Reviews (52)

John in L.A.
I have been waiting for someone to put Quadrophenia to disc for YEARS! Finally someone (Rhino) did. The movies is still awesome. Unfortunately, the producers of the DVD fell way short. They attempted to "restore" the film. They did a lousy, cheapy job of it. Using a device called a Rank to enhance/color correct the film, it failed miserably. The Rank is good but you cannot stop there, you must DRS (Digital Restoration System)the film to remove dirt and scratches. Merely using the Rank is the poor man's way out. The disc allows you to see a split screen of the old and new. The old looks better most of the time! You can tell they didn't "restore" the film by looking at the very first shot of the movie, when Jimmy is on the cliffs. There are more scratches on the film than on my old Quadrophenia vinyl LP from 1979! Truly hideous and disappointing. They should have fixed this.
The sound is equally weak. First off, in the professional world, they don't use Protools for mastering audio, especially 5.1 audio (more shocking that they even admitted it right there on the disc). Another lame attempt to consumers into thinking they "restored" it. When you switch from original stereo to 5.1, it sounds like you gust turned the volume up a few notches, sot to mention all of the pops and cracks that are still present in the sound. Obviously they must have had poor elements, or would/couldn't attain original source audio.
The menus are also weak. Here was a chance to do something really creative, but all they did was pulled some images from the film, made them different colors and threw them onto the screen. Unfortunately, they did biography menus too that were all static and boring as well. The WORST was the "pop up video" feature. Almost always worthless trivia having nothing to do with the film! They could have hit a home run with this feature, but they didn't even make it off home plate. Rhino has also included a photo-gallery of old press photos, and continuity pictures. This also could have been cool but they are so small and poorly digitized onto the disc, that they aren't worth looking at. The producers should have cleaned them up and enhanced them or not included them at all. By far the best thing they did was to get the director to do a commentary. It was great. Worth the price of the disc just for this. But I have to ask: weren't there any other actors in the film? Perhaps some of them could have participated on the commentary track, I know that most of them are available.
The bottom line is that the film is always going to be great and the DVD version blows the old VHS away, but the people at Rhino fell asleep on this one (though I still bought two).

Brilliant look at the brink between adolescence & adulthood
This film deserves to be in the pantheon of classic teen angst films (though it will really speak to adults reflecting on their years more so than it will for teens). I think it's the best film I've ever seen in that genre (and is based on probably the best album that ever covered such ground). There is real grit to the film, real emotion and pathos (but also a teriffic sense of humor). The cast is also outstanding (why Phil Daniels didn't become a big star is anybody's guess). But add to this the knockout soundtrack (from the "Quadrophenia" LP and other radio hits of the 60s), and you practically have a perfect film (I'm always hesitant to say anything is truly perfect). But I wouldn't change anything here. It is an unqualified success.

It helps to understand the milieu of the film, so read up here on the mods and rockers so that you understand the time and place. But then hang on for a long, LOUD ride! This movie just knocks me out! I wish I had seen it when I was a teenager. Better late than never!...

Don't miss it! And I will say this movie was much better the second time around (especially at a theatre). The film is so loaded with atmosphere and cultural references that you can't possibly take it all in in one sitting.

An unforgettable teen angst classic
When "Quadrophenia" first came out in 1979, I think most people were expecting a "Tommy"-like rock opera, with music by The Who blasting from the speakers and Roger Daltry playing pinball adorned in a mask. Much to most people's surprise, "Quadrophenia" is a story about teen angst in England, with background music by The Who. The story is the key, and "Quadrophenia" details the historic Mod/Rocker riots of the 1960s. The riots were fueled by teen rebellion, rock music and a youthful generation seeking its identity.

The beauty of "Quadrophenia" is the film's themes of youths trying to find their place in the world is timeless and internationally identifiable. You don't have to be a British lad to love this story. Several scenes are so emotionally harrowing as to be disturbing. The protagonist Jimmy Michael Cooper (brilliantly played by Phil Daniels) begins to self destruct as the movie progresses. He loses his home, his job, his girlfriend and eventually his identity in a haze of drugs and misguided motivation. The scene where he begs his ex-girlfriend to explain herself, to which she answers "It was just a giggle" will bring a tear to most eyes. It is the saddest form of rejection and as emotionally truthful a scene one is most likely to see.

