‘How are British youths represented in Quadrophenia and Harry Brown’

‘How are British youths represented in Quadrophenia and Harry Brown’

In Quadrophenia british youths are represented using Cohens 1972's theory of moral panic. Cohens theory of moral panic consists of an episode in a period of time when a group or a person alone emerges to become defined as a threat to society. In Quadrophenia this is shown by the two conflicting groups in the 1960s, these groups were the mods and the rockers. The disputes between these two groups usually took place over the overlapping of territories.

In Harry Brown Cohens theory of moral panic is also present as the youths represented in the movie are also seen as a threat to soceity with their violent and inappropriate behaviour.

Both movies show a theme of Cultural hegemony, this is Gramsic 1971s theory that a culturally-diverse society can be dominated by one of it social classes. In Harry Brown the group of youths are shown trying to dominate and control the older generation of society by using violence and threating them to make them fear them which therefore makes them feel as though they can rule them. In Quadrophenia cultural hegemony is present between the mods and the rockers, they are both competing to dominate and rule a certain territory.

Another theme shown in Harry Brown is Mcrobbie 2004s theory of Symbolic Violence. In Harry Brown the gangs are mainly targetting the lower class and this then goes unoticed by the police as it is seen as a form of social reproduction. But when the youths attack a more middle class citezen this is when it is not seen to be acceptable and the police decide to step in and do something about it.

The gang ideologies presented in the movies vary from conformity to rebellion. In Quadrophenia you see the

main character Jimmy played by Phil Daniels, finding his way to conform in a society where he wants to fit in. Certain aspects of his life that we as the audience are aware of such as him hating his parents and his job means that he is wanting to fit in and conform to another type of family. For Jimmy, being a mod is a way for him to conform and fit in.

In Harry Brown, the youths are shown conforming to the gang leader, the gang leader is Noel Winters played by Ben Drew or better know for his stage name Plan B. The youths in this movie are shown doing acts of violence etc just so they feel as though they can fit in. The youths do as they are told as to conform to the gang culture.

The gang ideology of rebellion is a consistant theme throughout both movies. In Harry Brown the youths are seen to be rebelling against the cultural norm of elders being more dominant than youths. But in Harry Brown the youths show such a violent, careless attitude towards everyone that they are just rebelling against anything and everything they can, particually the law.

In Quadrophenia, the youths are shown in two seperate groups, the mods and the rockers, and they are shown rebelling against eachother. This is for them to rebel against their parents, against the law and against themselves in some ways. In Quadrophenia, radicalism is shown in the way that the youths are reacting against the post war conditions, now the war is over they are more free to conform to social groups and more able to be more self expressionate.

explanation/analysis/argument: 12

use of examples: 11

terminology: 7