Quadrophenia (film)
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Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film based on the 1973 album by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Mod named Jimmy. The film also stars Toyah Willcox, Mark Wingett, John Altman, Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone and Sting.
In 1964 London, Jimmy Cooper, is a member of a Mod gang - well-dressed youths who ride Lambretta scooters. The mods are always fighting with Rockers, who wear black leather and ride motorcycles. Disillusioned by his parents and a dead end job in an advertising firm, Jimmy only finds an outlet for his teenage angst with his mod pals Dave), Chalky and Spider. A three-day bank holiday provides the excuse for the rivalry between the two gangs to come to a head, as they both descend upon the seaside town of Brighton.
The film is a reflection of the punky, pre-Thatcherite Britain, documenting the amphetamine-fuelled narcissism of youth culture in the 1960s. Central to the story are the clashes between Mods and Rockers of the time, culminating with a bloody battle on a beach at Brighton, which was based on a real life event.
The film was Franc Roddam's directing debut.
In 2004 the magazine Total Film named Quadrophenia the 35th greatest British film of all time.