I think many teenagers eventually go through a process similar to what is seen in "Quadrophenia." One's identity when growing up is always related to the music, the parties, the mode of dress and the friends one chooses. The world is seemingly yours. As the Mods begin their march in Brighton, chanting, screaming, arms wrapped around one another, they are a force. They can change the world. So when the world rudely interrupts the dream, as the police break up the riots, as people move on to the next day, one uncomfortably realizes it really was all just a "giggle."

This is the sad quandry Jimmy Michael Cooper must confront. When watching "Quadrophenia," specifically the final scene where he rides the stolen scooter along the cliffs of Brighton, you're never sure what choice Cooper is going to make.

The Mods most certainly fueled the eventual punk movement, and I think many people who love this film came from that 1980s generation. The clothes and the hairstyles (including Sting, in an early role as the coolest Mod) are identifiable to the punk generation. What Jimmy Michael Cooper eventually confronts is similar to the conflicts of the punk generation (or any teen generation for that matter). Sadly, the movement must be left behind and we must ask ourselves what the meaning of it all was. To reach maturity, many of us must travel the same path of Jimmy Michael Cooper - and he's faced with some difficult choices.

The Who produced this film, and they must be applauded (as should director Franc Roddam) for creating a classic work about teen rebellion. The music of The Who, including "The Real Me," "Love Reign O'er Me," "Bell Boy," and "I Am the Sea" has been expertly used throughout. "Quadrophenia" is a great film not just because it details British teen angst, but timeless, international teen angst.

Corrections
Michael Gillis here with a small request. Having already written a review fof Quad sp edition, i would like to point out that my review is featured twice. I did some grammer changes after I submitted my review thinking the changes would become automatic, instead a second review appeared with the changes in place. Could you please remove the first review as it is now irrelevant. Thank you kindly. Michael Gillis.

what is special about this special edition
Quadrophenia is not so much an account of mod (or modernisim as it was originally known). It is much more of a conceptual piece centering itself around the experiences of Jimmy Cooper, a multi faceted personality, with the mod aspects giving a base to his predicaments. It was a story developed by Pete Townshend in the 70's with the 60's mod movement in mind. This is further developed by director Franc Roddam's use of a contempory setting. Some people have criticised the film for not being firmly rooted in the 60's, but I think the crossover works well, allowing the mix to sit in with the overall themes of the film. By using this approach the film can also unite people form different generations. I think this is important. And now to the film.

Quadrophenia opens where it closes, above the clifftops of brighton. From here we are transported back to sheppards bush where we are introduced to Jimmy Cooper(played by Phil Daniels). We see the surface side to his charachter as he enters the goldhawk club, well dressed and self assured. A true Mod. As the film continues though we see him repond differently to various situations, be it his home life, at work, with his friends or when chasing his dreamgirl Steph ( played by Leslie Ash.). He is basically dissatisfied and in search of what's elusive. It is during the second half of the film we see this becoming more obvious. Set in Brighton on a bank holiday weekend Jimmy and his friends join together with an army of mods, for a weekend of dressing, dancing, pills and punchups. It is when Jimmy gets evicted from the dance for jumping of a balcony he begins to drift away from the numbers. For me this is where Quadrophenia begins to apply its poetic quality. Jimmy wanders the beach at night until dawn by which point the dancing has ended and the majority of mods are re-congregating at the beach front cafe for a quick egg sandwich and the days itinerary. It is here Jimmy reconnects and the day unfolds.

Heading for Brighton peer, with Jimmy in centrefield, the mods unite with their chants of glory not only atracting media glare but also the attention of their stylistic opposites, the rockers. A huge battle erupts and the beach is invaded by mods and rockers at war with each other with not even the sea being able to separate them. It is Jimmy's role in all of this that is the most significant. Having joined up with Steph, he becomes euphoric, reinacting the violence for her. " I was there". For Jimmy it in this moment that everything becomes crystalised. He is a mod, he is part of the action and now Steph is by his side.This is further enhanced by the film's most famous scene when Jimmy and Steph enter an alleyway and have sex together.Quadrophenia is a doccument of a time and place that for the most part no longer exists. The film plays an important role in allowing us to visit that place. In saying this I think the real relevance of the film lies in its exploration of youthful themes. Jimmy Cooper is a complex character but he is no more complex than any person in search of a real identity or an ideal place. It is for this reason I think it Quadrophenia will be relevant to future generations, to Identify with and to enjoy. Quadrophenia is a wonderfully youthful cinematic composition.

