The world of the Italian pop music film (musicarello) usually focused on home-grown nice guys, but La battaglia dei Mods took a more international and aggressive approach. It was a direct result of pop star Ricky Shayne’s hit single Uno dei Mods, which helped bring the “British invasion” to Italy a year earlier. The song was about clashes between rival gangs, specifically Mods and Rockers, which must have seemed rather exotic to Italian audiences at the time. The film is initially set in that world, but then goes on to show the troubled rebel leaving England and making his way to Rome, via Genoa. Amidst an entertaining mix of new and more traditional attitudes and behaviours, love (obviously) rears its head, alongside the singing and dancing. “Violence, sex, rhythm, guitars, shake, rattle and roll in a wild rebellious film” – that’s what the posters promised. A little exaggerated perhaps, but nonetheless it gave the idea.
After getting involved in a fight between rival gangs, a guitarist from Liverpool is forced to go on the run. He decides to head south, in an attempt to rebuild his relationship with his father. Unfortunately, his father’s girlfriend takes a liking to him…
The world of the Italian pop music film (musicarello) usually focused on home-grown nice guys, but La battaglia dei Mods took a more international and aggressive approach. It was a direct result of pop star Ricky Shayne’s hit single Uno dei Mods, which helped bring the “British invasion” to Italy a year earlier. The song was about clashes between rival gangs, specifically Mods and Rockers, which must have seemed rather exotic to Italian audiences at the time. The film is initially set in that world, but then goes on to show the troubled rebel leaving England and making his way to Rome, via Genoa. Amidst an entertaining mix of new and more traditional attitudes and behaviours, love (obviously) rears its head, alongside the singing and dancing. “Violence, sex, rhythm, guitars, shake, rattle and roll in a wild rebellious film” – that’s what the posters promised. A little exaggerated perhaps, but nonetheless it gave the idea.
After getting involved in a fight between rival gangs, a guitarist from Liverpool is forced to go on the run. He decides to head south, in an attempt to rebuild his relationship with his father. Unfortunately, his father’s girlfriend takes a liking to him…
