Quadrophenia heading to Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion this August
Franc Roddam’s perennial cult classic QUADROPHENIA will be issued on Blu-ray in the US this August by the Criterion Collection. Based on the concept album by the Who, QUADROPHENIA stars Phil Daniels as Jimmy, a disaffected youth who embraces Mod culture in 1960s Britain. The film co-stars Sting, Ray Winstone, Toyah Wilcox and Leslie Ash.
Made in 1979, QUADROPHENIA marked the second of three films commissioned by The Who Films, following the documentary THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT from the same year and prison drama MCVICAR in 1980. Of all the films with which the band was involved (also including Ken Russell’s TOMMY), it’s safe to say that QUADROPHENIA is probably the most popular and is director Roddam’s best-known film (he would go on to make THE BRIDE and K2).
The specs for Criterion’s disc have appeared on Blu-ray.com:
- New high-definition digital restoration of the uncut version
- Original 2.0 stereo soundtrack as well as an all-new 5.1 surround mix, supervised by the Who and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
- New audio commentary featuring director Franc Roddam and director of photography Brian Tufano
- New interview with Bill Curbishley, the film’s co-producer and the Who’s co-manager
- New interview with the Who’s sound engineer, Bob Pridden, discussing the new mix, featuring a restoration demonstration
- On-set and archival footage
- Behind-the-scenes photographs
- A booklet featuring an essay by critic Nick James, a reprinted personal history by original mod Irish Jack, and Pete Townshend’s liner notes from the album