QUADROPHENIA

UK, 1979, 112 minutes, Colour.
Phil Daniel, Ray Winstone, Phil Davis, Sting.
Directed by Franc Roddam.


1. The Who? Their music? Lyrics? Influence? The songs played throughout the film?

2. A film of the late 1970s and its perspective on the 1960s, memories, nostalgia, critique, understanding?

3. The changes in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s? 1980s society? The impact of the queen’s silver jubilee? The Thatcher years? Roles, behaviour? Gaps between the generations? Reactions? The Mods and the Rockers and the subsiding of these groups?

4. The visualizing of these years? The cinematic styles, music, bikes, violence, permissive attitudes, drugs, sexual relationships and behaviour? Kitchen sink realism?

5. The observation on the young people of the time, judging them or not, critique? Perceptions of society, moral values, lack of vision, antagonistic towards parents, towards employers? Searching for identity?

6. The Mods and the Rockers, their appearance, the different rationales, the sense of belonging, the serious aspects, the bit of a giggle? Police, shotguns, employees, parents?

7. Drugs and the pushers, ordinary young people and the use of drugs, the effect? Drink?

8. Bikes and scooters, their love for them, riding them, from London to Brighton? A symbol?

9. The picture of London, the city, the homes, the streets, clubs? The countryside and the bikes? Brighton, the beach, the pier, the town, the fights?

10. The cast, and their subsequent careers and success?

11. Rebels without a cause, the boring jobs, the lack of ambitions, indifference?

12. Jimmy’s story, Phil Daniels, his appearance, age? The Mod style? His hopes? His mother and her life, at home, the television, asleep, his father and the discussions, his mother ousting him, the arguments? Being with his friends? The trip, the drugs, the small time dealers, the contrast with his life and work, couldn’t-care-less attitude, stealing the pictures, masturbation, his arguing with the bosses? Meeting Kevin in the bath, the past, clashes, Jimmy disowning him because he was a Rocker? Jimmy and his bike, going to Brighton, the group, alone on the beach, the flirtations with Stephanie, her boyfriend, taking her to Brighton, talks, fights, the brief sexual encounter and the aftermath? In the courts, seeing Ace Head, dapper presence, paying the fines, and the disillusionment in seeing him working as a bellhop of the hotel? Taking his bike? Going to Dover, along the cliffs, the possibilities of driving over the cliff and killing himself on the rocks?

13. The characters of the friends, at the bars, dances, the drugs, the bikes, the fights?

14. The girls, at the clubs, drugs, going to Brighton, followers? Stephanie and her harsh words towards Jimmy?

15. Kevin and his story, getting out of England, his military service, renewing contact with Jimmy, but the clash between Molds and Rockers?

16. Ace Head and his story, behaviour?

17. The scene in the projection room, characters, at work, in their own world?

18. The film as a mirror, the particular hero, youth, dissatisfactions, similar to other generations?

19. How realistic the film? How pessimistic?