Rating: 
Summary: Underrated classic of 1960s English working class youth
Review: Though I still have my original double LP album of the Who's "Quadrophenia," I must confess that I had never seen the filmed version until it played on the Bravo television network (in a toned down version) a few years back. While Rhino's DVD is not perfect, it does provide, arguably, the best home viewing experience of this film to date. The Who's music is used to good advantage in the film, though it never dominates the story. "Quadrophenia" should definitely not be classified as a musical in the way that the film version of "Tommy" is. In fact, the Who only acted as musical directors and allowed director and co-screenwriter Franc Roddam to bring his own vision to Pete Townshend's original story. The result is one of the best profiles of English working class youth, though it may be a tough view for U.S. audiences too young to remember the "British Invasion" of the 1960s.Make no mistake about it, "Quadrophenia" is a very English film that pulls no punches, and features a memorable performance from Phil Daniels. Daniels, who's in virtually every scene, convincingly portrays Jimmy Cooper, the "Mod" who ultimately becomes disillusioned with everything around him. In the DVD's accompanying audio commentary, Franc Roddam claims that all of the young actors in "Quadrophenia" were treated equally, i.e., there were no stars, but Daniels clearly carries the film. What's remarkable is that he was only 19 when the film was made. U.S. audiences will probably not recognize any of the cast members other than Sting who has a small, but important role as a "Mod" who's not exactly what he appears to be. Rhino crams in the usual extras that DVD viewers have come to expect (the trailer, production stills, etc.) but, for me, there are two standout extras here. Director Franc Roddam provides one of the best running audio commentaries that I've heard to date. His is a nice balance of some of the technical aspects of making the film, as well as some of the artistic choices that he made in this, his first theatrical film. The other great extra is a compendium of English films made during and immediately after the Mod era. It covers the span from serious dramas to comedies and everything in between. I'll be searching out a number of these films as a direct result of this feature.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Master & scenes missing!!
Review: Firstly - was this mastered from the best negative available? If so, someone hadn't stored the tape very well - for instance, the opening scene has scratches & mung all over it.
But that's not my main gripe - like others on this page, I miss the scenes that have been cut out (why, Rhino?)
I think I can remember 3 scenes....
1. Jimmy singing "You Really Got Me" while franking letters (he mentions the franking machine later to his boss)
2. A scene with Leslie Ash sitting at her till in the supermarket (there's a still of this in the "extras" section)
3. Jimmy picking up his suit from the tailor (not sure about this one, but the Tailor does get a mention in the credits).
I especially miss #1, as I do the same every time I see a franking machine!
I was wondering if this was just on the American version since I'm English and first saw this movie on video in England and also because no-one on amazon.co.uk has made mention of any cut scenes.
So, Rhino - what were you thinking? Did you think we wouldn't remember those scenes? Why weren't they included in the "extras" section? UPDATE (14th Feb 2000) - just received an e-mail from Dr.Rhino (the place for questions on the Rhino web site) to my questions about the missing scenes. Here's the reply: "We remastered the film from the original negative and there were no extra scenes . The licensor owns the film as it was released--we had access to that same film." Therefore I can only assume that the US "release" was different from the original UK release.
Rating:
Summary: great movie, lame captions
Review: (I give the movie 5 stars, but the "Pop-Up Video"-style captions could have been done so much better I have to drop my score one point.) I've loved this movie since I first saw it at the Laurelhurst Theater in Portland around '80-'81. I've been waiting for the DVD and bought it as soon as I saw it was out. The movie is still great and they've done a fine job restoring it, and, when I saw the caption feature, thought it might be a chance to learn a little about the mod scene and the making of the movie. It's obvious the VH-1 crew didn't do the captions because they're either spelled wrong, incorrect or just plain stupid. Did you not know the word "bloody" is an intensifier in English slang (as in, "these captions are bloody lame"). This definition is given not once but twice during the movie. Jimmy's rocker friend, Kevin, says "bollocks" and it's translated as "bogus". This is Quadrophenia, not Fast Times at Ridgemont High. OK, I did find a couple of the captions informative and/or amusing. Definitely get the movie, watch the captions once just to see how bad they are then turn them off for good.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not all there and so is the movie!
Review: This is a great package from Rhino, but why or why have they cut 6 minutes from the original release? This is an outrage. You DO NOT tamper with a masterpiece, but this is what's happened. Have certain scenes been cut to accomodate the American market? I'd love to know the answers.
