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Rebellious students at an English private school plan a violent revolt against their repressive environment in director Lindsay Anderson's highly acclaimed but extremely controversial drama. Centering on a small group of non-conformists led by Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell), the film paints a distinctly negative picture of the British school system and, by extension, English society. Seeing the powers-that-be as humorless, bureaucratic, and needlessly restrictive, Mick and his cohorts indulge in small acts of rebellion, including sneaking into town to romance a local waitress. Their actions are discovered and punished with harsh beatings, leading the students to plot revenge. This effort culminates in the film's most famous sequence, a surrealistic depiction of a bloody uprising by the students against the adult world. Daring and unpredictable in content and form, If... mixes color and black-and-white cinematography as easily as it mingles satire with dark fantasy. The film's ambiguous attitude toward violence caused controversy at the time, as many commentators saw the film as a potential incitement to violence. It became a great success among younger, counter-culture audiences who appreciated the audacious shock tactics and embraced the satirical, anti-establishment message. Often compared to Jean Vigo's French classic Zéro de conduite, which also featured surrealistic boarding-school rebellion, If... has become a high point in the cinema of youth rebellion. Anderson and McDowell later collaborated on O Lucky Man! (1973), Look Back in Anger (1980), and Britannia Hospital (1982).
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
Actors: Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan, Robert Swann
Directors: Lindsay Anderson
Format: NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: August 30, 2011
Run Time: 112 minutes
Cast & Crew - If...
Malcolm McDowell
(Films)(Music) Mick
David Wood
(Films)(Music) Johnny
Richard Warwick
(Films)(Biography) Wallace
Christine Noonan
(Films) Girl
Robert Swann Rowntree
Peter Jeffrey Headmaster
Arthur Lowe Housemaster
Mona Washbourne Matron
Ben Aris John Thomas, Undermaster
Robin Askwith Keating
Philip Bagenal Peanuts
Martin Beaumont Hunter
Sean Bury Jute
Geoffrey Chater Chaplain
Graham Crowden History Master
Ellis Dale Motorcycle Salesman
Richard Davies Machin
Richard Everett Pussy Graves
John Garrie Music Master
Tommy Godfrey School Porter
David Griffin Willens
Mary McLeod Mrs. Kemp, Housemaster's Wife
Michael Newport Brunning
Anthony Nicholls Gen. Denson
Charles Lloyd Pack Classics Master
Brian Pettifer Biles
Peter Sproule Barnes
Charles Sturridge Markland
Hugh Thomas Denson
Simon Ward Actor
Rupert Webster Bobby Philips
Technical Credits
Lindsay Anderson Director, Producer
Roy Baird Executive Producer, Producer
Betty Blattner Makeup
Miriam Brickman Casting
Brian Eatwell Art Director
Albert Finney Producer
David Gladwell Editor, Production Designer
Jocelyn Herbert Production Designer
John Howlett Original Story
Gavrik Losey Production Manager
Michael Medwin Producer
Miroslav Ondrícek Cinematographer
David Sherwin Screenwriter
Christian Wangler Sound/Sound Designer
Marc Wilkinson Score Composer, Musical Direction/Supervision
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