Bardlerx Strictly average movie

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Leofwine_draca Complex psychological drama from director Lindsay Anderson, who would later complete his bizarre trilogy with O LUCKY MAN! and BRITANNIA HOSPITAL. Layered with subtext and impossible to fathom with just one viewing, this is the classic "rebellion" story, this time set in a posh private boy's school rife with hatred, class warfare, and struggles for power and leadership. Although the physical aspects of the storyline have dated somewhat in the turbulent years since this film first came out - with films like CLASS OF 1984 and others putting the violence in this one significantly into the shade - the artistry, visual style, complex characters, and detailed performances put it above the rest. The film always remains grounded in realism with no flights of fancy and the action is subtle and thus more true-to-life than many other movies using the school setting as a battleground.Physical aspects of the film are highly accomplished, from the photography to the music, even right down to the settings and costumes. Even the haircuts in this film are important as a symbol of rebellion and uprising. Due to budget constraints, many scenes are shot in black and white, giving the movie something of a pretentious tone but these were more of a result of Anderson running out of money than anything else. The film marks the debut of actor Malcolm McDowell, perfectly cast in the leading role of Mick Travis, a student who has had enough, and any fan of McDowell from later in his career will find him contributing his usual powerful performance at this early stage. Many strong actors fill out the supporting roles, with plenty of familiar faces from respected British actors willing to take part. Anderson achieves many powerful moments in his movie, especially the caning in the gym which stands out in my mind as one of the most shocking I've seen despite the lack of on-screen violence. IF.... is in many ways a brave and original movie and deserves to be seen at least once by those with an interest in British cinema.

Rob Starzec If.... is a strange film since it seems to be on the border between the mainstream and the art film. It is definitely experimental in terms of its use of color as well as not being necessarily clear about whether certain moments of the film are fantasy for the characters (though some moments simply MUST be).For those familiar with a Clockwork Orange, it is made clear by this film why Kubrick made the casting decision of Malcolm McDowell for the famous anti-hero Alexander DeLarge. Malcolm McDowell is the driving force behind the film If.... even though he does not appear in every scene. He is wonderful with his disregard for the rules made to oppress himself and his classmates, and he pulls off this rebellious attitude with a convincing smart mouth and a bit of repressed evil.The theme of rebellion is practically shouted within this movie. When McDowell's character enters the story, he wears a cloth around his face and his classmates jokingly refer to him as Guy Faux, who you might remember as V's main inspiration in V for Vendetta. He and his closest friends are also constantly being punished throughout the film for acting against such seemingly unnecessary rules. But this is the environment they are brought up in - it is a private school for the upper-class in which they live and the adults will shape them to become upper-class adults through the means of rough discipline which at some points can arguably be described as abuse.The room in which Mick Travis (McDowell) and his closest friends hang out is also filled with photos focusing on rebellion. These photos come from various revolutions or wars, so most of the photos depict heroes (if you want to call them that) fighting in military battles.A sub-theme of this film seems to be repressed homosexuality. Rumors of a certain boy amongst the group claim he is homosexual, and this boy is given a scene where he focuses his attention on an upper- class-man exercising his gymnastic abilities. There is very little room for reading this scene as anything other than longing for the older boy, and it is a true example of the male gaze in cinema. Also, this is revisited later when the two boys are in the same bed together, smiling at each other with their shirts off.What is strange about this film is that there are moments of black and white footage, and these scenes do not seem to have a pattern. A lot of them are moments that are clearly within the diegesis of the film while others represent fantasy sequences - these fantasy sequences seem to be when the focus is on Mick Travis. But as said before, there is no true pattern as normal events and strange ones alike take the aesthetic of being shot in black and white, so it is peculiar why the director shot any sequence in color at all.Finally, if you are very sensitive or get offended easily this is not the film for you - the ending which the film builds up to is extremely disturbing.3.0/4.0

avik-basu1889 Themes of "Anti-Establishment" and "Rebellion" have always been widely used in all art forms, be it cinema, be it music, be it literature,etc. Specially during the sixties, non-conformist ideas and policies had a huge rise and people started to reject the conventional ideas and beliefs to lead a life that they believed in.Cinema is an art form which in its truest form can portray very accurately the plight of the common people and the conditions that they are living in, their daily struggles, their happiness, their sorrow,etc. So the cinema of the sixties couldn't possibly stay completely oblivious of the chaotic conditions that existed in the society. Films from different parts of the world and in various languages started being made with themes of non-conformism like "Pratidwandi" by Satyajit Ray, "Memories of Underdevelopment" by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, etc."If..." is another such film that was made in the sixties which dealt with rebellion and themes of anti-establishment, and as far as I am concerned, it is a true masterpiece. The director Lindsay Anderson uses the class system prevalent in the British schools at the time as a metaphor for the class systems existing in society. We witness the goings-on in the school from the points of view of two students belonging to the different ends of the spectrum. Jute who starts out as an outsider completely oblivious of the customs and traditions slowly and gradually gets prepared by others to accept and embrace the customs and he in the end becomes part of the establishment by being accepted by the authorities. On the other hand there is Mick Travis, who has been a student for quite sometime, but who still can't accept the strict rules and regulations that he is supposed to obey. He continuously flouts the rules which leads to punishments and these punishments gradually give birth to a violent, rebellious spirit in him.The teachers and the headmasters represent the governments and all other forms of authority. All they do is give long and articulate speeches about life and the future of the students and the society. The whips are just students,but they have been given extra privileges to act as monitors and supervisors of other students and have the right to brandish punishments. I think they represent the elites and the rich people who don't care about the plight of others and abuse other people's rights while they themselves are nothing but the same as the same. The oppression and lack of freedom proves too much for some in the end which leads to a brutal finale. Lindsay Anderson tells the story in a very stylish way with a lot of surrealism. There clearly are some scenes which raises the question of whether they actually took place or whether they were just dreams involving wish fulfilment for Mick. Malcolm Mcdowell is brilliant as the young and vibrant Mick Travis. His character here is somewhat similar to the character of Alex DeLarge in "A Clockwork Orange", although Mick is in now way as wild as Alex.To conclude, it has to be said that "If...." is a great film which uses allegory to portray the problems of society in general. The director shows how the lack of freedom and relentless oppression can lead to chaotic eventualities. Although this film was made in 1968, but its themes make it relevant and accessible even today in the 21st century.

Cheese Hoven This ambitious (if a little pretentious) film is among the most interesting and intelligent in the history of British cinema. Certainly many of its themes: the casual cruelty meted out to boys (still an unspoken reality of society) and the need to rebel against stuffy and oppressive institutions are very powerfully depicted here, as powerful as have ever been committed to celluloid.Sometimes I feel that just too much has been crammed into the film and many narrative strands are not very well developed. A new boy is introduced at the start but his story is jettisoned in favour of a good looking boy who is fuelling everybody's (apparently) sexual fantasies. Even worse is the case of the new master introduced at the same time, and presumably to counterbalance, the new boy. His story fizzles out almost immediately.The female love interest of Malcolm Macdowell is rather superficially written, almost as if the writers felt the need to insert a girl into what otherwise would be all almost entirely male film (the other female characters are of no consequence).The once famous use of cutting between colour and black and white wears thin. It use seems entirely arbitrary.Despite this, If remains a powerful film with many memorable scenes.