Mod at the Movies: ‘Face’ and ‘Ticket’ Representations of a British Subculture

Abstract

This chapter investigates the representation of the Mod subculture on film. After a contextual summary of the development and distinction of this essentially British youth movement, Glynn offers a full critical history of its cinematic depictions. While tracing fictional and documentary outriders, the analysis focuses largely on a case study of the prime exponent or ‘ace face’ of ‘Mod at the Movies’, Franc Roddam’s Quadrophenia (1979), an enduring realisation of The Who’s concept album centred on the 1964 Mods versus Rockers riots and a cult film that bravely explores the dangers in belonging to a subculture. Noting how subcultural leaders are inevitably challenged, a comparative reading is made with Rowan Joffe’s younger rival Brighton Rock (2010), a bold relocation to 1964 of Graham Greene’s catholic noir.