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Synopsis
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

Cast

Peter Jeffrey Headmaster
Arthur Lowe Housemaster
Malcolm McDowell Mick
Christine Noonan Girl
Richard Warwick Wallace
Mona Washbourne Matron
David Wood Johnny
Robert Swann Rowntree

Production Crew

Brian Eatwell Art Director
Miriam Brickman Casting
Miroslav Ondrícek Cinematographer
Marc Wilkinson Composer (Music Score)
Lindsay Anderson Director
David Gladwell Editor
Betty Blattner Makeup
Marc Wilkinson Musical Direction/Supervision
Albert Finney Producer
Lindsay Anderson Producer
Michael Medwin Producer
Roy Baird Producer
David Gladwell Production Designer
Jocelyn Herbert Production Designer
Gavrik Losey Production Manager
Zelda Barron Production Supervisor
John Howlett Screen Story
David Sherwin Screenwriter
John Howlett Short Story Author
John Howlett Short Story Author
Christian Wangler Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 1968
Runtime: 111
Country: UK
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama

Color type
Eastmancolor

Produced by
Memorial Enterprises
Paramount

Awards
1969 - Best Film - New York Film Critics Circle
1969 - Best Foreign Film - English Language - Golden Globe
1969 - International Grand Prix - Cannes International Film Festival
1969 - International Grand Prix - Cannes Film Festival
1969 - Best Foreign Film - English Language - Hollywood Foreign Press Association
1969 - International Grand Prix - Cannes Film Festival