Quadrophenia

(Franc Roddam/1979/UK)

Jimmy Cooper is a Mod in 1960’s London and his passion for scooters, mod music and amphetamines help him escape the drudgery of his suburban home and office mail boy job. We see him fighting with Rockers, taking pills, chatting up a girl he likes called Steph and getting up to other mischief. The Mods rivalry with the Rockers culminates in a weekend in Brighton where the two gangs clash and riot. The fallout from this is his arrest, getting thrown out of home and then losing his job. As things unravel Jimmy tries to escape his disillusionment by taking more and more pills and revisiting Brighton alone. Finally, Ace Face, an uber Mod of sorts, is revealed to be not very Mod at all. This forces Jimmy to realise the Mod scene isn’t an answer to his disenchantment with the world and he discards his adolescent rebellion in a symbolic and dramatic closing shot. Phil Daniels nails the teenage angst and hormonal kick back against adulthood throughout. Roddam’s refusal to use The Who’s soundtrack exclusively and turn this into a musical á la Tommy is important and a large part of the reason the film works. Instead he combines elements of the kitchen sink drama style with a documentary feel to make a visceral, gritty coming of age film that has achieved cult status. It goes beyond being a sensationalist look at youth culture and manages to capture something of the essence of growing up.

(3.5/5)