The document provides historical case study notes about two films: Quadrophenia (1979) and Clockwork Orange (1971). It analyzes how the films represent youth culture and subculture through the characters' identities, fashion, behaviors, and conflicts with authority. Stan Cohen's theory of "moral panic" and "folk devils" is applied to both films to explain how they portrayed rebellious youths in a way that frightened the mainstream.

1. Historical Case Study Notes
Quadrophenia (1979) Dir. Frank Roddam
1. Discuss the representation and ideological values of Jimmy, Steph and
Kevin. Use textual examples to back up points made.
Jimmy‟s character representation is based around his ideologies of life
and his identity as a mod. “Everyone needs to be a somebody”
Jimmy‟s personal identity is very important to his representation
clothes, haircut, drugs, Lambreta scooter. He used all of these
representational aspects to create his identity as he feels his
subculture is made from being a part of a group identity. Jimmy
however took his subculture to seriously, but he felt this was the way to
live his life; he walks out of his job to later regret it when he finds that
being a mod is just a person image not a way of living life. He learns
this when he see‟s „Ace‟ the ideal stereotype mod is in an everyday job
as a „bell boy‟ this is when Jimmy realizes, his ideological beliefs are
shattered as his role model is just an average everyday Brighton citizen
and a Mod is just his personal identity and representation, its not how
he lives his life, Unlike the way Jimmy fantasizes about life.
Steph is very realistic about her representation she classed Brighton as
a „giggle‟, where as Jimmy took it very seriously towards his sub
culture. Going to Brighton was classed as a moral panic to society
which Steph joined in on to form a collective identity to make her self
noticed as part of a group within the mod culture. She has a lot of
sexual freedom and likes her name and face to be known and seen by
many of males, she has no loyalty to men she see‟s life as a „giggle‟
not just the trip to Brighton. Her personal identity makes her more
noticeable to males which she will thrive off as she is very feminine
with long hair and female features in comparison to androgynous
female mods which look very masculine. She doesn‟t really have
ideologies of being an ideal „Mod‟ its more like a social thing for
something to do on an evening or her days off and to also get her
known by the male mods which she is familiar too as through out the
film she is sexually connected to three different male characters and
tries to flaunt herself to „Ace‟ for his popularity.
Kevin is a rocker his representation is connoted from his leather jacket,
jeans, quiff and motor cycle. Kevin does not take much care to his
collective identity as he joined the army to be different from being a
part of a sub culture as a mod or rocker, but he found everyone in the
army was the same. He is friend‟s with Jimmy which is frowned upon
between the to, it was something they kept to them selves and spoke
to each other when possible. He classed him self as a rocker to give
him a collective identity but its didn‟t have much of an effect on his life
unlike jimmy.
2. What examples of mise en scene reinforce the idea of youth culture?

2. Jimmy‟s social life is a strong reinforcement of the idea of youth
culture, He is always at parties with his friend and which is something
youths of today do to socialize. Drugs is a big issue with youths of
today and it was a very big thing with Jimmy and his friends, They are
almost to easy to get hold of. Fashion also reinforces the culture of
youths as they all try to be the same , by wearing parker coats , driving
lambereta scooters , suits and a very classic British hair cut. The sex
scene between jimmy and Steph is a reinforcement of youth culture as
they don‟t have much care for what they are doing of were I may be a
lot like the youths of today.
3. “Identity is complicated” – How can this quote be applied to the
character of Jimmy?
This can be applied to Jimmy‟s character as throughout the film Jimmy
relates to the title „Quadrophenia‟ meaning four identity relates strongly
with Jimmy as he has four identities through out the film. His work
identity where he is n an environment of adults and his youth culture
does not fit in. His mod identity where he believes his life should
revolve around his sub culture so he forms his identity being a part of a
group. The way he acts at home as a typical teenager and is very
argumentative to his parents and the way he acts towards them
causing a lot of tension between the family especially with his father
over male status in the house and Jimmy thinking he can just live how
he wishes disobeying his mother as well. Then there is his identity at
the end of the film when he looses his mind almost and doesn‟t quiet
no what his identity is and he feels like he is loosing everything.
4. Can you draw any similarities between the youth representation of the
past compared to youth representation today?
Both of them are very similar, all youths like to be a part of a group or a
gang and youths of the past where formed by mods and rockers and
youths of today have social groups of Chavs , indies, Goths, emos and
the popular, all of these are a collective identity of youths of today. Both
past and present youths go against what is right in life and always feel
like they know best causing a lot of arguments within families and a lot
of issues in society. The mods and rockers of back them are the basis
of the Chavs and Indie that we have today in our youth culture. As
people are lead by the media to fit in with an image so you are classed
as a „somebody and not a „no body‟. The Brighton riots back then was
when the locals where made to feel victimized by the violence and riots
that where caused, from having a claim to a status. In modern day it is
through the London Riots and how civil protesting is changed into
raging riots through the power of youths and how people are made to
fear them, The media show from when the riots excelled through
shearer boredom from the youths within society today which then
created a moral panic to the culture.
5. Discuss how Stan Cohen‟s theory can be related to this film.

3. Stan Cohens theory can be related to this film as he came across the
term of „Folk devils‟ and „Moral Panic‟ relating to the popular reaction
that lead from the media fro the Mods and Rockers phenomenon in the
1960‟s which is targeted to Quadraphenia. “Folk devils” are the youths
of this society, which are represented as evils and deviants to the rest
of people within the culture. In this film the youths are related to folk
devils as there social lives and collective identity relate around drugs
sex and violence causing problems to the rest of there community.
„Moral panic‟ is applied within this film as the riots that are started
between the conflict of the Mods and Rockers which has effected the
population of Brighton through the damage and violence which has
been inflicted upon homes and shops effecting peoples lives , the
moral panic is caused by the effect that the youths have on the
population of that area.
Clockwork Orange (1971)
1. Discuss the background to the film.
Clockwork Orange’ is set in a dystopian era. A dystopia is a futuristic society in
which the citizens are repressed and powerless. The people are
easily oppressed, and they are controlled by a totalitarian government. The
film opens with a group of youths set in a futuristic bar drinking milk and high
on drugs. It shows from the start, what type of lifestyle they are going to lead
showing how their identity as a group of people is very collective, making
them look intimidating to people outside of their sub culture. They are very in
control of the lives that they lead even though the drugs have a large
influence on their actions towards other citizens making the group of youths
feel invincible.
2. How was the film reported by the press and how did the youths of the
time relate to the film?
The press where strongly against the film and it ended up being took
off the shelves for public sale due to the circumstances it was causing
to the youths that where watching it. Youths that had seen the film
felt it was okay to commit the crimes that where shown in this film
leading really bad reports from press causing a disturbance of
violence outbreaks to occur within communities.
3. How can Stan Cohen’s theory be related to this film?
Stan Cohen’s theory can be related to this film as the moral panic has been
caused from the outbreak of violence in society due to people watching the
film and thinking it is the correct way to live your life. ‘Folk Devils’ are the
youths that dress in white and like to discriminate and make people of the
community feel vulnerable for there own pleasure, mainly because of
boredom and it gives them a social life.