How are youth cultures represented in Quadrophenia?

Abrahams (1959) summarised the term youth culture in the post-war period as “the mass culture of certain groups of working class men”. Crucially, ‘The adolescent: Development, relationships and culture’ by Allyn and Bacon then developed this idea

and came up with a much broader definition “the sum of the ways of living of adolescents; it refers to the body of norms, values and practises recognised and shared by members of the adolescent society as appropriate guides to actions”. However, from 1945 the birth of the ‘teen’ occurred which bought about many negative stereotypes. Teenagers were constructed during a time where a consumer society was growing along with rising living standards; thus the economic potential for this age group would be advantageous for those who needed someone to target their products at. A lucrative market was formed despite the fact that a contrasting image of teenagers was being formed by the adult cultures; teenagers were being represented as ‘a prosperous and liberated future’ and ‘a culture of moral decline’. Significantly, this is where the negative stereotypes began to collate as people were conforming to the ideology of collective identities. Quadrophenia represented two key youth cultures from the 1960s: the Mods and the Rockers.

When referring to the DVD cover for Quadrophenia, one notes how the use of graphology and lexis represents the film and its characters as very concealed by their identity as a Mod, except Jimmy. Firstly, the colour scheme of red, white and blue represents Britain as these are the colours of the flag. Mods and rockers were primarily native in 1960s Britiain – although these youth cultures did transfer to countries such as America and still exist today. One notes that the title of the film follows this colour scheme; in particular the ‘Q’. It could be said that the ‘Q’ at the start of Quadrophenia is symbolic of a group of people within a ‘protective’ outer shell. This could be much like the Mod youth culture whereby the red circle represents the Mods and the blue outer ring is the metaphorical barrier in which nobody else can enter unless they are part of the Mod collective identity.

What’s more, the language on the DVD cover represents the youth cultures. The inclusive pronoun ‘we’ve’ suggests to one that a collective group of people is being represented – not just one. It’s also indicative of the fact that this story is

universal; no matter which group is involved or which time period it’s in, the theory is transferable. Moreover, one can identify that the tag line ‘A way of life’ means that this was deeper than just a fad to the people involved – it was their whole life. Such a bold statement leads one to believe that this was comparable to a religion or something of the same ideological status.

This can be seen also in the images on the DVD cover. One notes that the Mods are all standing confidently together as a group. They are all the same size and colour and have the same fashion sense as each other. It could be interpreted that they form a physical barrier which is intimidating for anyone outside their group; hence the negative representation of this particular group. Their disapproval of anyone outside their group is further represented in the scowling expressions that they have on their faces which cause them to seem unapproachable and frightening to the Rockers or adult culture. Imperatively, Jimmy’s image has been separated from the Mods as he is larger and in a different colour therefore signalling his teenage angst. Crucially, this separation can also be indicative of his personal struggles with identity as during the film he finds personal conflict when attempting to conform to all of the Mod attributes. The fact that Jimmy is black and white tells one that he cannot fit in with the rest of the group and form part of the collective identity. Furthermore, black and white are contrasting colours which could further support the internal conflict that he faced with youth cultures and the trouble that he got into (as black and white have connotations of the law).

After researching the film’s title ‘Quadrophenia’, one was able to find that it is the meaning for Jimmy’s four personalities. Each personality is said to be based on a member of English rock band The Who, the band who wrote the soundtrack for the film. Pete Townsend, Quadrophenia co-creator stated that these four personalities were: a tough guy, a romantic, a lunatic and a hypocrite. Not only is the title indicative of Jimmy’s four personalities but it also references the medical condition schizophrenia; a “dissociative identity disorder” (Wikipedia). In addition, the title is said to be a play on the ‘recent’ invention of quadraphonic sound (4.0 surround sound – using four speakers in the corners of the listening space). One feels that is could allude to the importance of music in the Mods and Rockers’ lives and the overarching importance of music within the film.

As mentioned, the soundtrack for Quadrophenia was written in 1973 by British rock band The Who – it was a rock opera. It’s evident that the full use of The Who’s album would have endorsed them and their music greatly when the film was released. The score was released six years before the film was made – perhaps a reason behind why not all of the songs appeared in the film as only the most relevant ones were chosen for the soundtrack. It’s important to note that the songs in the film reflect the narrative. At closer analysis of the lyrics, one comes to recognise that usually they mirror exactly what is occurring in the scene. For example, in the opening of the film, the lyrics “Can you see the real me?” befall as Jimmy is pictured riding his bike along the streets as a happy Mod. The fact that this happens at this moment suggests to the audience that being a Mod is his identity and that he has invested his life into this youth group – it’s not a fad or trend he’s temporarily following. Ironically, the following lyrics are “I’m crazy ma, help me” which are suggestive of his uncertainty towards this youth group and way of life. So these two lyrics in the same song would instantly convey to the audience that although for many Mods their attitudes and behaviour are a way of life, there are characters such as Jimmy who have doubts about it. Therefore, fuelling the adult’s precision in viewing this age group as declining morally. Interestingly, the lyrics to the song ‘Cut My Hair’ are: “I got to move with the fashion or be an outcast”. This indicates the way that youth culture

works as a whole; if a person doesn’t follow the trends to fit in they cannot class themselves as part of the group and will therefore become an outcast. One could then follow the narrative of the film and identify the actions that Jimmy is performing in order to avoid being a recluse.

