list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around If... on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/If/41446/default.aspx Title: If...
Year: 1968
Director: Lindsay Anderson
Plot: Rebellious students at an English private school plan a violent revolt against their repressive environment in director Lindsay Anderson's highly acclaimed but extremely controversial drama. Centering on a small group of non-conformists led by Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell), the film paints a distinctly negative picture of the British school system and, by extension, English society. Seeing the powers-that-be as humorless, bureaucratic, and needlessly restrictive, Mick and his cohorts indulge in small acts of rebellion, including sneaking into town to romance a local waitress. Their actions are discovered and punished with harsh beatings, leading the students to plot revenge. This effort culminates in the film's most famous sequence, a surrealistic depiction of a bloody uprising by the students against the adult world. Daring and unpredictable in content and form, If... mixes color and black-and-white cinematography as easily as it mingles satire with dark fantasy. The film's ambiguous attitude toward violence caused controversy at the time, as many commentators saw the film as a potential incitement to violence. It became a great success among younger, counter-culture audiences who appreciated the audacious shock tactics and embraced the satirical, anti-establishment message. Often compared to Jean Vigo's French classic Zéro de conduite, which also featured surrealistic boarding-school rebellion, If... has become a high point in the cinema of youth rebellion. Anderson and McDowell later collaborated on O Lucky Man! (1973), Look Back in Anger (1980), and Britannia Hospital (1982). ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 5
Number of Lists: 16
Number of blog posts: 2
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:45:42 GMTIf...1968Lindsay AndersonRebellious students at an English private school plan a violent revolt against their repressive environment in director <a href="/players/P____79629/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Lindsay Anderson</a>'s highly acclaimed but extremely controversial drama. Centering on a small group of non-conformists led by Mick Travis (<a href="/players/P____47319/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Malcolm McDowell</a>), the film paints a distinctly negative picture of the British school system and, by extension, English society. Seeing the powers-that-be as humorless, bureaucratic, and needlessly restrictive, Mick and his cohorts indulge in small acts of rebellion, including sneaking into town to romance a local waitress. Their actions are discovered and punished with harsh beatings, leading the students to plot revenge. This effort culminates in the film's most famous sequence, a surrealistic depiction of a bloody uprising by the students against the adult world. Daring and unpredictable in content and form, If... mixes color and black-and-white cinematography as easily as it mingles satire with dark fantasy. The film's ambiguous attitude toward violence caused controversy at the time, as many commentators saw the film as a potential incitement to violence. It became a great success among younger, counter-culture audiences who appreciated the audacious shock tactics and embraced the satirical, anti-establishment message. Often compared to Jean Vigo's French classic Zéro de conduite, which also featured surrealistic boarding-school rebellion, If... has become a high point in the cinema of youth rebellion. Anderson and McDowell later collaborated on O Lucky Man! (1973), <a href=/films/20809/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Look Back in Anger</a> (1980), and <a href=/films/4477/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Britannia Hospital</a> (1982). ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide5Slightly Tagged (1-5)16233http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u36259fooeg.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/If/41446/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/Re_Which_of_these_film_directors_with_the_name_And/657/43319/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Smooth_J
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 7/29/2009 7:22:11 PM
Body: Although PTA is an incredible film-maker, and I love each and every movie he's made (but, alas, I have not seen Hard Eight/Sydney/his first movie), Wes Anderson has always hit home with me. Regardless of critical opinion on some of his films, I have adored everything he's made, and found the re-watchability factor with his movies to be better than most other idiosyncratic directors. So, my vote went, hands down, to Wes. I haven't had a chance to see any of Lindsay Anderson's films, but I've been eyeing up If... for a while and have This Sporting Life in my Netflix queue.
