Quadrophenia **** (1979, Phil Daniels, Mark Wingett, Philip Davis, Leslie Ash, Garry Cooper, Toyah Willcox, Daniel Peacock, Sting) – Classic Movie Review 8091

Director Franc Roddam’s 1979 The Who movie Quadrophenia is a successful and enjoyable trip back to the mods versus rockers seaside scraps of the mid-Sixties, with excellent performances from the rising young stars Phil Daniels, Mark Wingett, Ray Winstone, Philip Davis, Leslie Ash, Garry Cooper, Gary Shail, Toyah Willcox and Daniel Peacock.

The tight, thoughtful script is inspired, as they say, by The Who’s 1973  rock opera, which is a notch down from their album Tommy. But, Quadrophenia is not a musical like the film of Tommy, and the band does not appear live. It is Roddam’s feature directing début.

There is rough and very strong language and graphic gang violence: musicals were not like this at MGM in the Forties and Fifties. It is Sting’s acting début, and, though it is an odd performance, it is not at all bad, either as a posturing mod king called Ace Face or the mere Brighton bellhop he is revealed to be.

Phil Daniels is outstanding as young Londoner Jimmy Cooper, who hates his parents (Michael Elphick, Kate Williams) and his dead-end job as a postroom boy, but loves his Mod gang, riding his scooter, dancing, partying and taking amphetamines, as well as scrapping with the motorcycle-riding Rockers.

When he and his friends ride to Brighton on a Bank Holiday weekend, they clash with the Rockers and he is arrested. He ends up depressed and disillusioned, losing his girlfriend Steph (Leslie Ash) and discovering that his idol Ace Face is just a bellhop.

Quadrophenia is directed by Franc Roddam, runs 120, is made by The Who Films and Polytel, is released by Brent Walker Film Distributing (UK) and World Northal (US), is written by Dave Humphries, Martin Stellman, Franc Roddam and Pete Townshend (uncredited), is shot in Eastmancolor by Brian Tufano, is produced by Roy Baird and Bill Curbishley and is scored by The Who, with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend as musical directors, and production design by Simon Holland.

Also in the cast are Trevor Laird, Kim Neve, Benjamin Whitrow, Jeremy Child, John Phillips, Timothy Spall, George Innes, John Bindon, Jesse Birdsall, Julian Firth, Hugh Lloyd, Patrick Murray, P H Moriarty, Gary Holton, John Altman, Oliver Pierre, Simon Gipps-Kent, Mickey Royce, James Lombard, and Dave Cash. The Who appear as themselves in archive footage with a clip of the band performing ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’ on the iconic TV pop show Ready Steady Go!

When The Who drummer Keith Moon died, the film was nearly cancelled but the producers ‘held it together’, said Roddam.

John Lydon (Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) screen-tested as Jimmy, but the distributors of the film refused to insure him and Phil Daniels was cast instead.

Most of the cast reunited 28 years on at Earls Court on 1 and 2 September 2007 as part of The Quadrophenia Reunion at the London Film and Comic Con. The cast were also part of a Quadrophenia Convention at Brighton in 2009.

An unofficial sequel, To Be Someone, directed by Ray Burdis, stars some of the original cast, including Toyah Willcox, Gary Shail and Phil Daniels. 

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8091

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