Filmed at the time of the student revolts in Paris, Lindsay Anderson's "If..." (1968) wowed audiences with its heady mix of anti-authority messages and shocking violence. The movie is structured in seven chapters: College-Once Again Assembled, Term Time,Ritual and Romance, Discipline, Resistance, Forth to War and Crusaders. Each chapter reflects an aspect of English prep school life, and each gets progressively more abusive. The strong violence is not romanticized. Malcolm McDowell's movie debut as a student rebelling against authority is a performance that resonates.
Director Lindsay Anderson's controversial and satirical diatribe of the tyranny of British boarding schools was embraced nationwide in America by anti-authoritarian students in the 1960s. Malcolm McDowell stars as Mick Travis, a rebellious youth who becomes so fed up with the cruelty he and his fellow students are forced to endure that he leads a violent revolt against the despotic headmaster. David Wood, Christine Noonan, Richard Warwick co-star. 112 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Uncompressed mono; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary by McDowell, others; bonus "Cast and Crew" episode; interview; bonus short "Thursday's Children" (1954); booklet.
