Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
I agree. I loved a number of small touches in the movie, like having
Jimmy's friend look like a young Roger Daltrey, or that scene at the
party during "MY Generation" when everyone shots "FUCK OFF!"  Great
performances, too. 
  

    
Now I want to see it.  
  

    
My favorite moment is when Jimmy/Phil Daniels derisively yells "Bell
Boy!" at Sting when he discovers Sting (whom he'd looked up to as the
epitome of the ultra-cool mod) is a bell boy at a Brighton hotel,
taking orders from rich cads all day.
  

    
Sting does a pretty good job in his brief scenes, and that scene is a
great payoff for the courtroom scene earlier ("I'll pay now").

It's really quite a well-made movie, and not as widely known as it
should be. Whether that's because people connect it with a Who album
they don't know very well or because of its deep Englishness (Americans
generally don't do well with thick British accents), I don't know.

Also, it's a "rock movie" that's really just an English dramatic film
with a Who soundtrack. No one plays music in it, and music is only in
the forefront of a couple scenes (I think: the party and the great
scene when he's watching the Who on television and his dad gives him a
hard time).

I think I should watch it again -- it's been a while! Looking it up on
IMDb, I'd forgotten that Jimmy's Rocker friend is Ray Winstone. And
IMDb says that John Lydon screen-tested for the role of Jimmy!
  

    
It's important to note that the Who didn't have the kind of direct
involvement in "Quadrophenia" that they would have had if "Lifehouse"
had been made into the film (for which Pete Townshend actually wrote,
or said he wrote, prospective scripts). It's a separate project than
the album, though many songs from the album are heard on its
soundtrack. It has quite a few more specific characters than the album,
and the story is considerably more elaborate in the film than on the
album (where the story is fairly sketchy). But none of this is meant as
criticism. It's an excellent film that stays faithful to the core of
the album, building upon it intelligently and flamboyantly.

I think how well known "Quadrophenia" is depends on where you were
when it came out, who you were hanging out with, and where you were
when it made the rounds of rep houses for years afterward.
"Quadrophenia" seemed extremely widely known to me and many of my
friends in the early and mid-1980s. But it's a cult film whose reach
into the general public isn't as wide as those familiar with it might
assume.
  

    
I had always thought about the ambiguous endinging











that he didn't, but I had a bunch of people disagree with me.

Interesting point about the opening shot. Now I want to watch the
first five minutes again. :)

Also interesting point about having Jimmy's friend looking like Roger
Daltrey. 
  

    
The first 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzLky4U-xCg
  

    
hmm. yes.
  

    
If you're in or around New York City, "Quadrophenia" is playing as a
midnight movie this Friday and Saturday at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema
on East Houston Street.
<http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm>
and scroll down.

"All "Sunshine at Midnight" Movies Only $10!
Aug 5 & 6: Quadrophenia, featuring music by The Who!"

It's also playing in some other theaters around the US:
<http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Films/films_frameset.asp?id=26351>.
  

    
"Sunshine at Midnight"!  Now that's a theme for a film series.