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External links

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	* {{Rotten-tomatoes\|if1968\|IF....}}		* {{Rotten-tomatoes\|if1968\|IF....}}
	*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/488-if-school-days ''If....: School Days''] an essay by [[David Ehrenstein]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]		*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/488-if-school-days ''If....: School Days''] an essay by [[David Ehrenstein]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]


	~~{{DISPLAYTITLE:''if....''}}~~

	[[Category:1968 films]]		[[Category:1968 films]]

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	[[Beddington#Carew Manor\|Carew Manor]], in [[Beddington]], Surrey, was used for the opening staircase scene and for several other scenes. It was filmed during the summer when the school had closed for holidays.		[[Beddington#Carew Manor\|Carew Manor]], in [[Beddington]], Surrey, was used for the opening staircase scene and for several other scenes. It was filmed during the summer when the school had closed for holidays.

	Some scenes were shot at the former [[Trinity School of John Whitgift]] in central Croydon, before it was demolished to make way for the [[Whitgift Centre]]; pupil extras from the separate [[Whitgift School]] were engaged at £5 per day.~~{{Citation needed\|date=October 2021}~~}		Some scenes were shot at the former [[Trinity School of John Whitgift]] in central Croydon, before it was demolished to make way for the [[Whitgift Centre]]; pupil extras from the separate [[Whitgift School]] were engaged at £5 per day.}

	Anderson originally approached [[Charterhouse School]] and later [[Cranleigh School]] for permission to shoot the film: negotiations were going well until the schools discovered the content of the film and pulled out.		Anderson originally approached [[Charterhouse School]] and later [[Cranleigh School]] for permission to shoot the film: negotiations were going well until the schools discovered the content of the film and pulled out.

Kurt at 21:00, 17 March 2023

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	== External links ==		== External links ==
	~~{{Wikiquote}}~~
	* {{IMDb title\|0063850\|If.... (1968)}}		* {{IMDb title\|0063850\|If.... (1968)}}
	* {{tcmdb title\|78950\|If.... (1968)}}		* {{tcmdb title\|78950\|If.... (1968)}}

Kurt at 20:59, 17 March 2023

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	~~{{short description\|1968 British film by Lindsay Anderson}}~~
	~~{{for\|other topics with similar names\|If (disambiguation){{!}}If}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=February 2012}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2021}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	\| name = ''If....''		\| name = ''If....''
	~~\| italic_title = no~~
	\| image = If British poster.jpg		\| image = If British poster.jpg
	\| alt =		\| alt =
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	*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/488-if-school-days ''If....: School Days''] an essay by [[David Ehrenstein]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]		*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/488-if-school-days ''If....: School Days''] an essay by [[David Ehrenstein]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

	~~{{Mick Travis}}~~
	~~{{Lindsay Anderson}}~~
	~~{{Palme d'Or 1960–1979\|state=collapsed}}~~
	~~{{Authority control}}~~

	{{DISPLAYTITLE:''If....''}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:''if....''}}

	[[Category:1968 films]]		[[Category:1968 films]]

Kurt: 1 revision imported

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1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 15:19, 17 March 2023
(No difference)

2601:680:CC00:DBB0:B1DD:DA9D:3E7B:72E2: Added the critical reception.

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Added the critical reception.

New page

{{short description|1968 British film by Lindsay Anderson}}
{{for|other topics with similar names|If (disambiguation){{!}}If}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = ''If....''
| italic_title = no
| image = If British poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = British cinema poster
| director = [[Lindsay Anderson]]
| producer = Lindsay Anderson [[Michael Medwin]]
| screenplay = [[David Sherwin]]
| story = David Sherwin [[John Howlett]]
| starring = [[Malcolm McDowell]] [[Richard Warwick]] [[Christine Noonan]] [[David Wood (actor)|David Wood]] [[Robert Swann (actor)|Robert Swann]]
| music = [[Marc Wilkinson]]
| cinematography = [[Miroslav Ondříček|Miroslav Ondrícek]]
| editing = [[David Gladwell]]
| studio = Memorial Enterprises
| distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1968|12|19|UK}}
| runtime = 111 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| budget = $500,000<ref name="walker">Alexander Walker, ''Hollywood, England'', Stein and Day, 1974 p402</ref>
| gross = $2.3 million (rentals)<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1969", ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 7 January 1970 p 15</ref>
| language = English
}}
'''''If....''''' (stylised in [[Lower-case|lowercase]]) is a 1968 British [[Satire (film and television)|satirical]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] produced and directed by [[Lindsay Anderson]], and starring [[Malcolm McDowell]] as [[Mick Travis]], and also starring [[Richard Warwick]], [[Christine Noonan]], [[David Wood (actor)|David Wood]], and [[Robert Swann (actor)|Robert Swann]]. A satire of [[Public School (United Kingdom)|English public school]] life, the film follows a group of pupils who stage a savage insurrection at a boys' boarding school. The film was the subject of controversy at the time of its release, receiving an [[X rating#United Kingdom|X certificate]] for its depictions of violence.

