Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Upon leaving the theater after see If....for the first time I too was stunned, shocked..blown away. Never before had such an ending played across the big screen in front of me without the mandatory "fix"....society or good will out. Now it's old hat. Art house fans will love its drawn out scenes and its well place inanities. Youngsters will abhor all of the above. The beat goes on.

I was in a sort of daze for hours after seeing If...for the first time in 2017. A work of art? Certainly but also a poetic historical document. After all the film dates back to 1968. 1968! when things were really changing and youth was taking a step forward, reminding the older generation that we'll be suffering the consequences of your thoughtlessness. So move over or else. I remember my father despising this film, he call it, propaganda. Propaganda?Maybe that's why I never saw it, until now. I was really moved by the film. Malcolm McDowell is the perfect man to incarnate the revolution that was about to come. It also made me look for all of Lindsay Anderson films - Just half a dozen feature films but my God! What an extraordinary director.

This glorious 1968 film is a document not just of its times but of the eternal and mysterious communion between two enormous artists. Lindsay Anderson, the director, the mentor, the older man and Malcolm McDowell his young, brilliant, loving disciple. The trust between this two men is overwhelming and the results are in every frame in every nuance. For me, to see this film after many years was a remarkable emotional experience. Daring, visionary with a Malcolm McDowell that broke new ground with the fearlessness of an explorer venturing into totally virgin territory. Brilliant, beautiful, unique. Lead by the magical hand of Anderson and McDowell we confront the anger of the artists with their love for each other. Wow!

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.