In 1968, Lindsay Anderson's If…became a controversial hybrid of sadism, homosexuality, and anarchy in modern society. 40 years on, the film has become a classic form of art in the true sense of the word, as it has become a watershed film that still hones in on the philosophical views regarding revolution and silent conformity.
Written by David Sherwin, the film takes place at an English all boys' prep school, in which the senior students and teachers control the attitudes and image of the school with dark sarcasm and sadism under an Orwellian form of fascism. Mick Travis, portrayed by Malcolm McDowell, is a student who tries to rebel against the school system and the abuse of power through sheer merriment and violence.
As a result, the film became a controversial slap against the British establishment. The film received an X-rating; the British Ambassador called it "an insult to the nation," and Queen Elizabeth II simply asked "Why?" after seeing a screening of the film. Despite the controversy over the film it was awarded the Palm D'or at the Cannes Film Festival. For Lindsay Anderson, who became the auteur and head of the "angry young man" film movement with classics like This Sporting Life, If… was his most memorable film that people praised and damned.
David Sherwin, who later wrote screenplays for films like O Lucky Man! and Sunday Bloody Sunday, crafted the story under the title, "Crusaders." "I wrote the script was because I wanted to go to Hollywood and write a western, but all plots had been done," Sherwin said in a 2003 interview. "But something occurred to me, when I was in school, the words of William Woodsworth; 'Poetry's experience recollected in tranquility' and the only experience I had was in this school, which was like a Nazi War camp."
In a time when revolution filled the air; the riots in Paris and Chicago, the growing antiwar movement, and the antiestablishment messages in popular music, If… channeled the attitudes and ideas flowing throughout 1968. In a 1985 interview Lindsay Anderson said, "We were very lucky with If… because it was made and came out during the time of the student revolutions. It was not at all designed to echo what was going on in the world. If it is anarchistic, that's because I am anarchistic."
Unlike the dated films that appeared out of the 1960s, such as Darling or Blow Up, the intention of not making If… into a stereotypical Mod film gave room for the overall philosophies of control and anarchy to pave way, instead of being pegged by viewers as anger and fury from the baby boom generation. What sets apart If… and the watershed films of the 1960s, is how today's audiences look at the film. Before becoming a highly-acclaimed director, Stephen Frears was the assistant director of the film, and said the film "was in the moment as soon as you read the script."
If you were a young film patron in 1968 America, it was easy to identify with the hypocrisy of the older generation and the level of violence that precedes it. During the late 60s, filmmakers wanted to paint a real portrait of society. America already established films of that caliber, such as The Graduate and Medium Cool. In a time, in which iconic figures were assassinated and riots and protests engulfed the country, it became as normal to see it in cellulite as it was on the evening news.
Today, it seems that the symbolic messages of antiestablishment and questioning authority are overshadowed by the fact that people want to be merely entertained by a film, not persuaded with in-depth philosophies. With the wave of violence in American schools like Columbine and Virginia Tech, as well as the Youtube generation absorbing senseless acts of violence from their computer screens, it is hard for today's wave of filmgoers to understand a film like If… unless they are swept up by the violence displayed on screen, versus how the violence manifested itself.
The power the film had on its viewers and budding filmmakers at the time would lead to a cinematic revolution of realism and youthful angst. In 1969, British filmmaker, John Schlesinger went on to direct the pivotal film, which became the first X-Rated film to receive the Best Picture Oscar; Midnight Cowboy. Stanley Kubrick saw If… five times, which inspired him to cast Malcolm McDowell in the iconic film that echoed the philosophies If… projected; A Clockwork Orange.
The film became a prophetic message for the future of visual and aural art forms. The final shooting sequence epitomizes the frustration of youth, which would later be transcribed into the music of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Patti Smith, just to name a few. In theory, If… was the first, and ultimate, punk film.
Graham Crowley, a regular of Lindsay Anderson's films and plays until his death in 1993, said this about Lindsay Anderson and his perception around the revolutionary film; "His whole idea using the public school image was to demonstrate that society, underneath the veneer of good manners and establishment was beginning to really start to rebel this kind of autocracy and to demonstrate the country at that particular moment." In retrospect, there can be no film that matches the qualities and artistic demeanor quite like If…
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