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:22:11 GMTSmooth_JMovie Polls7/29/2009 7:22:11 PMAlthough PTA is an incredible film-maker, and I love each and every movie he's made (but, alas, I have not seen Hard Eight/Sydney/his first movie), Wes Anderson has always hit home with me. Regardless of critical opinion on some of his films, I have adored everything he's made, and found the re-watchability factor with his movies to be better than most other idiosyncratic directors. So, my vote went, hands down, to Wes. I haven't had a chance to see any of Lindsay Anderson's films, but I've been eyeing up If... for a while and have This Sporting Life in my Netflix queue. http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/Which_of_these_film_directors_with_the_name_Anders/657/43311/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 7/29/2009 1:50:50 PM
Body: Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. Again it's kind of an arbitrary comparison I know, but I still thought it was interesting how many Andersons there were as famous directors. I know Roy Andersson has an extra "s" in it, but as far as I know it's pronounced the same. Please vote only once in each poll. Some of the movies from these directors: Lindsay Anderson - This Sporting Life, If...., O Lucky Man! Paul Thomas Anderson - Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood Paul W.S. Anderson - Event Horizon, Resident Evil, AVP: Alien vs. Predator Wes Anderson - Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Roy Andersson - A Swedish Love Story, Songs from the Second Floor, You, the Living
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:50:50 GMTRisseladaMovie Polls7/29/2009 1:50:50 PMPlease reference this thread for the rules of this group. Again it's kind of an arbitrary comparison I know, but I still thought it was interesting how many Andersons there were as famous directors. I know Roy Andersson has an extra "s" in it, but as far as I know it's pronounced the same. Please vote only once in each poll. Some of the movies from these directors: Lindsay Anderson - This Sporting Life, If...., O Lucky Man! Paul Thomas Anderson - Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood Paul W.S. Anderson - Event Horizon, Resident Evil, AVP: Alien vs. Predator Wes Anderson - Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Roy Andersson - A Swedish Love Story, Songs from the Second Floor, You, the Living http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2009/2/9/40351.aspx Post By: dibot
Post To: dibot Blog
Post Date: 2/9/2009 1:55:18 PM
Body: Dark Corners started out as a pretty interesting horror movie with Thora Birch ("Train") playing dual roles as a depressed, poor woman having beautiful dreams and a wealthy, happy woman having nightmares. They seemed to be dreaming each other's lives. And then it just descended into making zero sense and plausibility. I don't mind bending the rules of space and time. But there needs to be something I can hold onto as possible.Gran Torino gives us Clint Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby") at his grizzled best. Eastwood stars as a grumpy old racist man living in a changing neighborhood. He starts getting close to his Hmong neighbors who change his outlook as he tries to keep them out of trouble. Besides Eastwood, the acting of the unknowns in the film is atrocious. But the story is so good, that I mostly overlooked that. And I enjoy Eastwood as a director. He doesn't waste time. All the shots are important and further the story. If this is truly Eastwood's final acting performance, then this is a good one to end with. But I hope he keeps directing for many more years.Another in the Filmspotting Angry Young Men Marathon, If... just confirms that I don't like this genre. A very young Malcolm McDowell ("Bolt") stars as a disgruntled, head-in-the-clouds, authority hating teen at a boarding school. As the term wears on, McDowell and his friends rebel against some older bullies and the teachers backing them. And a full-fledged war develops. There are some very surreal sequences as well. These supossedly emphasize the absurdness of the society and school. I just didn't enjoy it.Persepolis is an animated coming-of-age story of an imaginative Iranian girl during and after the Islamic Revolution. I really enjoyed the black and white animation. Very dramatic. And the story. It was funny, informative and heart-breaking. I don't know much about the Islamic Revolution, but this story, based on the life of cowriter/codirector Marjane Satrapi, shows the long-lasting effects on one family. Very good.And then I rewatched Silence of the Lambs. I don't know what to say about it that hasn't already been said. It still rocks. It's still tense even though I know exactly what's coming. Anthony Hopkins ("Beowolf") is perfect and not over the top. Jodie Foster ("Nim's Island") is all young and determined to prove herself. I love it!