EXTRAS

UPPERS; There are quite a few interesting things contained on this special edition of Quadrophenia.
The US trailer is good ( except for the dialogue)
An interwiew with Sting is also interesting ( Pity it wasn't Phil Daniels though)
The directors commentary and archival photo's were of real interest to me. Nice one.
Also the trip form London to Brighton was great fun as was the 'Are you a mod or a rocker quiz"
Finally the Restoration which on the whole was good though a little dark visually in certain places.

DOWNERS: This is a big disappointment. Has anyone even noticed there are 4 sucessive scenes missing from the US print. Wake up.
The scenes in question take place from where Jimmy exits the cafe after talking to Kev through to the start of the party at Kitchener road. Consult your English or Australian standard edition, they are all present. I would assume this had something to do with the original US cinema print but for me this is the major upset for after all, 'I am one of the faces'.

Reviewed by Michael Gillis. ... Read more

Reviews (206)

Better than I'd expected
When I saw this advertised, I wasn't sure what to think. I'd never seen Wallace and Gromitt, created by the same team. I was pleasantly surprised.

The film follows a group of chickens in an egg farm. Slowly, they disappear by the farmer's axe as they stop producing eggs. The chickens continually try to escape, but to no avail. Eventually, Mrs. Tweedy the farm's owner, decides to get out of the egg business, and into the chicken (pot) pie business.

The chickens get wind of her plan, and decide they must escape at all costs. Their salvation, literally, flies over the fence one day as Rocky, voiced by Mel Gibson, enters their lives. He claims that if they hide him in their coops, he'll teach them how to fly so they can get over the fence to safety.

All in all this was a very good movie, and suitable for children. The humor is good, and the plot sound, for an animated chicken movie that is. I'd like to see more feature films done in the style that this was done in. Like I said, I've never seen Wallace and Gromitt, so maybe it's time I checked it out, and you should check Chicken Run out as well. You'll be pleasantly surprised as well!

Extremely Cute Movie ya gotta Run to!!!
I bought Chicken Run quite a while back and never got around to watching it. I went out of town on Business and decided to take it along, figuring I would finally see what my co-workers had been talking about... It was GREAT! I laughed hystarically at this one... A little about this movie....

Having been hopelessly repressed and facing eventual certain death at the chicken farm where they are held, Rocky the rooster (Mel Gibson) and Ginger the chicken (Julia Sawahla) decide to rebel against the evil Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy, the farm's owners. Rocky and Ginger lead their fellow chickens in a great escape from the murderous farmers and their farm of doom. Chicken Run is a comedy escape drama with a touch of passion set on a sinister Yorkshire chicken farm in 1950's England. The film follows the turbulent romance between two farmyard chickens, Rocky and Ginger, who yearn for freedom and plan a daring 'prisoner of war' style escape. A 'claymation' adventure from the creator of Wallace and Gromit, featuring chickens as the main characters. Ginger is the 'head chick', and she deviously plots to free all the chickens on the farm, preventing an otherwise certain 'Death By Chicken Pie'. After many failed attempts, she meets Rocky, the 'flying rooster', and decides that he holds the key to their freedom.

I would say this is 'RUN' and buy this movie... you will be glad you did!!!!

Not funny?
All those 1 star reviews claim that the movie was bad and not funny. Well, the first time was about to see it I thought it would be funny. It had quite a few funny moments but overall I got impression that it was rather sad (but optimistic). Then I realized that I liked it that way.
Technically, it is perfect, even in the era of 3D animated movies.
Chickens are not your prime target of any movies, but this is THE chicken movie to own. Funny and sad at the same time, if you think about it.

P.S: my usual comment for amazon reviewers. Before you claim that this or that movie is THE worst you ever saw, think twice. It might imply that you indeed have seen VERY few movies in your life, or that you are just talking bull. Can you seriously claim that a particular movie is the WORST movie you have ever seen? I don't know about you, but it would take me some serious thinking to come up with a SINGLE WORST movie I ever watched. Unless you are a Tibetian Monk, you probably did not think it through. It might be bad, but is it the worst?

