Franc Roddam's Film Quadrophenia. a Realistic Representation of Britain in the 1960s?

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,0, University of Duisburg-Essen, course: British Rock since 1960, language: English, abstract: The British movie "Quadrophenia" directed by Franc Roddam and released in 1979, picks youngsters' identity problems from the working class in Britain in the sixties out as a central theme. It is based on the rock opera of the same name by the British band 'The Who'. The film is quite interesting to watch, especially as a young person, because after all the then-problems still affect today's youth. It is hard for a young person to find his/her position in society and too many influences from the outside world can distract you from achieving what you aim for in life. In the first part of this term paper I am going to describe the mood of the sixties in England, when the story of the young London Mod James Michael Cooper takes place and important changes during this decade will be mentioned. Besides, two subcultures will be presented: the Teddy Boys, as the beginning of youth movements in England in 1950 and the Rockers, the Mods' enemies. In the second part of this thesis, I am going to characterise the protagonist of the film "Quadrophenia" in detail. Jimmy's outward appearance will be described as well as his state of mind. Furthermore, the rivalry between Mods and Rockers will be analised. The members of both subcultures differ not only from their outward appearance but as well in their taste of music and lifestyle which led to riots between 1964 and 1966 between Mods and Rockers, especially at weekends in seaside resorts like Brighton, Margate, Clacton and Has