When exploring the crash scene in Quadrophenia one is able to recognise many techniques that director, Franc Roddam, used to represent youth cultures in a certain way. When comparing the outset of this scene to the outset of the film, one is able to note the differences in Jimmy’s actions. Imperatively, in the opening of the film Jimmy is riding his bike in the darkness – this is a natural habitat for him as the Mods in the film tended to socialise at night. This dark setting caused the lighting to be of an unnatural or artificial state; perhaps demonstrating the false identity that Jimmy created in becoming a Mod. Oppositely, the daylight setting in the car crash scene conveys Jimmy’s unsettled emotion and unnatural habitat, therefore representing the Mods in a negative way due to the effect that the youth culture group had on him. What’s

more, the new natural lighting could be symbolic of a new phase in Jimmy’s life – further representing the Mods negatively because this juxtaposes the idea that it’s a “way of life”. One could suggest that at the outset of the film, the two headlights represent Jimmy’s two choices – to fit in as a Mod or to become a social outcast. The fact that neither light is shining in the latter crash sequence could portray that Jimmy no longer has the choice to make because being a Mod ruined his life. Moreover, if the artificial light is a symbol of Jimmy’s energy as a Mod, it could be said that he has exhausted himself from being a Mod.

Further analysis allows one to note the way the editing and camera movements represent the Mod youth culture. Only six camera shots are used to show the action within the scene – contrasting many other crash scenes in visual media items where many camera angles and shots are used to indicate the urgency and devastation during a crash. Linking this to the representation of youth cultures, one could infer that Jimmy’s character feels the Mod way of life is slowing down or dying out for him. This is because the long camera sequences extend the action and make it seem as though Jimmy is not engaged with the world around him, causing him to crash. The simple cuts in the editing are indicative of a lack in enthusiasm, perhaps again towards the Mod way of life in his current state of disequilibrium. Additionally, one can identify a further comparison between the crash scene and the film opening: the film opening showed many different close ups, long shots and mid shots of Jimmy riding his bike. This range in shots made the sequence seem more experimental, much like Jimmy’s behaviour as a Mod at the outset. However, during the crash scene only mid shots and long shots were used. One interprets this as Jimmy’s personality becoming more tested and not experimental as a lack of camera shot variety was used. On the other hand, a pull shot was used as Jimmy was about to crash, therefore this could oppose one’s previous ideas about a lack of shot variety.

Crucially, the sound in the crash scene tells the audience a lot about how the Mods were represented in Quadrophenia. This scene was filled with solely diegetic sounds; a contrast to others which have played music by The Who. As previously discussed, music was a key element for any youth culture group as it is one of the ways that other people would identify them as part of their collective identity. One could suggest that the omission of a non-diegetic soundtrack represents Jimmy as no longer meeting the ‘requirements’ to be a Mod. Without the trademark music, the scene seems eerily quiet and the diegetic sounds are made to seem more brutal and piercing. The taboo language and expletives that Jimmy screams at the men in the van are harsh and, to an unprepared audience, might come as a shock. Words of this nature are often associated with violence, uneducated behaviour, aggression and hostility – therefore representing the Mods in a negative way. The slurred words happened to ensue when there was a close up of Jimmy shouting at the men. One would argue that this fuels the adult culture’s view that teenagers represent ‘moral decline’ as the close up of Jimmy shouting makes him seem like the stereotypical immature Mod.

Finally, in terms of the misé en scene, the location and props in the crash scene have an implicit impact on the way that youth cultures are represented in Quadrophenia. Jimmy’s bike is red, white and blue which ties in with one’s previous statements about the DVD cover having the same colour scheme due to the Mod and Rocker youth cultures being of a British origin. Moreover, his costume is typical of a Mod: a parker and jeans. Conversely, one was able to recognise that Jimmy was no longer wearing a shirt, instead a basic top with a low neckline showing off his bare, pale chest. This signals to one that Jimmy’s appearance has faltered thus going against the lyrics in the song at the outset of the film: “I got to move with the fashion or be an outcast” as he could now be seen as an outcast for not being on-point with the Mod fashion. The location of the scene is a narrow street with hedges and cars on either side creating a physical barrier which isolates him to the road. Evidently, this could represent his emotional state at the time as he felt entrapped and forced into becoming a Mod. What’s more, the crash occurs at a cross road – one might interpret this as a metaphorical representation of Jimmy’s crash or decline when he chose to be a Mod, take drugs and involve himself in the risky situations that the other Mods were putting themselves in.

To conclude, Quadrophenia represents the affect that youth culture had on many young people in many ways. It showed Todorov’s narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and a possible new equilibrium at the end. Overall youth cultures were portrayed in a negative way as the people involved were shown to be trouble-makers and irresponsible. Moreover, the destruction of Jimmy’s life was narrated which conveyed the way in which youth cultures engulfed people’s entire lives and changed them as a person. Jimmy defined himself as a group, which is what lead him to disequilibrium; this is similar to Kathryn Woodward’s (1997) quote:

“Representation (as a cultural process) establishes individual and collective identities, and symbolic systems provide

possible answers to the questions: who am I?; what could I be?; who do I want to be?”