Good for everyone!!
Kids love this movie for the talking chickens and their attempts to fly along with the creative rats...adults love this movie for the subtle humor and gentle jabs at other movie classics. If you are looking for a movie for all ages, this is one to fit the bill. And, it doesn't forget to examine the question, "Which came first?"

A real pleasure, with little (if anything) to offend.

THIS CHICKEN LAYS A GOLDEN EGG
CHICKEN RUN is a delightful film, fun for both children and adults! The stop motion animation is brilliant and the characterizations and the voices that supplied them are superb! What is basically an animated poultrified GREAT ESCAPE comes across with laughter, touching sentimentality, and lots of wonderful vignettes. Julia Swahala and Jane Sherrocks (both from Absolutely Fabulous) are indeed absolutely fabulous in their roles. Sawahla's Ginger is the epitome of today's female action hero---brave, loyal, independent and a touch feisty! All of the hens are wonderful, and producers should be ashamed in not featuring them in the credits. Their names don't appear until the end and they go by so fast you can barely read it. These actors are wonderful and deserve more credit for the quality of this film. Its only "star", Mel Gibson, is dashingly heroic and fits Rocky to a tee. Tony Haygarth (so good in Frank Langella's Dracula) does great with Mr. Tweedy's role and Miranda Richardson as the evil Mrs. Tweedy is perfect. This film is lovingly made and has wonderful music, as well. Also, catch some references to other films, such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where the tumbling boulder is replaced by tumbling wingnuts, and catch Mrs. Tweedy's Cruella deville impression after she is bombed with gravy!
I loved this movie, it makes you feel good, and is excellent to boot! Don't miss out on this one! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This gently satirical British comedy chronicles the quixotic reunion of a late, arguably not-so-great, and unlamented '70s rock band, Strange Fruit, with a winning mix of humor and poignancy. The "Fruits," as the survivors call themselves without irony, had disbanded after the tragic loss of one member, the mysterious disappearance of another, and the aftershocks of internal rivalries, but 20 years later they warily reassemble for a Dutch club tour, a warm-up for a proposed festival appearance.Between that seemingly hare-brained proposal and the fateful festival, director Brian Gibson, working from a sharp script by Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais, captures the absurdities of middle-aged rockers trying to recapture that lost cockiness.

Breathing life into the band is a terrific cast, including Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, and Bill Nighy, each managing to juggle deft archetype with believable character traits: Spall's cheerfully crass, flatulent drummer, and Nighy's preening, slow-witted lead singer exemplify the approach, grabbing chuckles yet making you actually care about them.Equally impressive is Billy Connolly as the wily roadie, Hughie, at once pragmatic and devoted to his charges.All are well-served by production details and script points that get the group's lost world of late '60s and early '70s rock exactly right, from costuming and stage moves to the long-forgotten bands they name-check--Blodwyn Pig, anybody?

The band's music likewise benefits from inspired insiders, cowriters Mick Jones (Spooky Tooth, Foreigner) and Chris Difford (Squeeze), who hit a nifty combination of bombast (for the silly scenes) and earnestness. When Gibson and his cast risk the story's amiable glow on a darker, more dramatic final act, the music rises to the challenge, and the whole project, like its fictional subject, achieves an unexpectedly touching victory. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (206)

Chicken FUN!
Last night, I was lucky enough to attend a sneak preview of this new adventure from Aardman Studios (makers of the "Wallace and Gromit" films), so let me be the first (but definitely not the last) to say that "Chicken Run" is simply the most delightful, visually amazing, and FUN animated movie since Disney's "The Lion King." Other studios (notably Warner Brothers) have tried to take a bite out of Disney's pie-share of the kid-movie market, but Aardman and Dreamworks have done it best in this charming, hilarious, and edge-of-your-seat thrilling animated fantasy about a group of hens trying to break out of a chicken farm. Running the farm with an evil eye and an iron ax are the villainous Mrs. Tweedie and her henpecked (literally) husband, who's sure those chickens are plotting escape. The voices are perfect, from Julia Sawalha and Jane Horrocks from "Absolutely Fabulous" as chickens to Mel Gibson as the "flying" rooster Rocky. I want to recommend that every parent take their kids to see this one: unlike many other recent cartoons, this one is completely suitable for all but the very youngest children (there's some tense moments in a chase at the end, and a little threatening to the chickens with an ax), but even better, this will delight and amuse the adults with its clever animation, perfect voice-casting, witty visual allusions to famous movies like "The Great Escape," "The Bridge over the River Kwai," and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and Indiana Jones-type thrills that range from a chase inside a automatic chicken pie-making machine to a dramatic and climatic escape that is reminiscent of, but even improves on, the high-energy chase sequences of Aardman's "Wallace and Gromit" films. The moral lessons (you can succeed better with teamwork; stand by your friends) are pointed but gentle, without hitting kids over the head. I can't recommend this one highly enough, folks, whatever age you are. And if you head out of the theater and go eat a chicken pot pie, you have a much, much, harder heart than mine!

