Re: Ending of Quad (film) --> Meaning?

["Kevin Winn" <kwinn@chrome.com>]

Ian opens a new can 'o worms:
>According to the album, it doesn't seem that Jimmy took his life; 
>especially with "Love..." being the last song.
>So, which is it??  

It's been awhile since I've seen the film, but I seem to remember being able to 
briefly see a figure standing on the cliff as the scooter heads down.

I've never thought that Jimmy goes down with the scooter.  I choose to think 
that he ends only his Mod association by sending the scooter over the cliff, not
his life.

The film is a very different presentation (if not interpretation) of the album. 
The album is set on "the rock," with Jimmy recounting the events and emotions 
that brought him up to that moment.  The liner notes end with him simply 
realizing his combative personalities, not renouncing his lifestyle.  I think 
this wouldn't have sold very many tickets to movie-houses, especially in the 
American "we haven't blown up enough buildings/people/submarines" sense of film 
production.  The film had to focus on the conflicts of the environment 
(Brighton, the parties, the sex, etc.) rather than the conflicts of Jimmy's 
interior, because it's much harder to present the latter and not have a theater 
full of sleeping people.  Especially a theater full of Who fans, which is what I
remember the crowd being when I saw the film for the first time when it was 
released.

I liked the film, but it wasn't the introspective sandbag to the side of the 
head that the album was...

Steph was sure a babe, though...  :)


OK,
KLW