CULT FILMS
Quadrophenia 15
UK | 1979 120 minutes
DIRECTED BY
Franc Roddam
STARRINGPhil Daniels | Leslie Ash | Ray Winstone
Quadrophenia, above all else, does a fantastic job of evoking a time (1964), a place (England) and a cultural phenomenon (Mods & Rockers).
The plot revolves around a young man struggling to find his way in the world on the one hand, and on the other, a clash between the two warring clans, one weekend in Brighton. The film showcases an ensemble of young British talent, including Phil Davis, Ray Winstone, Leslie Ash and a young Timothy Spall (who makes a brief appearance), not to mention Toyah Willcox and Sting. All do great work, and crucially work well together, to create a tapestry of misguided youth so compelling and feeling so authentic that it might not be out of place on a school syllabus.
Phil Daniels plays Jimmy, a young Mod who lives for three things: parties, pills and his scooter (at least that’s what his outward personality would have you believe). These are the three things he can rely on to take him away from the mundane drudgery of everyday life and the killjoys that are his job, his parents and the system. Daniels brings a wildly fluctuating energy and unpredictability to the character of Jimmy. Perhaps most important to him is his perception of identity: “'I don't wanna be the same as everybody else. That's why I'm a Mod, see? I mean, you gotta be somebody, ain't ya, or you might as well jump in the sea and drown.”
Nowadays, the film is perhaps best remembered for its soundtrack from The Who (all of whom were also executive producers). But it's much more than that: it’s a pop-culture time-capsule and an incisive, divisive icon of British film history.
7 April 2025 MONDAY 19:30
AUDITORIUM
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