QUADRO PHENIA TURNS 40
Franc Roddam’s 1979 film Quadrophenia is being feted in the U.K. this year with celebrations marking the film’s 40th anniversary. Made by The Who Films Ltd. and co-produced by Roy Baird and The Who’s manager, Bill Curbishley, the film was based on The Who’s 1973 album of the same name. And the film took some of its visual inspiration from the book of black-and-white photos taken by Ethan Russell that came with The Who’s Quadrophenia album.
Keith Moon died shortly before filming was due to begin on Quadrophenia in September 1978. There was some uncertainty as to whether or not the film would proceed following Moon’s death. But Curbishley is credited with seeing to it that the filming would go ahead.
Starring Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash, the film also featured Phil Davis, Trevor Laird, Gary Shail, Toyah Wilcox, Mark Wingett, Ray Winstone and Garry Cooper. And it served as the feature-film debut of Sting, who portrayed Ace Face. In a nutshell, the film chronicles a period in 1964 in the life of Jimmy Cooper (Daniels), a London-based Mod who toils in an advertising agency mailroom and runs around with his equally fashion-conscious Mod friends — Chalky (Davis), Dave (Wingett), Spider (Shail), Monkey (Wilcox) and Ferdy (Laird), who sells amphetamines to Jimmy and his pals. Motor scooters accessorized with multiple mirrors and other embellishments are their mode of transportation. Jimmy pines for Steph (Ash), who works as a cashier at a grocery store. Bank Holiday weekend
