Quadrophenia (1979)

Jimmy loathes his job and parents. He seeks solace with his mod clique, scooter riding and drugs, only to be disappointed.

Director:

Franc Roddam

Writers:

Dave Humphries (screenplay), Martin Stellman (screenplay)

Stars:

Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Phil Davis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phil Daniels	...	Jimmy
Leslie Ash	...	Steph
Phil Davis	...	Chalky (as Philip Davis)
Mark Wingett	...	Dave
Sting	...	Ace Face
Ray Winstone	...	Kevin (as Raymond Winstone)
Garry Cooper	...	Peter
Gary Shail	...	Spider
Toyah Willcox	...	Monkey
Trevor Laird	...	Ferdy
Kate Williams	...	Mother
Michael Elphick	...	Father
Kim Neve	...	Yvonne
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Mr. Fulford
Daniel Peacock	...	Danny

Storyline

London, 1965: Like many other youths, Jimmy hates the philistine life, especially his parents and his job in a company's mailing division. Only when he's together with his friends, a 'Mod' clique, cruising London on his motor-scooter and hearing music such as that of 'The Who' and 'The High Numbers', does he feel free and accepted. However, it's a flight into an illusionary world.

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | the who | casual sex | spontaneous sex | male full frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

Hell On Wheels!

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quadrophenia

Filming Locations:

Lewes Magistrates Court, High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Who Films, Polytel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sting and his band The Police were little known when the film was shot, but had broken out by the time it was released.

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Goofs

The fly-screen on the scooter that Jimmy steals disappears then reappears in the next shot.

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Quotes

Jimmy: Nothing seems right, apart from Brighton. I mean, Brighton was OK. Going to court with the Ace and that. And, like, I was a mod there, you know? I mean that's something, innit, eh?
Steph: Oh, what are you talkin' about? Brighton was a laugh. That's why we went down. It was a giggle, that's all.
Jimmy: Oh, yeah? And me and you, then? Was that just a giggle?
Steph: Oh, what do you think? All right, so I fancied you. We had it off together. But that don't mean nothin', does it?
Jimmy: It did to fuckin' me!

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Crazy Credits

Jeans By Levis

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Alternate Versions

There are at least 4 scenes that have been deleted from the final film. These scenes have never been released anywhere in full, apart from on a short documentary that came with the 1997 UK video, but even then they are shown as photographs and not the actual full scenes. Most notable was the entire deletion of almost all of the dialogue from Ace Face (played by Sting), including 2 extended scenes from the police van and one of all the mods meeting up on their scooters before going to Brighton. Supposedly, the reason that all of Ace Face's dialogue was deleted was that Sting and the producers both agreed that this ruined his 'mysterious' character that he was playing and also may have taken the focus of the protagonist of the story, Jimmy.

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Connections

Referenced in Human Traffic (1999)

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Soundtracks

Baby Love
Written by Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland
Performed by The Supremes
Published by Motown Records Corps.

User Reviews

Mad Mod

I'm almost finished reading Pete Townshend's autobiography "Who I Am" and have been listening a lot to the Who's original double album of the same name so the time was right to finally watch the big-screen dramatisation of the record. I'm just a bit too young to remember anything about the vicious Mods v Rockers pitched battles at Brighton or the Mod lifestyle (I'm not sure just how far north it made it up to Scotland, it always seemed to me principally a London-based movement).

Nevertheless, the broader themes in the film of the generation gap between teenagers and their parents, the pain of rejection, youthful revolt against authority plus the less intellectual need for young kids to get drunk, drugged, violent and sexed up are universal and seemingly constant, which with the background of great 60's music, made for an engrossing and enjoyable if occasionally challenging watch.

This is Phil Daniels' Jimmy Fenton's worm's eye-view of life in the mid-60's, working in a dead-end job, out of touch with his parents and although on the face of it, there doesn't appear to be much to rebel against, sure enough, he loses his way and his mind as he suffers rejection from his employer, said parents, would-be girlfriend Leslie Ash and after seeing his Mod Hero '"ace-face" played by Sting, meekly conform to society mores carrying bags at a hotel, he gets pushed over the edge (literally). His only way out of the tormenting feelings he's experiencing for the first time sadly involves just a one-way ticket.

The film adopts a realistic, warts and all approach, with no let-up in the levels of bad language used, scenes of drug use (although it is "only" pill-popping "uppers" or "blues" as they're called in the film) and of course the centre-piece of the film, the recreation of the infamous Mods and Rockers "Battle Of Brighton" of 1965. There's some earthy humour though to leaven things, particularly when two Mods encounter in the dark a bunch of sleeping rockers, although one or two stray elements of sentimentality (Jimmy's heart-to- heart with his long-suffering dad, his friendship with an old pal turned rocker) slightly jar. Fan as I am, I could have also done without the too obvious genuflecting to the film's producers The Who (Jimmy putting on the "My Generation" single at a party, then gazing in awe at the band on "Ready Steady Go"), I guess he who pays the piper and all that.

Central to the movie is a superb performance by Daniels as Jimmy, his mood-swings oscillating violently as he takes or comes off his pills, wired to the moon as we say today. His energy and vividness set the tone for the whole film. Interestingly director Franc Roddam (later the creator of "Auf Weidersehn Pet" and, ...er "Masterchef" on TV), changes the ending and placement of songs from the album, but there's no denying the memorable climax to the piece.

In the end I was transported not only back into the era depicted, but more importantly into the head of "helpless dancer" Jimmy and would state that the movie well complements the great album The Who originally released, a rarity in "rock" movies.