''If....'' won the [[Palme d'Or#Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (1964–1974)|Palme d'Or]] at the [[1969 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{Cite web |title=Festival de Cannes: IF |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2527/year/1969.html |access-date=6 April 2009 |website=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>
In 1999, the [[British Film Institute]] named it the [[BFI Top 100 British films|12th greatest British film of the 20th century]]; in 2004, the magazine ''[[Total Film]]'' named it the 16th greatest British film of all time. In 2017 a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine ranked it the 9th best British film ever.<ref>[https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-british-films#tab_panel_4 "The 100 best British films"]. ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]''. Retrieved 24 October 2017</ref>
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds a 90% approval rating based on 49 reviews, with an average score of 7.9/10. According to the site's critical consensus, "Incendiary, subversive, and darkly humorous, ''If....'' is a landmark of British countercultural cinema."<ref>{{Cite web |title=If.... (2009) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/if1968 |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref>

== Plot ==
The pupils return after the summer for a new [[Michaelmas term]] at a traditional British [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public school]] for boys in the late 1960s. [[Mick Travis]] arrives hiding his moustache, which he quickly shaves off. He, Wallace, and Knightly are three non-conformist boys in the lower [[sixth form]], their penultimate year. They are watched and persecuted by the "Whips", upper sixth-formers given authority as [[School prefect|prefects]] over the other boys. The junior boys are made to [[fagging|act as personal servants]] for the Whips, who discuss them as [[sex object]]s.

The headmaster is remote from the boys and the housemasters. The protagonists' housemaster, Mr. Kemp, is easily manipulated by the Whips into giving them free rein in enforcing discipline. Some [[schoolmaster]]s are shown behaving bizarrely.

Mick and Johnny sneak off the school grounds and steal a motorbike from a showroom. They ride to a café staffed by an unnamed girl, about whom Mick fantasizes wrestling naked. Meanwhile, Wallace spends time with a younger boy, Bobby Philips, and later shares his bed.

The three boys drink vodka in their study and consider how one man holds the potential to "change the world with a bullet in the right place." Their clashes with school authorities become increasingly contentious. Eventually, a brutal [[caning]] by the Whips spurs them to action.

During a school [[Combined Cadet Force]] military drill, Mick acquires live ammunition, which he, Wallace, and Knightly use to open fire on a group of boys and masters, including Kemp and the school chaplain. When the latter orders the boys to drop their weapons, Mick assaults him and cows him into submission.

As punishment for their actions, the trio are ordered by the headmaster to clean out a large storeroom beneath the main school hall. They discover a cache of firearms, including [[Automatic firearm|automatic weapons]] and [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]]. Joined by Philips and the girl from the café, they commit to [[Rebellion|revolt]] against the establishment.

On Founders' Day, when parents are visiting the school, the group starts a fire under the hall, smoking everyone out of the building. They then open fire on them from the rooftop. Led by a visiting [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] who had been giving a speech, the staff, students, and parents break open the Combined Cadet Force armoury and begin firing back. The headmaster tries to stop the fight, imploring the group to listen to [[reason]]. The girl shoots him between the eyes. The battle continues, and the camera closes in on Mick's face as he keeps firing.

