My friend Andrew who is a huge Who fan has been asking me blog about this poster, as he also owns a copy.
This is the UK “Quad”(!) I think I got this for free from a bookshop window display back when the movie came out. It was damaged badly at one edge and I foolishly trimmed it slightly, so if you compare to a full copy the guy on the far left is slightly cut off. (That was a bit of a schoolboy error, value-wise, but c’est la vie….)
I’ve seen the movie but in all honesty didn’t love it. It contains a great deal of iconic ‘mod’ elements (Who songs! Parkas! Scooters! Brighton!) but I found the story a bit meh and I remember thinking Sting’s presence somewhat jarring at the time. With the benefit of hindsight it is probably now well worth a re-watch.
I also have the above vinyl copy of the original soundtrack double album, which is great. Three sides worth are Who tracks, and the fourth side is a collection of cool tunes from the period by other artists.
Andrew has been to the see The Who numerous times, but I never had the opportunity while living in Asia. I finally bagged a great second row ticket for their 2020 UK tour, where they were due to play a number of Quadrophenia tracks accompanied by an orchestra, only to see it first postponed and then cancelled due to Covid. I suspect now The Who may be one classic band that I never get to see live.
You’re right that Sting was just a show-pony – his acting was truly awful. And the production is a little amateur – continuity errors, helicopter shadows in shot, etc. But adjust your expectations a little and enjoy it for what it is – a great, British, youth movie with a rollicking soundtrack. Watch it again and look out for blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances from Ray Winstone, Gary Holton and Timothy Spall. Still my favourite film of all time!!