Half a century on from the sublimely ridiculous Tommy, the passionate abandon that distinguished Russell’s films – from composer biopics to the infamous The Devils, among other bonkers oddities – is needed now more than ever

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the most important and groundbreaking pop movies of all time: Ken Russell’s psychedelic screen adaptation of the Who’s rock opera Tommy (1975). Marketed with the eye-catching tag lines “Your senses will never be the same” and “He will tear your soul apart”, the film starred Roger Daltrey as the traumatised kid who becomes a Pinball Wizard and (more importantly) a cult messiah.

Blending themes to which Russell would return throughout his career (the transformative power of music; the alchemical madness of genius; the dark power of false religion), Tommy was a typically wild ride that swung between the sublime and the ridiculous.