How are youth cultures represented in Quadrophenia?

Youth cultures are formed from a criteria consisting of dress/fashion, music influences, rebellion against "the norm", having a collective identity and being marginalized. Teenagers are the age group which stereotypically fall into such cultures, in fact the word teenager means "constructed social group". The cultures were in part made by marketers to sell products and services. In the 1960's and 1970's there was an uprising and rebellion against consumerism which led to the forming of "counter culture". The trend has continued by formation of user generated cultures online. Ketleys theory of 2007 states that- "Among young people themselves, a wide range of colourful labels such as "Goths, Skaters, Greebos and Surfers" are often used to make distinctions between the behaviours of specific friendship groups"

The two main youth cultures we witness in the film Quadrophenia are the rival groups of the "Mods" and the "Rockers". These social groups differ in music taste, dress sense and vehicle design but are similar in many more ways- they are a collective who become alike to be different. The film follows the life of a young Mod Jimmy who lives in London in 1965. Like many others of his time, Jimmy hates the mundane life, especially his parents and his job in a company's mailing division. Only when he's together with his friends, a 'Mod' clique, takes a trip to Brighton on his motor-scooter and hears music such as that of 'The Who' he feels free and accepted. However, it's a flight into an illusionary world that in the end only leads to his downfall. This film clearly shows his youth culture as meaning everything to him, it is what fuels and leads his life. Jimmy sums up his feeling towards his culture in the line " I don't wanna be the same as everybody else. That's why I'm a Mod, see? I mean, you gotta be somebody, ain't ya, or you might as well jump in the sea and drown."

The representation of youth cultures can be clearly seen from the DVD cover. The colour scheme of the cover is red, white and blue which shows the British setting as well as incooperating The Who's band artwork. These colours also follow the theme of strong contrasts and could represent the contrast between the rival groups within the film. The Who's logo an also be seen within the "Q" of the word Quadrophenia, written in strong capitals across the top. The other text on the cover consists of a quote from Pete Townshend who is a member of The Who; "Quadropehenia tells a universal story 'Mod' is a shorter word for 'Young, Beautiful and Stupid'- we've all been there". As well as summarising the youth culture here the language also gives the viewer an insight into Mod life. The word 'Universal' is used to represent how youth cultures are not just a British 1960's feature, but something that features throughout time and across the globe. The use of the collective pronoun 'we' also suggests the speaker has personal experience and involvement within this culture. The final piece of text on the cover is a bold white against the blue mod figures and reads "A WAY OF LIFE". This tag line condenses what it means to be part of a youth culture- it is in all senses a religion.

The blue figures along the base of the cover feature the main characters and 'friends' of Jimmy within the Mod group. Their stances are relaxed and they look like a close group, however Jimmy stands apart, above and infront of them. He is the only part of the cover that does not fit the colour scheme for he is coloured in black and white, providing a stark contrast to the others. At the same time as being evidently apart from the others his stance is somewhat saddened and he has a vacant facial expression, representing his lost and alone situation within the film. His size and placing shows the viewer his importance within the film as the main character, but also the irony in the fact he is seperating himself to try and fit in.

The title of the film is Quadrophenia. The first part of the word "Quad" which means four, could represent the four personalities of Jimmy. Jimmy within the complex relationships of his family, Jimmy as part of the working world rebelling against consumerism, Jimmy as part of the Mod culture, and Jimmy as a renewed man pre Mod stage. The film centres around Jimmy trying to find who he really is, at the start he strives to be a leader within the culture- "Steph: Going to be one of the faces? Jimmy: What do you mean going to be? I AM one of the faces!". However Jimmy eventually learns of the fickilty within this lifestyle once he reaches an equilibrium after coming back from the Brighton riots. The soundtrack however really drives the narrative, as the film was originally written as a rock opera. The music is by the 60's band The Who, who wrote the music before the film- influenced by their many "Mod" follwers. The endorsement of The Who can be seen throughout the film, within the soundtrack which features throughout, as well as the artwork.

