Quadrophenia

"A Way of Life"

1979 2h 0m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 304

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.

“A Way of Life”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

HBO Max Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Phil Daniels
James Michael 'Jimmy' Cooper
Leslie Ash
Steph
Phil Davis
Chalky
Mark Wingett
Dave
Sting
Ace Face
Ray Winstone
Kevin
Garry Cooper
Peter
Gary Shail
Spider

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Franc Roddam
Writers: Franc Roddam, Martin Stellman, Dave Humphries
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 42% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Franc Roddam, shot by Brian Tufano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sean Barton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash and Phil Davis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A Way of Life".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0079766 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Franc Roddam directs. Brian Tufano behind the camera. Sean Barton cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 42% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
347 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Franc Roddam, shot by Brian Tufano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Sean Barton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash and Phil Davis carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A Way of Life".
8IMDB entry: tt0079766 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "london, england", "england", "woodstock, new york", "music festival".

The technical file

Cinematography: Brian Tufano
Editing: Sean Barton
Production design: Simon Holland
Makeup / hair: Simon Thompson
Sound: Bill Rowe
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,500,000
Box office: $1,050,000
Return: 42% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Quadrophenia (1979)

Also by

Franc Roddam

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-02-20
★ 6/10
Brought up indifferently by parents who couldn't care less, "Jimmy" (Phil Daniels) goes through the motions at work only so he can afford to live the life of a pill-popping "Mod" riding around on his beloved Lambretta scooter. He's in his element, initially, but the adrenalin rushes start to wear off and his search for more exhilaration takes him on a trip to Brighton where an all out battle ensues on the beach with the motor-cycling "Rockers". The results of that opens his eyes a little to the realities of life but now he struggles with adjusting and this leads to a sense of loneliness, isolation and even paranoia. The film is accompanied by The Who's eponymous soundtrack and it's at these points it is most effective, presenting a poignant and rather bleak look at pre-Thatcherite Britain that illustrates just how little hope there was for many and at how almost tribal existence could be on the streets fuelled with conflict, depression and confusion. At times it's a really intense and well focused drama and Daniels is ideally suited for his character. The rest of it is all a bit so-what, though. This hasn't aged particularly well and though maybe unfair to review 40-off years later, it's largely lost what impact it certainly had at the time and is largely devoid of even the darkest of humour to lighten the downbeat mood. Sure, it's brutal and violent at times, the language is honest and authentic and it depicts elements of racism and intolerance effectively, but the plot is a little like life itself. A meandering and frequently disinteresting series of occurrences that rarely merit remembering. It started many a career but somehow even that just seems to reinforce it's stereotyping analysis of society - as Franc Roddam saw it. It's to be commended for the intensity and clever use of hand-held photography but, perhaps because it is so London-centric, I just found it somewhat alien, over-rated and all just a little bit pointless. Maybe that was the whole point?

Production companies