"We are the Mods, We are the Mods, We are, We are, We are the Mods." Errr, no we're not, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a classic British film set in the 1964 era of Mods and Rockers...

"I was in a crowd of kids once chasing three Rockers down Brighton Pier. As it seemed they were going to get caught anyway the Rockers stopped and turned to meet their fate. All hundred of these kids I was with stopped dead... There's nothing uglier than a Rocker." Jimmy Cooper, Quadrophenia

"'Mod' is shorter word for young beautiful and stupid. Quodrophenia tells a universal story - we've all been there." Pete Townsend, The Who

Why are we reviewing a Mod film on a classic motorcycle web site? Because it's not really about Mods. And because it *is* really a good film.

Set in 1964 but released in 1979, the film is about being a teenager in Britain at any time between the mid-sixties and the mid-seventies. Remember that dead-end job, still living at home, blowing all the wages at the weekend time of life when we were all looking for something to belong to, something to define ourselves by? That's what Quadrophenia is about.

Quadrophenia's hero Jimmy (played by Phil Daniels, now in East Enders etc.) works as a post-boy in a faceless company, rides a scooter, wears a parka and a sharp suit and pops pills at the weekend. He occasionally crosses paths with ex-school friend and Rocker Ray Winstone, gets shouted at by his mum and dad, lusts after Leslie Ash, the usual stuff. It all falls apart after a riotous weekend in Brighton but I'm not going to give too much of the plot away.

What makes it a great film is the mix of nostalgia for the sixties (there's even a telegram boy and Post Office van for Woodie) which I only remember as a child, and the late seventies, when I saw the film while I was probably going through a lot of the same teenage angst as Jimmy (but while wearing a fringed leather jacket).

I saw if first time round in a cinema full of biker mates when it first came out, and then I stumbled on it again last week while channel hopping. I didn't mean to watch it but I was hooked in. It's as good now as it was then, and I reckon it easily deserves a place in RealClassic's list of film reviews.

There's something for everyone. A great soundtrack, plenty of opportunites to play "name that old Brit bike", enough scooter crashes to satisfy even Jerry, Sting being cool, Toyah being, well, Toyah, a bunk-up for Leslie Ash and a riot scene that looked like it was great fun to film.

And even better, there's a two disc special edition DVD boxed set on special offer at Amazon.

Martin "Greebo" Gelder

******

Quadrophenia [1979]

Box Set, PAL, Special Edition
Buy the DVD from Amazon, or buy the original album, also from Amazon.

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