Quadrophenia

Quadrophenia (1979)
	Rating: 7.2/10 (20,835 votes) Director: Franc Roddam Writer: Dave Humphries, Martin Stellman, Franc Roddam Stars: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Phil Davis Runtime: 120 min Rated: R Genre: Drama, Music Released: 02 Nov 1979
Plot: Jimmy Cooper loathes his dead-end job and his working-class parents. He seeks solace with his mod clique, scooter riding, and drugs, only to be disappointed.

A movie adapted from the rock-opera concept album by The Who, Quadrophenia follows a young Mod named Jimmy in 1965, as he searches for self worth and importance. Unlike the previously adapted Tommy, this film shifted the music to the background, adding atmosphere to the drama, and instead told the tale as a standard drama. Phil Daniels plays Jimmy, stuck in a dead end job, he spends his nights as a member of the mod community, whilst taking amphetamines and riding his scooter, and brawling with rockers. He has a crush on Steph (Leslie Ash) and wants to be noticed as a ‘face’ within the community. During a bank holiday getaway in Brighton things escalate for Jimmy and his friends, as they clash with rockers and each other.

I remember latching onto this film on VHS back in my teens, having been a fan of The Who I was drawn to it – and was initially surprised by how it decidedly chose to not be a musical….which I felt was entirely the right creative choice to make – the film became more accessible in its manner, and it was easy to convince my non-Who buddies to check it out, with it swiftly becoming not only a group enjoyed film, but one which we kind of saw elements of ourselves in – part of a community of like minded friends with similar tastes, each unsure of where our futures would lie.

Going back to revisit (and I owned this on BluRay for a long while now, and literally only tore the shrink wrap off this past weekend) there was that trepidation, but I found a new found enjoyment of the film, which has propelled it higher in my film rankings as a result. Elements I missed in early watchings, relating to cinema technique, and acting choices, were apparent, and the cast seemed all the more perfect as a result.

The opening shot of the cliff edge view of a sunset before Jimmy turns and walks away – still leaving ambiguity as to his future, but kind of giving it a tinge of optimism (although it can be read that he, along with the moped, went over and we start with his sunset) before we throw back to the days leading up to that moment. Phil Daniels is young, likable, and roguish, with a dollop of insecurity – lashing out in frustration at parental figures, and anyone who he feels slights him in an immature manner. The cast around him is packed with names who have all become something over the years – Leslie Ash, Philip Davis, Mark Whngett, Ray Winstone as Jimmy’s Rocker friend, John Altman, Timothy Spall, George Innes, Michael Elphick, Toyah Wilcox…this is genuinely a “point at the screen and ask is that…” film, and seeing these stars in early roles serves to highlight why they became so popular over the years. Then you have the eclectic presence of Sting as Ace-Face – if ever the term ‘perfect casting’ were to be used, this is a prime moment! He stands out like a shining beacon amongst the mods – and immediately draws all eyes to him, which given the characters status as a ‘face’ in the community makes for a great fit.

The cast were encouraged to improvise on set, and much of the banter is natural as they bonded well behind the scenes. A house-party orgy room, according to reports, actually resulted in some improvisation that had to be cut between a key cast member and an extra.

Low budget made for short-cuts to be made where possible, and Franc Roddam made the most of it all – night time road scenes couldn’t afford expensive lighting, so look for a black cab following the mopeds, shining headlights on the moment. Locations were used for all but the house party, and actual mod groups invited themselves along to the Brighton shoot to get in the film (some finding they shamefully had to dress as rockers to balance the numbers). A marvellous single take shot entrance into a party, with the improv of Jimmy placing his cigarette in a wall mask decoration, before exploring the house, and reutrning to his cig is smooth, and brings you into the party perfectly with him. The cut from a shot of the sun to the headlamp of the moped is perfect, and the mood, decort, clothes and music firmly ground the events in the mid 60s.

This is a film about youth, energy, identify, and belonging – a look at the years where you lack direction, and are trying to find where you fit. Teenage angst plays out in many film,s of a similar nature, but for me this is one of the best examples of such a film.