== Cast ==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Malcolm McDowell]] as [[Mick Travis|Michael Arnold "Mick" Travis]]
* [[Richard Warwick]] as Wallace
* [[Christine Noonan]] as The Girl
* [[David Wood (actor)|David Wood]] as Johnny Knightly
* Rupert Webster as Bobby Philips
* [[Robert Swann (actor)|Robert Swann]] as Rowntree
* [[Peter Jeffrey]] as Headmaster
* [[Arthur Lowe]] as Mr. Kemp, Housemaster
* [[Mona Washbourne]] as Matron
* [[Ben Aris]] as John Thomas, Undermaster
* [[Robin Askwith]] as Keating
* [[Robin Davies]] as Machin
* [[Hugh Thomas (actor)|Hugh Thomas]] as Denson
* Michael Cadman as Fortinbras
* Guy Ross as Stephans
* Martin Beaumont as Hunter
* [[John Garrie]] as Music master (uncredited)
* Philip Bagenal as Peanuts
* [[Charles Sturridge]] as Markland
* [[Graham Crowden]] as History master
* [[Tommy Godfrey]] as Finchley the school porter (uncredited)
* [[David Griffin (actor)|David Griffin]] as Willens
* [[Charles Lloyd-Pack]] as Classics master
* [[Simon Ward]] as schoolboy (uncredited)
* Richard Everett as Pussy Graves
* Ellis Dale as Motorcycle salesman (uncredited)
* [[Peter Sproule]] as Barnes
* [[Sean Bury]] as Jute
* [[Brian Pettifer]] as Biles
* [[Mary MacLeod (actress)|Mary MacLeod]] as Mrs. Kemp, housemaster's wife
* [[Geoffrey Chater]] as Chaplain
* [[Anthony Nicholls (actor)|Anthony Nicholls]] as General Denson
* Michael Newport as Brunning
* [[Ray Mitchell]] as schoolboy (uncredited)
{{div col end}}

== Production and locations ==
[[David Sherwin]]'s original title for the screenplay was ''Crusaders'', during the writing of which he drew heavily from his experiences at [[Tonbridge School]] in Kent. In 1960, he and his friend and co-writer [[John Howlett]] took it to director [[Seth Holt]]. Holt felt unqualified to direct, but offered to produce the film. They also took it to Sherwin's hero, ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' director [[Nicholas Ray]], who liked it but had a [[Mental breakdown|nervous breakdown]] before anything came of it. Holt introduced Sherwin to [[Lindsay Anderson]] in a [[Soho]] pub.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 July 2007 |title=If.... |url=http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/dvd/if |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217065453/http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/dvd/if |archive-date=17 February 2012 |access-date=26 May 2017 |website=[[Total Film]]}}</ref>

The school used for the early filming on location was Anderson's ''[[alma mater]]'', [[Cheltenham College]], Gloucestershire, but this was not made public at the time under the agreement needed to shoot there. The then headmaster, David Ashcroft, persuaded the school governors to agree that the film could be made.

[[Aldenham School]] in [[Elstree]], Hertfordshire, was used for later scenes filmed after previous summer commitments prevented further shooting at Cheltenham.

The sweat room scenes were filmed in the School Room in School House at Aldenham School (though they were redesigned for the film). The dormitory scenes were also at Aldenham—specifically The Long Room for the junior boys, and the room with the wooden partitions called Lower Cubs (short for cubicles). The shower scene and toilets were in School House changing rooms.

The transport cafe was the (now demolished) Packhorse Cafe on the A5/Watling Street in Kensworth, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, close to the Packhorse Pub.

The painting in the dining hall is of Aldenham School's founder, Richard Platt. The Hall scene was an amalgamation of the school halls at Cheltenham and Aldenham.

[[Beddington#Carew Manor|Carew Manor]], in [[Beddington]], Surrey, was used for the opening staircase scene and for several other scenes. It was filmed during the summer when the school had closed for holidays.

Some scenes were shot at the former [[Trinity School of John Whitgift]] in central Croydon, before it was demolished to make way for the [[Whitgift Centre]]; pupil extras from the separate [[Whitgift School]] were engaged at £5 per day.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Anderson originally approached [[Charterhouse School]] and later [[Cranleigh School]] for permission to shoot the film: negotiations were going well until the schools discovered the content of the film and pulled out.

