QUADROPHENIA (1979)
Directed by Franc Rodham
Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Phillip Davis, Mark Wingett, Ray Winstone, Sting
Many times on this blog, I've reviewed film that were adaptations. And, most of those times, I made the statement that I was unfamiliar with the source material and, therefore, couldn't say whether or not the film was a faithful adaptation.
This time, however, I'm extremely familiar with the source material: the classic 1973 rock opera by The Who, Quadrophenia. Depending on who you ask, it's either the seminal portrait of early '60s teenage angst, or an overblown love letter from The Who to themselves. Personally, I'm in the former category. It's one of my all-time favorite albums, painting a picture of a young man trying to find his way in a world he doesn't feel a part of. The album is not without its faults, though. Pete Townshend may be an amazing songwriter, but he's not the best storyteller. The album's story becomes somewhat muddled and confusing if listened to on its own. Thankfully, Townshend was probably aware of this, so the original issue of the album came complete with a short story and a photo book to help keep the listening audience from becoming too confused.
But where the album comes up short on plot, it more than makes up for musically and thematically. The protagonist, Jimmy, is a Mod in the early 60's who wants nothing more than to fit in with his Mod friends and engage in as much pill-fueled mayhem as possible. He also claims to suffer from multiple personality disorder (he calls himself "Quadrophenic," a play on "schizophrenic"), with each of his personalities represented by a musical theme, all of which pop up in different places on the album, and all meld together in the penultimate track, "The Rock."
Naturally, such a heady concept would be difficult to capture on film. So how does this adaptation measure up?
First of all, it should be noted that this film, oddly enough, is not a musical. Unlike the film version of The Who's previous rock opera Tommy, Quadrophenia eschews the "song and dance" style and instead opts for a more gritty, realistic approach. The songs from the album are treated more as mood music than anything else. It works well at some points, but the album is very synth-heavy. And seeing as how there were hardly - if any - synthesizers in early '60s rock n' roll, the effect can be very jarring at times. We go from scenes featuring rock bands in dingy clubs (and an appearance from The Who on Ready, Steady, Go! on the TV) to a much more modern soundtrack. Sometimes it works (such as with the acoustic number "I'm One"), and other times, it sounds much too advanced to fit into the world we're seeing on screen.
The story of Jimmy (Daniels) is much expanded on the screen. However, the focus of the film is less about Jimmy trying to fit in, and more about the rivalry the Mods had with Britain's other music-based movement of the time, the Rockers. Jimmy's old friend and neighbor Kevin (Winstone) is a Rocker, forcing him to choose sides between his old friend or his new friends. The other emphasis is on the drug-fueled mayhem, of which there is much. Amphetamines were the drug of choice for the Mods, so Jimmy spends much of the film running wild during the night and being sick and lethargic during the day. These two parts of Jimmy's life come to a head during a road trip to Brighton, where he and the other Mods start a full-scale riot when trying to accost a couple of Rockers who'd been harassing them. Jimmy and several others are arrested, including the coolest of the Mods, known simply as "Ace Face" (Sting). But Jimmy's parents get word of what happened (and find his stash of pills) and kick him out of the house. Jimmy quits his job, is rejected by his sweetheart and starts to rebel even against his friends. With more pills and a quart of gin, he hops the train back to Brighton, only to find out that the Ace Face he admired so much works as a bell boy at a posh oceanside hotel. Disillusioned with everything he though he believed in, he steals Ace's motor scooter and drives it off a cliff.
Where the album was more of a broad, abstract painting of a disaffected youth, the film gives us a more detailed portrait, not only of the character, but of the time. But unlike some other rock films, such as Pink Floyd: The Wall, this is not a literal interpretation. Liberties are taken with the character and the story, which isn't a bad thing. The original was pretty vague to begin with, so to have some of the gaps filled in help move things along quite well. However, there is one glaring omission: the aspect of Jimmy's split personalities. The idea is suggested by Jimmy's dad, but it's never expanded on. The only illness seems to be Jimmy's drug-induced paranoia, which eventually gets the best of him. The four themes from the album are still there, but in the context of the film, they don't mean anything. Again, they're just mood music. And that, along with the story possibilities lost with the omission of this plot point, seems like a huge waste.
That's not to say this is a bad film. It's actually quite a good one, with a lot to like. But fans of the album may find themselves disappointed in the final product. I would suggest to anyone who's not either heard the album or seen the movie to do both. They compliment each other well, each making up for the weakness of the other.
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