‘An extraordinary book by an extraordinary man’ Ken Loach

Tony Garnett’s story begins in working-class, war-torn Birmingham where he movingly describes the trauma of his mother’s death following a back-street abortion. Nineteen days later, stricken with grief, Tony’s father committed suicide and Tony was sent to live with other family members. He eventually moved to London and was part of the counterculture scene in the 1960s.

Tony takes us behind the scenes of a selection of his more famous productions, offering secrets and anecdotes, some moving, some amusing. He gives accounts of angry clashes with the BBC and movie executives as he battles to make films that are thought too controversial. Year after year he fought the BBC and movie bosses to bring to the public films about police corruption and psychiatrists’ cruelty; films advocating abortion law reform and the abolition of the death penalty; films about the homeless and the waste of young people in poor schools.

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It’s nearly 35 years since the film Quadrophenia hit the world’s cinema screens. Jimmy the Mod’s search for identity against the backdrop of the May Bank Holiday riots of the 1960’s, is regarded as the finest example of a British “youth” movie and a warmly remembered timepiece for a generation. Set against the backdrop of the Mods and Rockers riots of 1964, the film took its lead from The Who’s classic rock opera of 1973. With a stellar cast including Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Wilcox and Police front man Sting, the film launched a whole generation of Britain’s finest actors. Even in 2013, the word Quadrophenia still resonates as a buzzword for youthful exuberance and Modernist imagery. As the generation that first saw it now approach their fifties with teenagers of their own, Quadrophenia has become a glorious benchmark for their own youthful excesses, hopes, dreams and nostalgia. To critics, admirers and casual observers, it’s intriguing: what makes a 30 plus year-old film like Quadrophenia still appealing? And similarly, why do people return to it time and time again? For the first time, QUADROPHENIA….A WAY OF LIFE explores the making of Britain’s great cult film and its subsequent influence on popular culture. With interviews with principal cast members, director Franc Roddam, scriptwriter Martin Stellman and other involved in the creation of the film, this is the definitive account of Britain’s greatest youth movie. Although most would credit Quadrophenia as a “Mod” film, it displays more of the fury of the late 1970’s than 1960’s post-war austerity. Nonetheless, this slightly surreal, timeless atmosphere the film exudes, adds to its charm. Ultimately, Mod and 1960’s references aside, Quadrophenia is a classic “boy meets girl, loses girl” parable; a theme which is perennially identifiable with.

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