RUN and see Chicken Run...
I don't know quite what I expected when I saw this movie, but I have to say, that despite its theme, the humor was definitely NOT just for children. I was originally hoping it to be polished and neatly produced (similar to the fantastic Toy Story movies) but you can only do so much when it comes to clay-mation. Well with that said, 'Chicken Run' was truly a delight. The jokes were on a childrens level--PART of the time...SOMETIMES the jokes were outright WAY over the heads of children--nothing dirty mind you, but the producers also realized what Disney figured out a few years back: 'Sure, it might be considered a kids film, but there are going to be a LOT of adults that see this, too--and you simply CANNOT ignore them anymore'.

TRYING to escape from a chicken's version of a concentration camp (the similarities are hilarious) and the motto of those running the camp: "NOBODY escapes!" All of the characters are funny, especially the knitting lady who wonders about the chickens who disappeared by asking, "Did they go on holiday?" The first time I saw an animated film with the voice of Mel Gibson I hated it, I hated, hated, HATED IT!! 'Course I'm talking about the abysmal 'Pocohontas' and while watching it I just COULDN'T help but think of Gibson's face every time his character spoke...I was afraid that was also going to be the case here, but thank heavens that isn't what happened at ALL. In fact I completely forgot about Gibson almost immediately. This is not just fun for children, but VERY worthwhile for adults as well. Grab it while ya can and you will most likely see it over and over.

Not funny?
All those 1 star reviews claim that the movie was bad and not funny. Well, the first time was about to see it I thought it would be funny. It had quite a few funny moments but overall I got impression that it was rather sad (but optimistic). Then I realized that I liked it that way.
Technically, it is perfect, even in the era of 3D animated movies.
Chickens are not your prime target of any movies, but this is THE chicken movie to own. Funny and sad at the same time, if you think about it.

P.S: my usual comment for amazon reviewers. Before you claim that this or that movie is THE worst you ever saw, think twice. It might imply that you indeed have seen VERY few movies in your life, or that you are just talking bull. Can you seriously claim that a particular movie is the WORST movie you have ever seen? I don't know about you, but it would take me some serious thinking to come up with a SINGLE WORST movie I ever watched. Unless you are a Tibetian Monk, you probably did not think it through. It might be bad, but is it the worst?

Good for everyone!!
Kids love this movie for the talking chickens and their attempts to fly along with the creative rats...adults love this movie for the subtle humor and gentle jabs at other movie classics. If you are looking for a movie for all ages, this is one to fit the bill. And, it doesn't forget to examine the question, "Which came first?"

A real pleasure, with little (if anything) to offend.

