Followers of the Criterion Collection have surmised this has been in the works for a while, but only yesterday was it made official. On August 28, 2012, Criterion will be issuing Quadrophenia on DVD, and for the first time in the U.S., Blu-ray. Inarguably the greatest film ever based on a Rock album, Quadrophenia brought Jimmy the Mod from the grooves of one of The Who's greatest records to the screen. Devoid of the mushy surrealism of big-screen Rock operas like Tommy and Pink Floyd: The Wall, Quadrophenia is both a bitterly nostalgic look back at the Mods vs. Rockers clashes of the early '60s and a commentary on Britain's social and economic mire of the late '70s. As much a punk movie as a mod one, Quadrophenia is a vital, violent reflection of those vital, violent punk pioneers, The Who.
- Criterion's special edition, approved by director Franc Roddam, includes the following features (from criterion.com)
- New high-definition digital restoration of the uncut version, with the 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 on the Blu-ray edition
- New audio commentary featuring director Franc Roddam and director of photography Brian Tufano
- New interview with Bill Curbishley, the film’s coproducer and the Who’s comanager
- 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
- Trailers
- PLUS: 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
Pre-order info to follow.