The outside shots of the school including the final showdown on the roof were filmed at Cheltenham College after term ended.

The Speech Day interior was filmed inside St. John's Church on Albion Street, [[Cheltenham]]. The church was later demolished.

The motorbike shop was filmed at the Broadway Motor Company on Gladstone Road, [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Behind The Scenes on If... |url=http://www.gloucestershireonscreen.co.uk/home/1960s-1/if-1968/behind-the-scenes-with-if |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304125042/http://www.gloucestershireonscreen.co.uk/home/1960s-1/if-1968/behind-the-scenes-with-if |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=24 May 2017}}</ref>

The film makes use of [[black and white]] sequences. In the audio commentary to the 2007 DVD release, Malcolm McDowell confirmed that lighting the chapel scenes for colour filming would have taken much longer than for black and white.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=If.... |orig-year=1968 |others=Lindsay Andersen |type=DVD audio commentary to the film |publisher=[[Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]] |location=Los Angeles |id=PHE 9395 |year=2007}}</ref> The time they could use the school chapel was limited, so Anderson opted to not shoot those scenes in colour. Liking the effect this gave, he then decided to shoot other sequences in black and white to improve the 'texture' of the film. As a child, he was impressed watching a gangster film which started in black and white and then turned to colour.<ref>Sutton (2005).</ref>

The black and white sequence featuring Mrs. Kemp (Mary MacLeod) walking naked through the school was allowed by the then Secretary of the Board of the [[British Board of Film Censors]], [[John Trevelyan (censor)|John Trevelyan]], on the condition that shots of male genitalia from the shower scene were removed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gary Couzens |date=27 July 2007 |title=DVD review: if.... |url=http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/65418/if.html |url-status=dead |website=The Digital Fix |access-date=12 March 2014 |archive-date=12 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312213035/http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/65418/if.html }}</ref>

[[Stephen Frears]] is credited as an assistant to the director, while [[Chris Menges]] is credited as a cameraman.

Music featured in the film includes the 'Sanctus', from the [[Missa Luba]], a rendering of the Roman Latin mass sung to African beat by a Congolese choir.

== Sources and influence ==
The film's [[Surrealism|surrealist]] sequences have been compared to [[Jean Vigo]]'s French classic ''[[Zéro de conduite]]'' (1933). Anderson acknowledged an influence, and described how he arranged a viewing of that film with his screenwriters, Sherwin and Howlett, at an early stage in production planning, though in his view the Vigo film's influence on ''If....'' was structural rather than merely cosmetic. "Seeing Vigo's film gave us the idea and also the confidence to proceed with the kind of scene-structure that we devised for the first part of the film particularly."<ref name="LA 1/6/3/8">[http://www.is.stir.ac.uk/libraries/collections/anderson/inhisownwordsifzero.php Extract from letter written in 1976 by Lindsay Anderson to ][[Jack Landman]] in which he discusses the parallels between If.. and [[Jean Vigo]]'s [[Zéro de Conduite]] (LA 1/6/3/8), ''The Anderson Collection'', [[University of Stirling]], accessed 14 February 2008</ref>

McDowell's performance in ''If....'' caught the attention of [[Stanley Kubrick]], who subsequently cast him in his 1971 film adaptation of [[Anthony Burgess]]'s ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]''.<ref name="Hughes2013">{{Cite book |last=David Hughes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zf9BYv5DiCwC&pg=PT118 |title=The Complete Kubrick |date=31 May 2013 |publisher=Ebury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4481-3321-5 |page=118}}</ref> Additionally, McDowell used his performance in ''If....'' in his inspiration for the ''Clockwork Orange'' protagonist, Alexander DeLarge. Having been given the script by Kubrick, McDowell was unsure how he should play the part of Alex, and so he contacted Lindsay Anderson, asking for advice. McDowell relates the story:<ref>[http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/interviews/mcdowell.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121175939/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/interviews/mcdowell.html|date=21 November 2008}}</ref>

<blockquote>Anyway, he said 'Malcolm, this is how you play the part: there is a scene of you, a close-up in ''If....'', where you open the doors to the gymnasium, to be beaten. You get a close-up.' I said 'that's right.' He said 'do you remember...' I said 'yes. I smiled.' He said 'that's right. You gave them that smile. That sort of ironic smile,' he said 'and that's how you play Alex.' And I went 'my god, that's brilliant. That's brilliant.' That's all I needed and that was enough, and that is a brilliant piece of direction for an actor.</blockquote>

The movie also had influence in the popular Japanese [[Megami Tensei]] series, specifically with the game [[Shin Megami Tensei If...]] which references the movie not only in the title but the basic plot of a bullied kid revolting against his high-school bullies.