Rating:
Summary: Great Extras and Great Music make this a winner
Review: I have been a big fan of the who for a long time. I was really excited for this DVD release, and just watched the whole thing cover to cover. I think Rhino did a great job putting this DVD together, except for perhaps the packaging, which should have had more reading material, pictures etc. Obviously these things are on the DVD itself (pictures, reading) but for those of us who like printed stuff, it is a drag. They could have put a poster in there or something. The Vespa "mini-doc" is actually just an ADVERTISEMENT, but it is still cool. I would have prefered more information about Vespas and Vespa History. Other than those two little gripes, the whole thing looks spectacular and sounds fantastic. Rhino did a great job cleaning up the picture, sound and creating great menus. Being a techie, I especially liked the restoration section where they compare the old to the new. Great idea. Anyway, as Sting says, this movie is still relevant today, and the music is still ROCKS!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD just a couple of glitches
Review: I had been waiting for this new transfer for years and I was not disappointed on arrival, this DVD is cram packed with features and a real enjoyment, there is a nice touch with a split screen of the old and new transfer of the film which is good to compare, the only problem was two scenes are ommitted from the movie, there is one seen where Phil Daniels says to Leslie Ash "what do you mean am I gonna be one of the faces, I AM one of the faces" now that was a line I used to shout round the school yard, we all did, the other is Phil Davis where they ridicule him and call him Chalky the ponce.. NOt essential but still I was left wondering why.. Overall this will not spoil the enjoyment of this excellent film and it was about time somebody did it justice and updated the print... Very Recommended..
Rating:
Summary: Buy the special edition now to capture the spirit of 1979!
Review: This special edition is pretty good. With a mini-documentary and some photographs taken on location, this is the sort of value you normaly only get with DVD. You can also pick these up pretty cheaply too, sometimes boxed with Tommy. Phil Daniels does his usual thing, and he does it very well. It's rather annoying when his motor-scooter is run over by a van and he just gets cross, rather than getting the other driver's insurance details. Nevertheless the music is great and the film shows a lot of actors 'before they were famous', notably Leslie Ash.
Rating:
Summary: Rock Solid Film Making
Review: This film is unlike any other so-called Rock movie ever made. It has absolutlely none of the zaniness of A Hard Day's Night. It isn't filled with great music performances like Woodstock. It has none of the innocence of Beach Blanket Bingo. It is gritty, it is raw and sometimes it makes you feel very uncomfortable. In other words, it is rock and roll in all of it's glory. Great acting, fantastic staging and scenery, gritty real world color imagery, a blasting soundtrack featuring The Who or their songs re-recorded for the film. You will be mesmerized, fascinated and heartbroken, and in the end, ultimately perplexed. The film, unlike the album, fails to find redemption on the cliffs of the English shoreline and just sort of fades away. But that, in of itself, is a wonderful commentary on how fleeting and ephemeral the whole experience that is rock can be. One minute it's there, and maybe thirty thousand people are all locked in with the beat, then it is over and everyone sort of feels a little foolish and sad that the experience is over. But it is all about the experience, no matter how fleeting or delusional it may be. Rock is Dead, Long Live Rock!
Rating:
Summary: Mumbly magic
Review: This movie literally had me glued to my seat. The acting is heartwrenching and the music takes on a life of its own. I deducted a star basically because the garbled accents made it so hard to understand, I missed some of the dialoge. Watching this film requires patience and a love of youthful dreams and screaming guitars. I highly recommend it to anyone who savors rock n' roll movies and teenage violence. It's hard to find on DVD (if it's even been released), but try and get a copy to see for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget the Movie, Listen to the Album
Review: As musicians, The Who were geniuses but as film makers, they were failures--and this movie proves it! Quadrophenia's plot is weak the acting, writing, and directing are equally abysmal. Although the album "Quadrophenia" tends to be complex and over-produced, it still has a lot to recommend it. "Quadrophenia" was also one of Pete Townshend's most ambitious and grandiose projects. Unfortunately, this grandiosity does not translate well onto cinema. "Quadrophenia" the movie is, at best, flat and banal. At worst, it's an extravagant ego trip on the part of Messrs. Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle. Fortunately, after this fiasco, the surviving members of The Who decided it was time to give up on making films and go back to making music. Unfortunately, in the ensuing years, they didn't do much better in that area either. If I could, I'd give "Quadrophenia" a zero. Bottom line: Don't waste your money on this movie. It's a real dud.
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