommy meet with Oliver Reeds character, “Uncle “Frank Hobbs. This is a good long sequence, quite funny and very colourful with some psychedelic images including Nora getting upset as she watches Frank help Tommy shoot planes down on an arcade machine reminding her of her Husbands demise. This scenes cuts perfectly to a close up of a grown up “Tommy” & as the song and images show we now see that Nora lives well and in a posh house and luxury boat full of dancing girls, this moves onto the full version of Pinball wizard, next in this edit is “Go to the Mirror as the climax of the number is reached she throws Tommy through the Mirror and he then appears sinking into the sea before coming up with a huge smile and then into the number “I’m Free”, Again a track full of images that only Ken Russell could conjure up. This Track then weaves nicely to a much longer edit of “Sensation” which leads into the final and best song “Listening to you” which I have taken from the promo and edited into this one with the original end title. All in all, this is quite a good edit which has been improved on with my two sequences taken from my original 300ft promo version. It is surprising how much better the edit is with the extra 80ft or so.
I have now put this one onto a 600ft spool and it starts with the Bowie/Jagger music video and the Pink Floyd the Wall as previewed on my separate thread.
All i need to do now is find a columbia 400ft version which has good unfaded colours, (do they still exist?) so i can include the other footage they put in of the munitions factory.
Note, on these image you will clearly see the faded colours of the promo compared to the excellent colours of the 450ft version. I have given the film a good clean with filmguard and it has cleared up the image no end.
I will add a few more images later in the thread due to the restriction of 8 per insert.
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