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| Militant-looking but spiffily dressed young men against dramatic scenes inserted into the alarming nexus of a hand grenade makes up this effective poster for Lindsay Anderson's If.... |
We follow the strictly disciplined, odd life in a English public boarding school, where three older students resist the teachings of the institution, led by the rebel Travis.
If.... is written by David Sherwin (Wet Gold (1984, TV movie)), with John Howlett (Touch and Die (1992, TV movie)) contributing story elements, and co-produced and directed by great Indian-born British filmmaker Lindsay Anderson (This Sporting Life (1963)).
The film sparkles with freshness to this day in lovely images (cinematography by Miroslav Ondrícek (Amadeus (1984))), with an abundance of funny and striking scenes. It is a powerful and provocative and violently revolutionary, subversive film. It idolizes Mick Travis, the leading character which Malcolm McDowell (Moving On (2022)) portrays with an awards-worthy turn.
SPOILER Despite the temptation to mostly shake one's head at the perverse school traditions of the English, this film presents contradicting 'heroes' that are just as, - if not a lot more, - terrible, because they arrive to the dubious conclusion that the systems faults are enough to justify shooting every one in it!
If.... may be the strongest youth revolt film of all, which however also clearly shows the wave's unsympathetic, anarchisticly violent backside. It is odd that Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver mass murderer nearly a decade later, in another pivotal cinematic examination of violence in young males, is also named Travis. Perhaps the lack of a heroic glow around the later Travis character reflects a development towards a more critical stance in the general perception of the societal revolt, led by the young, in the intermediate years.
Watch a trailer for the movie here
Cost: 500k $
Box office: In excess of 5.75 mil. $
= Uncertain but surely a mega-hit (projected return of 14 times its cost)
[If.... was released 19 December (UK) and runs 111 minutes. McDowell was paid 90 £ a week for his performance. Shooting took place from January - March 1968 in England, including in London. For the North American release, male nudity was cut out in order for the film to receive an R rating. Variety reported in January 1970 that the film had earned rentals of 2.3 mil. $, likely from North America alone, which suggests a gross of 5.75 mil. $. The film is described as a hit in the UK, but its actual gross and numbers from other markets are not recorded online regrettably: It didn't attract audiences in Denmark (just 825 tickets sold). A cautious projected total gross of 7 mil. $ is not unlikely. The film was nominated for 2 BAFTAs, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Anderson brought McDowell's Travis character back in two later films, again portrayed by McDowell: O Lucky Man! (1973), - he only directed an episode of Play for Today (1972) in the years between, - and Britannia Hospital (1982). McDowell first returned in The Wednesday Play (1969, TV-series) and theatrically in Figures in a Landscape (1970). If.... is certified fresh at 90 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of If....?
