In 1973 Pete Townshend penned a dark and brooding rock opera, more difficult and inaccessible than anything The Who had done before. An esoteric story of an angst ridden Mod called Jimmy. Most older Who fans were utterly confused by this departure from the norm, and after poorly received live performances the band eventually wrote it off as a failure. However the album slowly began to gather a cult following with a whole new, younger generation, and though it may not have worked as a live “rock opera” the hard hitting 1976 film, by first time director Franc Roddam, quite literally changed the world.
Roddam’s vision for the film finally put the meat on the bones of The Who’s soundtrack. Using a cast of largely unknown actors he was allowed complete creative freedom to make the film the way he saw it. A slick, stylish classic, set against the backdrop of the infamous mid 60’s bank holiday riots by Mods and Rockers along the south coast of England. Ten years after those events the films release was largely acknowledged as igniting the Mod Revival of the late 70’s and early 80’s.
With a stellar performance by Phil Daniels, the story set in London and Brighton re- tells Townshend’s tale of a young Mods struggle to come to terms with life amidst a haze of drug-fuelled paranoia.
The film kick-starts the Whitley Bay Film Festival, with a head turning scooter rally through the town and typically along the sea front, that may provoke a few nervous glances, but, be rest assured it’s all in celebration of this master piece of cinematic history. The film itself will be shown at The Trojan Rooms, amidst an array of polished chrome and wing mirrors… It’s a way of life!
Dress code…”sharp”
Certificate: 18
Running time:117 mins
