Quadrophenia

Film (1979)

The film adaptation for Quadrophenia features a different plot from that described in the album. While certain scenes correspond to those of the songs, the movie gives a defined coming-of-age story that shows Jimmy's struggle in a different sense. The four personalities are not really shown in the movie. Rather, Jimmy is fond of the Mods and tries to gain a higher-status reputation within them. He participates in a riot and tries to escape his mundane life with drugs, sex, and riding his scooter for fun. We see Jimmy struggle with his job and family, but the defining characteristics of multi-personality disorder are somewhat hidden, which makes it hard to see what he is actually experiencing. He and his friends experiment a lot with amphetamines and it is clear Jimmy is loyal to the Mods throughout most of the film, and the only criticism Jimmy visibly has is towards his job as a mail-man, which he ends up quitting.

The riot is the pinnacle in the film, and only in this scene do we see how Jimmy perceives things differently from how others do. He bonds with his fellow Mods as they get into physical fights with the Rockers, a rival group,  in the town of Brighton. The day is filled with excitement as police forces begin to attack. Jimmy notices a Mod who he calls 'Ace Face' partake in the fight. Ace is one of the Mod idols who Jimmy admires for his bike and harsh attitude. Jimmy also takes a girl to an alleyway to have sex with her in the middle of the riot, a moment which is quite special to him.

Jimmy is later caught by the police and gets to ride in a van with Ace. At court, the judge announces a fine for the rioters, and Ace decides to show off his status by saying he would write out a cheque then and there for their troubles. In Jimmy's mind, Ace is an all-powerful being who he aspires to become. 

However, things go awry once Jimmy and the Mods return home. He seems far more excited with the results of the riot then anyone else. He is confronted by his mother at home who chastises him for partaking in gang activity and for finding drugs in his room. Angry, he leaves and tries to find the girl with whom he was intimate. When Jimmy finds her, she dismisses the event as 'casual' and doesn't plan on becoming his girlfriend. Jimmy is confused by these events since they diminish his viewpoint of the night, which to him was incredibly powerful and a good thing. However, it seems less so to the rest of the world. 

A truck crashes into Jimmy and destroys his bike as he angrily rides away from the girl. He decides to take a train to Brighton. The train ride is drug-fueled and filled with many emotions of nostalgia, confusion, and anger. While retracing his steps from the night of the riot, Jimmy comes across Ace's G.S. scooter parked near a hotel. There, he discovers Ace works at the hotel as a bell boy, which was much less impressive than the image he held at the night of the trial. This further disappoints Jimmy and he steals Ace's scooter. Jimmy, who is now filled with several emotions, rides dangerously close to the sea on the scooter. The film ends with the G.S. falling off a cliff, and whether Jimmy is alive or not is unknown. 

Essentially, the film takes a long time to show Jimmy's disappointment with the world rather than immediately introducing this idea. The movie also does not show his mental instability until the end, and even then his behavior seems to be the result of taking amphetamines, and not that of an actual mental problem. 

The film also features a different soundtrack, using only 10 of the original 17 songs from the album Quadrophenia, along with different songs.