This document discusses how youth cultures are represented in the film Quadrophenia. It begins by defining youth culture and discussing how teenagers were viewed in post-war Britain, with both positive and negative stereotypes emerging. It then analyzes how the film represents the 1960s Mod and Rocker youth cultures through elements like the DVD cover design, soundtrack, and a key crash scene. Overall, the film portrays the youth cultures in a complex way, showing how they provided community and identity for teenagers like Jimmy, while also depicting the internal conflicts and risks they posed.

1. 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

2. 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 cocreator 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

3. 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.

4. 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?”