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Quadrophenia a Way of Life (Inside the Making of Britain’s Greatest Youth Film)
£17.00
It’s nearly 35 years since the film Quadrophenia hit the world’s cinema screens. Jimmy the Mod’s search for identity against the backdrop of the May Bank Holiday riots of the 1960’s, is regarded as the finest example of a British “youth” movie and a warmly remembered timepiece for a generation. Set against the backdrop of the Mods and Rockers riots of 1964, the film took its lead from The Who’s classic rock opera of 1973. With a stellar cast including Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Wilcox and Police front man Sting, the film launched a whole generation of Britain’s finest actors. Even in 2013, the word Quadrophenia still resonates as a buzzword for youthful exuberance and Modernist imagery. As the generation that first saw it now approach their fifties with teenagers of their own, Quadrophenia has become a glorious benchmark for their own youthful excesses, hopes, dreams and nostalgia. To critics, admirers and casual observers, it’s intriguing: what makes a 30 plus year-old film like Quadrophenia still appealing? And similarly, why do people return to it time and time again? For the first time, QUADROPHENIA….A WAY OF LIFE explores the making of Britain’s great cult film and its subsequent influence on popular culture. With interviews with principal cast members, director Franc Roddam, scriptwriter Martin Stellman and other involved in the creation of the film, this is the definitive account of Britain’s greatest youth movie. Although most would credit Quadrophenia as a “Mod” film, it displays more of the fury of the late 1970’s than 1960’s post-war austerity. Nonetheless, this slightly surreal, timeless atmosphere the film exudes, adds to its charm. Ultimately, Mod and 1960’s references aside, Quadrophenia is a classic “boy meets girl, loses girl” parable; a theme which is perennially identifiable with.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Countdown Books, First Edition (27 Jun. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 283 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0992830443 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0992830441 |
| Dimensions | 15.6 x 1.5 x 23.4 cm |
by Martyn Tott – Freelance Film Maker
Amazing book. So much in here, really interesting facts that I never knew before and very well written.Took me back to that time when I was a teenager discovering the Mod revival as well as giving an inside view of the logistics and technical side of making the movie. If only more books about films were this good. Mr Wells also sent me some behind the scenes photos that couldn’t go in the Kindle book! Thanks.
by T. Cowdrill
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it gives you a great insight into the making of the film, the casting process and all sorts of information you wouldn’t necessarily have thought about. Of particular interest to me was the revelation of numerous actors considered for the role of Jimmy, I won’t spoil it by naming them, but a few of them surprised me.
If you’re a fan of the film then this book is a must read.
by L A Vaughan
Quadrophenia a Way of Life (Inside the Making of Britain’s Greatest Youth Film)
At last – a Quadrophenia book!
I bought this book with great excitment and as a Qudrophenia “fanatic” I could not wait to get it and open it up.
What a disappointment! This is not what I expected and I have already given it away to someone who looked like he didn’t want it either.
So why is it so bad?
Firstly, its crudly illustrated. The words on the pages look like they have been cheaply typed and photocopied. Its very disjointed, confused and badly set up.
The material and content is simply re-used/re-cycled stuff from the DVD “Making Of” featurette with a few more words and personal views thrown in for good measure. The photos and pictures at the back are appalling, you’ll need a microscope to see most of them and if the truth be known it has the smell of “Another Bandwaggon” all over it.
I am flabbergasted that Franc Roddam even put his name anywhere near this – or did he?
What we all want is a Quadrophenia book which is a decent size hardback, featuring nice glossy pictures and photos.
A full interview/discussion/personal profile with the cast members (giving them a chapter each to give their accounts and what the film done for them etc etc) and also a look at some of the other music and not just The Who.
Save your money for some nice quality Quadrophenia merchandise.
This book will soon be available in a charity shop near you so put 50p to one side. Just make sure you get a receipt.
by Amazon Customer
Like so many others, Quadrophenia provided the visual soundtrack to my adolescence and in many ways guided me to become the middle aged man I am today. For me it was truly a question of life imitating art. I’m pleased to say that the attention to detail of the film’s director is matched by the author’s efforts with this book. So many new things to learn about the film even for those like me who thought they already knew it all. A really flowing read with just the right level of respect paid for not just the film, the cast and the director but also for the culture that inspired it and it inspired. Highly recommended.
by Mrs Janet griggs
This was for my husband and he was over moon with it so yes was a very good buy
by R. Davy
Whilst I was too young in 1979 (aged 6) to see the movie “Quadrophenia” the first time around, the 1980s video release, watched time and again by my Mod elder brother, gave me the chance at an early and impressionable age to watch what is nothing less than a classic, almost legendary, movie. Subsequent DVD releases, books from the principle cast members, internet websites, forums, screenings, and all manner of other activities have afforded fans of the film to delve somewhat into its creation and legend.
But what has been lacking for the past 35 years is a complete, from before the beginnings and beyond the ends, story of how the film came to be made, what happened during its making, and the impact it’s had on folk like me.
All that has now changed in 2014 as Simon Wells’ new exhaustive book meets that previously unmet need and more!
As someone who thought he knew much about what went on “inside the making of Britain’s greatest youth film”, I had to think again as page after page a new insight was offered, a new piece of behind the scenes gossip I hadn’t known was given, and a quote I hadn’t previously read produced. Every chapter of the book not only gave me a great feeling of nostalgia but also a new found appreciation for the film and everyone involved in it.
Wells’ research is extensive, both of the mod movement in general and the creation of the album on which the film is based, but also of course of the story of the production of the celluloid version. With countless quotes from practically every corner of the film (principle cast, extras, crew, producers, and perhaps most importantly director Franc Roddam) it cannot be claimed that Wells’ information comes from anything but “official from the horses mouth” sources.
The only criticism that could be levelled at the book is the early photograph reproduction, but the extensive section of continuity polaroids, locations, film posters, and promotional prints which take up the last few pages of the book more than make up for the graininess of the earlier photos.
In short, this IS the book we’ve all been waiting for, and like the film itself I was left with a feeling of wanting more.
by Iain61
This is an incredibly detailed and well-structured analysis and description of the making of the film and everything which surrounded it. I was not a massive Quadrophenia fan but knew enough about the film and music to draw me in to the world of film and revived modernism. It made for a very interesting insight into a sub-culture from the late 1970’s and seat-of-the-pants school of film making.
by Richard L
Although the book starts at a tangent it soon concentrates on what all of us who grew up with it find interesting. An essential read for all who have a passing interest and those who have soaked up its influences and cultural reference.