]]>Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:55:18 GMTdibotdibot Blog2/9/2009 1:55:18 PMDark Corners started out as a pretty interesting horror movie with Thora Birch ("Train") playing dual roles as a depressed, poor woman having beautiful dreams and a wealthy, happy woman having nightmares. They seemed to be dreaming each other's lives. And then it just descended into making zero sense and plausibility. I don't mind bending the rules of space and time. But there needs to be something I can hold onto as possible.Gran Torino gives us Clint Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby") at his grizzled best. Eastwood stars as a grumpy old racist man living in a changing neighborhood. He starts getting close to his Hmong neighbors who change his outlook as he tries to keep them out of trouble. Besides Eastwood, the acting of the unknowns in the film is atrocious. But the story is so good, that I mostly overlooked that. And I enjoy Eastwood as a director. He doesn't waste time. All the shots are important and further the story. If this is truly Eastwood's final acting performance, then this is a good one to end with. But I hope he keeps directing for many more years.Another in the Filmspotting Angry Young Men Marathon, If... just confirms that I don't like this genre. A very young Malcolm McDowell ("Bolt") stars as a disgruntled, head-in-the-clouds, authority hating teen at a boarding school. As the term wears on, McDowell and his friends rebel against some older bullies and the teachers backing them. And a full-fledged war develops. There are some very surreal sequences as well. These supossedly emphasize the absurdness of the society and school. I just didn't enjoy it.Persepolis is an animated coming-of-age story of an imaginative Iranian girl during and after the Islamic Revolution. I really enjoyed the black and white animation. Very dramatic. And the story. It was funny, informative and heart-breaking. I don't know much about the Islamic Revolution, but this story, based on the life of cowriter/codirector Marjane Satrapi, shows the long-lasting effects on one family. Very good.And then I rewatched Silence of the Lambs. I don't know what to say about it that hasn't already been said. It still rocks. It's still tense even though I know exactly what's coming. Anthony Hopkins ("Beowolf") is perfect and not over the top. Jodie Foster ("Nim's Island") is all young and determined to prove herself. I love it! http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/12/28585.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/12/2008 11:25:11 AM
Body: I was with if… for most of the way, drawn into it's detached look at growing up an elite British boarding school. But towards the end, the movie lost me. I am unable to discuss my objections (limited as they are) to the movie without revealing elements of the ending, so you're warned here. if… is a collection of vignettes about life at the boarding school. There is no story in the usual sense at characters wander in and out of the picture. At the beginning we follow a boy named Jute (Sean Bury) as he arrives at the school and learns it's complex and somewhat bizarre social rules, but he quickly fades into the background. We never forget him, perhaps because he is new the environment he has a degree of hope and optimism that everyone seems to lack. These people are rich, but this is a terrible place- there is a random and pointless hierarchy. Individuality is not encouraged and the students live incredibly small dorm rooms which must be kept immaculately clean. A mafia like organization of bullies and floor leaders must paid the proper respect to, with cruel punishment for those that do not obey (such as being made to take a cold shower or caning). The only people who seem to rebel from this background are a group of seniors lead by Mick (Malcolm McDowell). Mick is not exactly a fine upstanding guy, but like Alex from A Clockwork Orange, he has integrity to the degree that he lives by his own personal code, warped as it may be, instead of the hypocrisy of the society around him. He's obsessed with guns and violence in particular, which is a kind of fetish. He is a thorn in the side of the school and his class leaders, who consider him detrimental to their own reputation. Much of the movie's vignettes are believable and plausible, but at the end an event occurs that is either a fantasy or a metaphor that for me was groan inducing and obnoxious. If it's a fantasy, Anderson failed to properly cued us, and if it's a metaphor, it's frankly a stupid one that stylistically jars with the realistic tone of the rest of the picture, and in retrospect hurts what came before. I wondered if anything was supposed to be real, and if it's not, what's the point? This sort of deconstruction was popular in movies of the late 60's, but it's tiresome to the modern eye. Aside from Bergman's Persona few movies that did this sort of thing hold up well today. I wish that Anderson had given us an ending that would have shown the natural conclusion of these events in the real world. But this is still an very good movie, with an excellent performance by McDowell. I just wish it had been made a few years later, when the deconstruction fad had played itself out and movies had gotten back to telling actual stories, sort of. If... (1968)