THIS CHICKEN LAYS A GOLDEN EGG
CHICKEN RUN is a delightful film, fun for both children and adults! The stop motion animation is brilliant and the characterizations and the voices that supplied them are superb! What is basically an animated poultrified GREAT ESCAPE comes across with laughter, touching sentimentality, and lots of wonderful vignettes. Julia Swahala and Jane Sherrocks (both from Absolutely Fabulous) are indeed absolutely fabulous in their roles. Sawahla's Ginger is the epitome of today's female action hero---brave, loyal, independent and a touch feisty! All of the hens are wonderful, and producers should be ashamed in not featuring them in the credits. Their names don't appear until the end and they go by so fast you can barely read it. These actors are wonderful and deserve more credit for the quality of this film. Its only "star", Mel Gibson, is dashingly heroic and fits Rocky to a tee. Tony Haygarth (so good in Frank Langella's Dracula) does great with Mr. Tweedy's role and Miranda Richardson as the evil Mrs. Tweedy is perfect. This film is lovingly made and has wonderful music, as well. Also, catch some references to other films, such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where the tumbling boulder is replaced by tumbling wingnuts, and catch Mrs. Tweedy's Cruella deville impression after she is bombed with gravy!
I loved this movie, it makes you feel good, and is excellent to boot! Don't miss out on this one! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This early Mike Leigh film was made for British television in 1983 (released theatrically in 1985), and introduced both Gary Oldman and Tim Roth. Set in the Thatcher era, the story--typically for Leigh--is more a matter of dramatic evolution than a conventionally realized script. The action revolves around a middle-class family whose male members are all on the government dole, and whose matriarch (Marion Bailey) is long-suffering in the sight of her two sons, one a half-wit (Roth) and the other a cynical bum (Phil Daniels). Oldman plays the latter's skinhead pal, mostly a goof with no future, and Alfred Molina portrays a relative of the brothers strongly resistant to nudging their lives in a more constructive direction. The story, such as it is, is actually a series of discrete, deceptively unambitious, and highly entertaining scenes that could just as easily stand on their own as belong to some greater whole. Leigh, not quite fully baked as a filmmaker in the early 1980s, occasionally engages a rather obvious wit, such as shooting a long take in a laundry room from an angle that favors the sight of a washing machine and ignores the characters from the waist up. The remarkable actors, however, are as deeply immersed in their roles as in any of Leigh's work, and the film is ultimately as moving and funny as one expects from this unique director. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (10)

meantime
This realist picture of the british working class was orginally made just for T.V. The reason it is now realeased on video is proberbly due to its highly noteworthy cast and the fact its directed by Mike Leigh. However "Meantime" truely deseaves to be rediscoved- its a little gem! Set on a council estate in London, Leigh masterfully caputures the sights and sounds of his environment. The film centres around the unemployed Pollock family, particually sons Mark and Colin. Mark(Phil Daniels) has an attitude of frankness and nihilism, not unlike that of johney in Leighs "Naked". Colin(Tim Roth) on the other hand is slow witted, confused and vunerable to the outside world. Through-out the film we sense Marks well guarded affection for his younger brother as he trys desperatly to protect him. Like most Leigh films "Meantime" is mostly improvised, and as usual, he has a fine ensemble of actors who wont disappoint. Daniels and Roth are both equally convincing and absorbing in their roles- they even look like brothers! Gary Oldman makes his debut and theatens to steal the whole show as impish, skinhead Coxy. But perhaps the most commendable performance here belongs to Marion Bailey as the middle class aunt who attempts to put an optomistic smile on their situation(only to have her good intensions torn apart by Mark). This film may be to bleak and low-key for some viewers. There is no real story line to speak of, but it is a very pure piece of art. I'd recomend it to anyone who is willing to look beneath the surface.

Tim Roth & Gary Oldman is the best...
This movie is a great movie...to see Tim Roth and Gary Oldman when they first started out is a treat..in this movie they were kids...Roth was around 18-19 when he made this role.
I enjoyed this film a raw and gritty look at a working class family and their friends..the stand out performances are Roth and Oldman incredible.......
..i hope the distributors of Made in Britain makes this movie and the meantime/made in britain double pack availble to regional 1 folks.......

One Star for the DVD only
Don't buy this DVD. The sound is bad. The dialect in Leigh's films can be hard enough for us Yanks without having it be virtually inaudible and painfully blotted out by the music. The mix of this DVD is really bad and it spoils the movie. That said, the movie is fantastic; too bad the DVD does it such an injustice.

Don't buy this DVD.
The sound [is bad]. Leigh's characters' dialect is hard enough to understand sometimes but on this DVD the dialogue is inaudible and much softer than the music itself, which blots it out most of the time. Frustrating -- because the movie is fantastic.

A wonderful movie, an awful DVD
I'd give the movie five stars. The problem is, the DVD release from Fox Lorber is awful. There's something seriously wrong with the soundtrack; the dialog elements are drowned out by the music, and there's a synchronization problem that often leaves the left and right channel staggered by about half a second. Even more distracting, added sound effects often come from the wrong channel compared to the supposed visual source of the sound.

My guess is that instead of using a properly mixed mono soundtrack, Fox Lorber went back to the multi-channel master tapes for the mono soundtrack and used them as a fake stereo master -- but did a really bad job on the mix.