The lyrics of songs within Quadrophenia do in most cases link directly to what happens or the feelings of the characters within the film.For example when Jimmy discovers the idolised 'Ace Face' is merely a Bell Boy, the song 'Bell Boy' plays featuring the lyrics "Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces Riding up in front of a hundred faces, I don't suppose you would remember me, But I used to follow you back in '63." [...] "Some nights I still sleep on the beach. Remember when stars were in reach. I wander in early to work, Spend my day licking boots for my perks" These lyrics accuratley describe Jimmys frustration to find his idol is in reality just part of the norm and his hatred of consumerism. Another example is found within the opening scene when the song 'The Real Me' plays which features the lyrics "Can you see the real me, doctor? I went back to my motherI said, "I'm crazy ma, help me." This describes Jimmys situation within Quadrophenia, with his struggle to find the real him alongside his family turmoil. Later on in the film at a particular low point the song 'Im one' plays which features the lyrics "But I can't get that even tanned look on my face.Ill fitting clothes I blend in the crowd, Fingers so clumsy Voice too loud. But I'm one." These lyrics represent Jimmys sense of loss within his social group and culture, he feels again individual but not as a collective, as "one".

I have chosen to analyse this section of the film in closer detail, from 1:05-2:50.
The sequence begins with a dark road scene, the only light sources are from soft streetlights and  the prominent headlights of the bike that illuminates Jimmys face in the foreground. The colours seen here are limited within the shadowy night time scene, a few of the colours within the background come from the streetlamps but they are mainly out of focus, creating a soft bokeh like effect. The shots focus on firstly the bike as a whole as it journeys along the dark road. The fact that this gang member is out at night aids to the representation of youth cultures, the scene is dark and therefore carrys conotations of evil, wrong doing, deception and mischief. However at this point the editing then quickens in cut pace as shots appear which feauture Jimmys expression- one of happiness and hope. The headlight from Jimmys bike is the most prominent light source within the scene, it acts as a leading light for the character and also an spherical eye like glow, guiding the character through the streets. The number of headlights on a bike also show the viewer whether the rider is a Mod or a Rocker, and how the youth cultures are very appearance driven.

 As Jimmy travels through the street he us suddenly surrounded by a group of single lighted bikes who are evidently the rival group, they heckle and even kick at Jimmy, but drive on after a few seconds. Within this moment of panic the constant front shots switch to one of Jimmy looking behind at the camera to show his worry. When 'danger' presents itself the music builds in volume and pace, creating tension and a build up of the dark shapes surrounding the protagonist. However after this point the editing slows, the scene lightens and tense music fades as the character reaches safety of the mods. At this point Jimmy drives his bike into a collection of very similar looking models, he is now amongst a group again and no longer an individual. When Jimmy arrives he pays another character a large quantity of money for "blues" or amphetamines most commonly known as Speed. The extended amount of money shows the importance of the youth culture to this character as he tries to fit in. It also aids the negative representation of youth cultures as negative with the feature of drug abuse.

Throughout this sequence the viewer witnesses Todorors' theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium. The character of Jimmy reaches an equilibrium when he is cruising along towards the dance halls upon his Mod scooter. However this equilibrium is disrupted when he sees the rockers and the character faces a disequilibrium. Once the disruption passes the character is able to find a new equilibrium within the arrival at the dancehall. In conclusion the representation of youth cultures within this film is overall negative. Despite the protagonist feeling most at home happy and at home within the culture it also provides his downfall and a large amount of turmoil. As members of the audience I feel we do sympathise with youth cultures and the protagonist within the film however the presentation is overall negative so we dont sympathise completely. Our views are constructed by the negative actions we see throughout the film, however the viewpoint from an insider within these youth cultures allows the viewer to feel some compassion for the situations and the members.