INTERVIEWED: THE MEN BEHIND QUADROPHENIA

Next time you walk into Blockbuster Video, take a look around; a real good look. Of the films on display, over 90% will be the products of Hollywood. A quarter of them will be worth watching, another quarter will be passable entertainment, and there’s a third section for wet Sundays. Then there’s the final dreadful quarter to contend with – the films you don’t ever remember being on at the cinema, but have interesting looking covers, and star one actor whose name you may recall.

These are the films of Satan: the VHS of the fallen angel, and occasionally even the Betamax of Beezlebub. They take in the unwary, numb their brains and lower their standards. People who didn’t pay to see one, will slag it off. The purchaser is automatically on the defensive, “It’s not that bad,” can be considered a recommendation when there’s nothing that takes your fancy.

You aren’t even safe at the cinema, as anyone foolish enough to follow the hype of Waterworld will attest; or worst still, taken in by the advertising surrounding Broken Arrow. These are just special effects films littered with actors passing time in the hope a script will arrive.

The thing is that all these shelves of transatlantic loss could safely be cleared to display some of the great movies made in our own country – postwar comedies and drama from Ealing, Michael Caine’s exploits in 60s Britain. There are hundreds of great British movies that were made on the budget given to the catering on Costner’s Waterwank. Some of the most celebrated British films of late – Trainspotting and Four Weddings & A Funeral – have had little to do with special effects. They rely instead on studying and exaggerating aspects of British society, basing the film round characters and plot, rather than computer graphics and explosions.

Quadrophenia is another such film, and with the recent upsurge in popularity of all things Mod, there will be another chance to see it on the wide screen, as it goes on general release in the UK from January 31st.

As Laurence from the distribution company points out, not that many people actually went to see it in the cinema. While it may have helped fuel the subsequent 80s Mod and scooter revivals, for the most part it did so by way of worn out VHS cassettes, played until the dialogue could be recited.

Only now, 18 years after its first release, will many of the people who have enthusiastically championed the film finally get a chance to see an uncut, big screen Quadrophenia, and even listen in quadrophonic sound.

UNCUT & RE-RELEASED

As a way of generating a bit of publicity for the re-release, the film company had organised a series of interviews with both Franc Roddam; the co-writer and director, and the original Jimmy: Phil Daniels. Scootering was lucky enough to get 20 minutes with them both to get some background on the film, and clear up some of the misnomers about it.

FROM CONCEPT TO CLASSIC

Quadrophenia started out as a 1973 concept album by The Who, a double album which was accompanied by a series of powerful black and white photographs and a sleeve note story of Jimmy – the original mixed up Mod.

It seems pretty obvious that Townshend & Co already had intentions for Quadrophenia to become a film when they made the album, and such a task was not beyond them. Long before Quadrophenia, the earlier ‘rock opera’ Tommy made it to the cinema. The film version of Tommy still came across as an adapted piece of theatre, and The Who are reported to have been disappointed with it.

When their record company agreed to fund the film, there still wasn’t even a definitive story in place (beyond the record sleeve notes), let alone a full script and dialogue. Roy Baird and Bill Curbishley were assigned as producers, and they asked Roddam to direct the film having read a letter he wrote in Screen magazine bemoaning the fact that British acting talent was being overlooked in an effort to appeal to