IMDb > If.... (1968)
If....
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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   6,390 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Lindsay Anderson
Writers:
David Sherwin (script "Crusaders") and
John Howlett (script "Crusaders") ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for If.... on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 August 1969 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Which side will you be on?
Plot:
In this allegorical story, a revolution lead by pupil Mick Travis takes place at an old established private school in England. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
Rejection and acceptance: Mick and Jute. more (115 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Malcolm McDowell ... Mick Travis
David Wood ... Johnny
Richard Warwick ... Wallace
Christine Noonan ... The Girl
Rupert Webster ... Bobby Phillips
Robert Swann ... Rowntree
Hugh Thomas ... Denson
Michael Cadman ... Fortinbras
Peter Sproule ... Barnes
Peter Jeffrey ... Headmaster
Anthony Nicholls ... General Denson
Arthur Lowe ... Mr. Kemp
Mona Washbourne ... Matron
Mary MacLeod ... Mrs. Kemp
Geoffrey Chater ... Chaplain (Reverend Woods)
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
111 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English | Latin
Color:
Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.75 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Contrary to the story that says some scenes of the film are in BandW instead of color because the production company was running short of money and saved money by having some scenes processed in monochrome, according to interviews with Malcolm McDowell, Lindsay Anderson and the cameraman, they first shot the scenes in the school chapel in monochrome because they had to use natural light that came in through the big stained-glass window, requiring high-speed film. The high-speed color stock they tested was very grainy and the constantly-shifting color values due to the angle of the light through the stained glass made it impossible to color-correct, as well. So they decided to shoot those scenes in monochrome, and, when he saw the dailies, Anderson liked the way that it "broke up the surface of the film", and decided to insert other monochrome scenes more or less at random, to help disorient the viewer as the film slipped from realism to fantasy. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The Master in charge of College House comes into the Hall with the other teachers and the Whips. As they walk down to top table you can see that the boys have their doctor's notes on the tables in front of them. In the next shot, looking at the table with Bobby Phillips at the end, the papers have disappeared. more
Quotes:
Peanuts: Paradise is for the blessed. Not for the sex-obsessed. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) more
Soundtrack:
Sanctus more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
37 out of 39 people found the following comment useful.
Rejection and acceptance: Mick and Jute., 22 September 2002
10/10
Author: mice_elf from Liverpool, England

I watched this movie, for the umpteenth time, when it was shown on T.V. last night and was happy to see that it hasn't lost any of it's impact or relevance. Like so many other British films of the same time "if...." is a classic. The storyline, direction, location and acting are all stunning and as an allegory the film has as much to say today as it did when it was first released, onto an unsuspecting public, in the late 1960's. Much has been said by other reviewers about Lindsay Anderson, Malcolm McDowell and the film as a social satire, so there seems little point in going along those, well trodden, paths. I guess one aspect of the film, which always struck me as pivotal, but which hasn't been mentioned, is the inverse negative correlation between the story of Mick (Malcolm McDowell) and that of Jute (Sean Bury). While Mick starts out as a mild non-conformist who becomes increasingly disaffected with society, as represented by the school, Jute, who is initially an outsider, a new boy who doesn't know the rules, is gradually accepted and becomes an active member of that very same society. Mick's initial revolt is that of returning to school still sporting a moustache. But although he is flouting the rules by virtue of not being clean shaven, it is done on a purely personal level and he takes great pains to hide his facial hair from those in authority. Later his actions become, by stages, increasingly confrontational and open. Jute on the other hand is first shown as a small, almost lost, boy with large, frightened, puppy-dog eyes who doesn't even know that prefects are not addressed as "Sir", let alone the myriad of other complex rules that make up the society into which he has been thrust. Gradually we see his self assurance blossoming as he is accepted firstly by the other "scum" and later by the powers that be. The small socially isolated boy of the first scene is later seen playing an active role in a rugby match, sharing an impromptu meal with the other scum, confidently carrying a trophy in College Hall and finally taking an active part (as an altar boy) in the very celebration of traditional values that Mick has, by then, utterly rejected. A thought provoking film, which like that other celebrated allegory from the same era, "Lord of the Flies" (1963), has many levels and can be as deep as you wish it to be. Utterly Brilliant. Oh yeah and my favourite quote was from Mick when asked why he was sporting a moustache, his answer, "To hide my sins".

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for If.... (1968)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Copy of the 'FAKE' Script ??? (Maybe a spoiler...) saudade7
Bobby was adorable patton_69
This movie sucked overall. Illuminaughtyy
The ending is AWESOME!!! jadarchives
to those who went to public school at the time...or anyone who knows;) george271
Why were parts black and white? bdcortright
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