Whatever the technical explanation, it ruined my enjoyment of the movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Manchester, England, in 1965 seems like a dead end to a pair of sisters, flirty Arden (Emma Cooke) and bookish Ellie Brookes (Gillian Kearney). They ache to get out from under the thumb of their domineering grandmother (Sue Johnston), and when their cousin Norman (David Threlfall) proposes to Ellie, she accepts. But just then the sisters meet a struggling band called the Ice Cubes, who grudgingly play backup for a smarmy singer named Larry B. Cool while trying to land a record deal. Arden throws herself at the group's leader, Dallas (Joseph McFadden), but Dallas finds himself drawn more to Ellie, who's also an aspiring songwriter. From there, Sex, Chips and Rock 'n' Roll spins a complex web of secret loves and twisted ambitions against the backdrop of the mid-’60s British music scene. It's a rock & roll soap opera, but it's smartly written and engagingly acted, full of subtle commentary on the cultural changes cutting across British society. The multidimensional characters take unexpected turns; you'll quickly find yourself drawn into their lives. (Plus, in a clever bit of casting, the loathsome Larry B. Cool is played by Phil Daniels, who played the hero of the Who's rock opera Quadrophenia.) --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fabulous acting and engrossing story line
I never thought for a moment I would sit through six 50-minute episodes of a BBC series titled "Sex, Chips, and Rock 'n' Roll"-- as much as I like chips--from Acorn Media on two DVDs. By the time the first 50-minute episode ended, my wife and I were hooked on this mini-series that takes place in Manchester, England in 1965 and centers around the two non-identical Brookes twins named Ellie (Gillian Kearney) and Arden (Emma Cook).

They live under the tyrannical regime of Granny Brookes (Sue Johnston) along with their ineffectual father (Nicholas Farrell), and the sisters could not be more unlike. Ellie is the intellectual who looks forward to "the University," while boy-mad Arden (note the symbolism of the name) wants only to become a top rock singer. They get involved with a mediocre group called The Ice Cubes, who are under the unpleasant thumb of their lead singer Larry "B. Cool" Valentine (Phil Daniels).

A cousin named Norman (David Threlfall) is recovering from a wife who walked out on him and wants to marry Ellie, who has in the meanwhile fallen for guitarist/lyricist Dallas (Joseph McFadden), who in turn has an affair with.... No, you are going to have to see for yourself what develops and un-develops as these characters act and interact.

The level of the acting is superb. With the exception of Larry, all nastiness and no subtlety, and the guitarist Tex (Julian Kerridge), whom we never really get to know, the characters are as fully developed as you could wish. The third Ice Cube, The Wolf (James Callis), underacts his part to perfection, looking like one of the leads in "Interview With the Vampire" and seldom showing what he is truly feeling. Norman is just inches from cartoonish but still believable. The two sisters are clearly differentiated, Arden demanding but never giving, Ellie unselfish almost to be the point of being out of Dickens (were it not for the obligatory scene in bed). She is even locked up in her room in true Victorian style in one late episode...but again, you must see the whole to appreciate the parts.

But it is Sue Johnston that carries away all the acting honors, right up to the surprise revelation at the end that explains and makes up (almost) for everything that went before.

A rare treat and different from most domestic fare. Try it.

SWINGING SIXTIES SENSATION
Sex, Chips and Rock 'n' Roll is the best drama series to date. Firstly it has a superb cast, a gripping storyline, and is filled with emotional ups and downs. This is one drama series you can watch again and again and still want more. Fantastic! Look forward to watching it again soon.

Two girls just wishin' and hopin'
Mercifully, the "chips" (as in "fish 'n' chips") is downplayed in this well written, finely acted, high-energy period drama. The period in question is Swingin' England in 1965. The locale, working-class Manchester (in the beginning) and London (second half). The story focuses on a rivalrous pair of twin sisters coming out of high school, full of dreams and eager to buck the iron rule of their controlling grandmother...and their encounter with a soon-to-be discovered rock and roll band. The gals and the guys get equal treatment here, but clearly we are expected to delight in the way the young women come into their own in a proto-feminist kind of way. More than anything the women are caught between the need to live out their dreams and the downward pull of the family motto, "'I want' does not get." But it's not as glum as you might expect. The 60s British music adds pep and relief from some otherwise tense melodrama. Not entirely plausible, it has a some of the compensatory artificiality of "Strictly Ballroom." Loads of fun. All it lacked was some walk-on parts for people like Alan Bates, Albert Finney, and Julie Christie. ... Read more