Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 25, 2012

Franc Roddam's "Quadrophenia" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer for the film; audio commentary with director Franc Roddam, Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash; the documentary film "A Way of Life: Making Quadrophenia"; and video interview with director Franc Roddam. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Cantonese, and Traditional Mandarin subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Pillhead

London, the early ‘60s. 19-year-old Jimmy (Phil Daniels) hates his dead-end job. He also hates his boss and the cops he sees each day on the way to work. He even hates his parents. The only people he likes are his friends, the Mods - young boys and girls who dress in fancy clothes and ride fancy scooters. When he is around them, he feels alive.

Jimmy is single but not in a rush to be in a relationship. He likes Steph (Leslie Ash) but is too busy fantasizing about the annual clash with the Rockers, the Mods' archrivals. This year’s gathering will be in Brighton and he already knows that it will be a special one. The Mods will outnumber the Rockers and kick their asses.

The leader of the Mods is Ace Face (Sting), a handsome and overconfident boy who is always surrounded by beautiful girls. Jimmy admires Ace Face because he has a style. Unlike his boss and coworkers, Ace Face is also real. Jimmy is convinced that if everyone was like Ace Face the world would have been a far better place – and far more exciting.

Eventually, the special day arrives and the Mods head to Brighton. On the beach, they clash with the Rockers, seriously hurting some and forcing others to run away. By the time the police arrives, half the city is covered with blood and shattered glass. Impressed by his uncontrollable anger, Steph allows Jimmy to make love to her while the police are rounding up their friends. After they leave their hiding place, Jimmy is also arrested.

Back home Jimmy is told to pack his bags and leave the house. He goes a step further and also quits his job. He spends his final payment on a bag of ‘blues’, which he shares with a few of his friends. Then, barely able to contain his anger, he heads to the beach.

Franc Roddam’s cult Quadrophenia is a film of two contrasting halves. The first creates the impression that it might be a light comedy about young boys who cannot stay out of trouble. The second hits very hard, summing up the frustration of British youth during the ‘60s. It is loaded with the type of nihilisms that will eventually give birth to the punk movement and later on football hooliganism.

Quadrophenia was Roddam’s first feature film. Before directing it in 1979, Roddam had done mostly TV material. The film has an episodic structure which works perfectly for the Who’s fantastic score, but it is not a musical. It has a clear direction and a very distinctive sense of realism.

The cast is sensational. Daniels is a mad dog whose anger is often suffocating but at the same time pure. There isn’t even a whiff of artificiality in it. To some his frustration may look awkward now, but many young people of his generation felt exactly as he does. Sting’s acting debut is also an impressive one. A very young and skinny Ray Winstone makes his presence felt as well.

Cinematographer Brian Tufano’s (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting) lensing is top notch. Practically the entire film looks appropriately raw but at the same time very elegant. The finale where the disillusioned Jimmy tries to gather his thoughts is legendary.

Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Franc Roddam's Quadrophenia arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios-UK.

The high-definition transfer is very inconsistent. Small portions of the film come close to matching the quality of the excellent Criterion release, but the rest is either overwhelmed by moderate to strong edge-enhancement or there are obvious compression issues that further destabilize the image. The sharpening is quite obvious during the second half of the film, after the Mods head to Brighton (see screencaptures #15, 16 and 5), while some of the compression issues are easy to spot during the indoor sequences (see screencapture #10). Furthermore, grain is not as well resolved as it is on the Criterion release - at times it does appear frozen or seriously overwhelmed by noise. While viewing the film, I also noticed light shimmer around the edges and numerous tiny flecks that are not visible on the Criterion release. Lastly, color reproduction is also far more convincing on the Criterion release, where the reds, blues, greens, and browns look slightly warmer but at the same time far more natural. All in all, while not terribly disappointing, the presentation here is certainly far from convincing. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Italian DTS 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, and German DTS 5.1. For the record, Universal Studios have provided optional English SDH, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Cantonese, and Traditional Mandarin subtitles for the main feature.

The gap in quality here is also quite obvious. Depth and dynamic movement are better on the remixed 5.1 surround soundtrack from the Criterion release. More importantly, however, the improved balance allows smaller effects (such as the running water in opening scene) to easily be heard. The high-frequencies are also more convincing on the 5.1 surround soundtrack from the Criterion release. The type of improved fluidity that immediately makes an impression is simply missing on the 5.1 track found on this release. I doubt this is something that will bother most viewers, but the ones that pay attention to detail (and appreciate great mixing) will immediately recognize that there is a gap in quality.

Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this disc are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Trailer - the original Polygram Filmed Entertainment theatrical trailer for Qadrophenia. In English, with optional English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean subtitles. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Franc Roddam, Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash. This isn't the same audio commentary found on the Criterion release. It is a much earlier commentary that initially appeared on the UK 2DVD set. In English, with optional English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese subtitles.

• A Way of Life: Making Quadrophenia - an outstanding documentary which offers an in-depth look at the culture that inspired Quadrophenia, the film's production history, and its legendary soundtrack. The documentary contains long interviews with director Franc Roddam, music journalist and broadcaster Robert Sandall, actors Phil Davis (Chalky), Mark Wingett (Dave), Phil Daniels (Jimmy), and Toyah Wilcox (Monkey). In English, with optional English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean subtitles. (62 min, 480/60i).

• On Location with Franc - director Franc Roddam discusses the unique locations seen in Quadrophenia and some of the technical obstacles his team had to overcome during the shooting of the film. In English, with optional English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean subtitles. (13 min, 480/60i).

Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The technical presentation of Franc Roddam's Quadrophenia leaves a lot to be desired. The film has a rather harsh look that will surely bother folks viewing their films on large screens. Naturally, I strongly recommend that you consider importing Criterion's Blu-ray release, which also excels in the audio department. However, this UK release has some excellent supplemental features. I think that the terrific documentary is a good enough reason to recommend it. RECOMMENDED.