‘Quadrophenia’ a straight look at the early 1960s

Press, 14 July 1980, Page 12

‘Quadrophenia’ a straight look at the early 1960s

AT THE CINEMA

Hans Petrovic

“Quadrophenia”; Directed by Franc Roddam; screenplay by Dave Humphries, Martin Stellman, and Franc Roddam.

Belying its gimmicky title, “Quadrophenia” (Avon) is a straightforward, cold-eyed look at the social turmoil, of British youth of the early 19605.

Inspired by the new British rock music of the day, such as the Mersey sound, the working-class children, rose above their hum-drum everyday existence and formed their own elite, with its own music, dress, hair style, and scooter form of transport. This put them one peg above the rough-neck bikies and thus, in a very class-conscious country the distinction between the Mod and the Rocker was born.

Although produced by The Who and named after one of its earlier., albums the group is seen in the film only fleetingly on television and in still photographs. The Who have taken a big gamble in channeling their talent, money, and music into a film of such a stark,

dramatic nature instead of the expected rock-concert film or a more lush followup to their successful fan-tasy-film version of “Tommy.” The main, muddled Mod in “Quadrophenia” is believably played by Phil Daniels, whose similarity in looks to Pete Townshend is shown early in the film when Daniels sits on his bed with a photograph of Townshend behind him. In his early days with The Who, Towns-, hend was described as looking like a broom-stick with a big nose on top. This description applies well to Daniels also.

“Quadrophenia” tries its

best to show the disaffection of a young man in Britain of the 19605. just as John Osborne’s angry young man ranted and raved in “Look Back In Anger” in the 19505. The mood of the film is typified by The Who’s definitive “My Generation,” which is played at a free-for-all party. ■

The young anti-hero Jimmy, popping pep pills with reckless abandon, is seen in a steady decline climaxed by a riot between the Mods and Rockers at Brighton during a bank-holiday week-end.

The riot is particularly well staged, engendering a kind of. kinetic ’ self-energy that races on at an almost unstoppable pace, while in the background stands the surrealistic skeleton of Brighton Pier like a ghost from the long-gone Victorian era.

! During the riot Jimmy finds a brief moment of glory when he “scores” with an attractive “bird” (Leslie Ash) and then has the (honour of being taken away

by the police in the same van as the Ace Face of the Mods (coolly played by Gordon Summer, better known as “Sting,” the lead singer of the British rock group the Police).

After that Jimmy seems hell-bent on self-destruction: he loses his friends, his girl, I his job. is kicked out of home, and then suffers the | ultimate tragedy, having his ; scooter destroyed in an acciident. i But that is not all, the final, disillusionment comes I when he sees his former I hero, the Ace Face, neatly (dressed up as a bell boy at (a Brighton hotel going l i through the “Yes, sir.” “No, !sir” routine.' ■lt seems that there is nothing left to live for: Jimmy steals the Ace’s scoo-j ter and heads for the white! cliffs but. never fear, this’ may be only the start of a new life. I