Review of Quadrophenia (Special Edition)

Introduction

Based on The Who`s rock opera concept album of the same name (which I must confess I`ve never heard), `Quadrophenia` is set in 1964 and follows Jimmy (Phil Daniels), a teenage `Mod` in London, and his search for an identity and purpose.

I had only previously seen this once, on TV, and didn`t remember much about it; I wasn`t alive at the time so almost treated the film as a `history lesson`.

Video

Although not perfect, this remastered 1.85:1 transfer is a very good one and there is little evidence of grain or other blemishes.

You are given an initial choice of eighteen different languages for the menus and the film has twenty four different subtitle options.

Audio

Considering this is a `Special Edition`, I`m surprised that more effort wasn`t made to include a 5.1 soundtrack. The 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo track is fine for the dialogue-driven first half of the film but a 5.1 soundtrack would have been ideal, particularly for the `Brighton battle` and would have helped showcase the excellent soundtrack of both original music and score. The track listing is superb, including extracts from the album `Quadrophenia`, in addition to songs by The Who and supplemented by additional tracks by artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Ronettes, The Supremes and Booker T and the MG`s.

Features

I only had disc one of this two disc set so the only extra feature on disc one is the commentary by director Franc Roddam, Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash. The commentary comprises Roddam and Daniels watching the film together and providing what information they were able to remember. The commentary is more `gappy` that I would have liked but the two provide some revealing insights into the making of the film. Far more interesting and well delivered are the comments, which were recorded separately and inserted into the commentary, from an articulate Leslie Ash who seems to remember the film more than either Roddam or Daniels. The commentary has subtitles available.

The second disc apparently has a `making of` and a documentary in which Franc Roddam revisits the locations used in the film. I can only rate the features I`ve seen and haven`t seen these which reflects the low score.

Conclusion

`Quadrophenia` is a remarkable film: it is an account of the famous `Mods versus Rockers` clash at Brighton during the Whitsun bank holiday of 1964, the set and production design achieve a period authenticity similar to Peter Bogdanovich`s `The Last Picture Show` and it features a terrific performance from Phil Daniels, who manages to convey all the boredom, pent-up energy and self-destructive streak of the `angry young man` without a role model whose only outlet is an aspiration to an active involvement in gang violence and thereby find a sense of purpose and belonging.

The casting of `Quadrophenia` appears to be landmark in British film and TV: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Timothy Spall, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick and even Sting were all in the formative years of their careers at the time of filming.

This is a film that has achieved cult status amongst Mods who were either around in the 1960s or wannabe Mods who wish they had been there and use `Quadrophenia` and the fashions of the time as part of their identity. As a debut film, Franc Roddam has done exceptionally well with a cast of young actors who had limited experience and has created a landmark film that is loved by many, more than twenty five years after it was made. The initial release has been around for seven years and many would argue that the release of this special edition is not before time. The improved transfer and sound, together with the extras make this an essential purchase for anyone with more than a passing interest in the cultural phenomenon or the music of the Mod era or for those looking to upgrade on the initial `vanilla` release.