]]>Mon, 12 May 2008 15:25:11 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/12/2008 11:25:11 AMI was with if&hellip; for most of the way, drawn into it's detached look at growing up an elite British boarding school. But towards the end, the movie lost me. I am unable to discuss my objections (limited as they are) to the movie without revealing elements of the ending, so you're warned here. if&hellip; is a collection of vignettes about life at the boarding school. There is no story in the usual sense at characters wander in and out of the picture. At the beginning we follow a boy named Jute (Sean Bury) as he arrives at the school and learns it's complex and somewhat bizarre social rules, but he quickly fades into the background. We never forget him, perhaps because he is new the environment he has a degree of hope and optimism that everyone seems to lack. These people are rich, but this is a terrible place- there is a random and pointless hierarchy. Individuality is not encouraged and the students live incredibly small dorm rooms which must be kept immaculately clean. A mafia like organization of bullies and floor leaders must paid the proper respect to, with cruel punishment for those that do not obey (such as being made to take a cold shower or caning). The only people who seem to rebel from this background are a group of seniors lead by Mick (Malcolm McDowell). Mick is not exactly a fine upstanding guy, but like Alex from A Clockwork Orange, he has integrity to the degree that he lives by his own personal code, warped as it may be, instead of the hypocrisy of the society around him. He's obsessed with guns and violence in particular, which is a kind of fetish. He is a thorn in the side of the school and his class leaders, who consider him detrimental to their own reputation. Much of the movie's vignettes are believable and plausible, but at the end an event occurs that is either a fantasy or a metaphor that for me was groan inducing and obnoxious. If it's a fantasy, Anderson failed to properly cued us, and if it's a metaphor, it's frankly a stupid one that stylistically jars with the realistic tone of the rest of the picture, and in retrospect hurts what came before. I wondered if anything was supposed to be real, and if it's not, what's the point? This sort of deconstruction was popular in movies of the late 60's, but it's tiresome to the modern eye. Aside from Bergman's Persona few movies that did this sort of thing hold up well today. I wish that Anderson had given us an ending that would have shown the natural conclusion of these events in the real world. But this is still an very good movie, with an excellent performance by McDowell. I just wish it had been made a few years later, when the deconstruction fad had played itself out and movies had gotten back to telling actual stories, sort of. If... (1968) http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_black_and_white_movies_made_after_1970/190/6030/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 3/4/2007 11:20:33 PM
Body: [quote user="BigJeffLebowski"]5. Lenny[/quote]Huh, I've never seen the movie Lenny. I'd heard of it but never even realized it was in black and white. Would you recommend really listening to some recordings of Lenny Bruce before actually seeing the movie to get prepared?[quote user="BigJeffLebowski"]No one really brings this up when they mention the film, but I think the monetary restraints on the original Clerks (black and white, stationary camera) give the film a certain security-camera feel that really helps the juxtaposition of the mundane and the outlandish, and is part of the reason Clerks is able to assimilate the two so well.[/quote]You say this is never brought up, but I thought I actually heard Smith himself claim that was the effect in mind even when he was shooting it. I could be mistaken though. I've definitely heard that security camera type of angle discussed before though.[quote user="BigJeffLebowski"]And shouldn't we have special mention for films that either spot-color or switch between black and white and color for more than simply flashbacks? For instance: Rumble Fish, American History X, Pleasantville, Memento, Wings of Desire, Zelig, The Notorious Bettie Page?[/quote]The movie If.... also switchs between color and black and white, and although it was commended by critics as some kind of artistic choice, it turns out it was merely due to their budget forcing them to swtich to black and white stock at a certain point in the shoot.
]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:20:33 GMTRisseladaTop 53/4/2007 11:20:33 PM[quote user="BigJeffLebowski"]5. Lenny[/quote]Huh, I&#39;ve never seen the movie Lenny. I&#39;d heard of it but never even realized it was in black and white. Would you recommend really listening to some recordings of Lenny Bruce before actually seeing the movie to get prepared?[quote user="BigJeffLebowski"]No one really brings this up when they mention the film, but I think the monetary restraints on the original Clerks (black and white, stationary camera) give the film a certain security-camera feel that really helps the juxtaposition of the mundane and the outlandish, and is part of the reason Clerks is able to assimilate the two so well.[/quote]You say this is never brought up, but I thought I actually heard Smith himself claim that was the effect in mind even when he was shooting it. I could be mistaken though. I&#39;ve definitely heard that security camera type of angle discussed before though.[quote user="BigJeffLebowski"]And shouldn&#39;t we have special mention for films that either spot-color or switch between black and white and color for more than simply flashbacks? For instance: Rumble Fish, American History X, Pleasantville, Memento, Wings of Desire, Zelig, The Notorious Bettie Page?[/quote]The movie If.... also switchs between color and black and white, and although it was commended by critics as some kind of artistic choice, it turns out it was merely due to their budget forcing them to swtich to black and white stock at a certain point in the shoot. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/teenagers/MemberTagFilms.aspxteenagers
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