==Critical reception==
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.

== Sequels ==
''If....'' is the first film in the "[[Mick Travis]] trilogy", all starring Malcolm McDowell as everyman character Mick Travis. The others are:
* ''[[O Lucky Man!]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Britannia Hospital]]'' (1982)
Those two movies do not follow the same continuity of the first film, and have little in common other than the main character of Mick Travis and several identically named characters in similar roles (on the commentary track for ''O Lucky Man!'', Malcolm McDowell refers to it as a "so-called trilogy"). At the time of Anderson's death he had completed a final draft of a proper sequel to ''If....'', but it was never made. The sequel takes place during a Founders' Day celebration at which many of the characters reunite. Mick Travis is now an Oscar-nominated movie star, eschewing England for Hollywood. Wallace is a military major who has lost his arm, Johnny is a clergyman, and Rowntree is the Minister of War. In the script, Rowntree is kidnapped by a group of anti-war students and saved by Mick and his gang, though not before Mick crucifies Rowntree with a large nail through his palm.<ref>Sutton 97–102.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[BFI Top 100 British films]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{Cite book |last=Lambert |first=Gavin |url=https://archive.org/details/mainlyaboutlinds00lamb/page/384 |title=Mainly About Lindsay Anderson |publisher=Knopf |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-679-44598-2 |edition=1st |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/mainlyaboutlinds00lamb/page/384 384] |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sherwin |first=David |title=if.... A film by Lindsay Anderson and David Sherwin. [Screenplay by David Sherwin] |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1969 |isbn=978-0-671-20451-8 |location=New York |page=167}}
* {{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Lindsay |title=Never Apologise: The Collected Writings of Lindsay Anderson |publisher=Plexus Publishing Ltd |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-85965-317-6 |editor-last=Ryan, Paul |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Lindsay |title=Lindsay Anderson: Diaries |publisher=Methuen Pub Ltd |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-413-77397-5 |editor-last=Sutton, Paul |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sinker |first=Mark |title=if.... |publisher=British Film Institute |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84457-040-9 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sutton |first=Paul |title=if....: Turner Classic Movies British Film Guide (Turner Classic Movies British Film Guides) |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-85043-672-0 |location=London}}

=== Further reading ===
* Catterall, Ali; and Wells, Simon (2001). ''Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since The Sixties''. London: Fourth Estate. {{ISBN|978-0-00-714554-6}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0063850|If.... (1968)}}
* {{tcmdb title|78950|If.... (1968)}}
* {{Amg movie|63498|If.... (1968)}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|if1968|IF....}}
*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/488-if-school-days ''If....: School Days''] an essay by [[David Ehrenstein]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

{{Mick Travis}}
{{Lindsay Anderson}}
{{Palme d'Or 1960–1979|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''If....''}}

[[Category:1968 films]]
[[Category:1960s coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:1968 drama films]]
[[Category:1960s high school films]]
[[Category:1968 LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:1960s teen drama films]]
[[Category:British coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:British high school films]]
[[Category:British LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:British satirical films]]
[[Category:British teen drama films]]
[[Category:Films about school violence]]
[[Category:Films directed by Lindsay Anderson]]
[[Category:Films partially in color]]
[[Category:Films scored by Marc Wilkinson]]
[[Category:Films set in England]]
[[Category:Films shot in Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Latin-language films]]
[[Category:Palme d'Or winners]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:Surrealist films]]
[[Category:Films set in boarding schools]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s British films]]

If.... - Revision history

Kurt: /* External links */

Kurt at 21:04, 25 August 2024

Kurt at 21:00, 17 March 2023

Kurt at 20:59, 17 March 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2601:680:CC00:DBB0:B1DD:DA9D:3E7B:72E2: Added the critical reception.