The first entry to the Mick Travis trilogy ("If...", 1968, O Lucky Man, 1973, and "Britannia Hospital", 1982),"If.." is a surreal black comedy about an English private boys' school and a student rebellion. In his three films, Anderson had covered all aspects, politics, and institutions of British Society from 1968 to 1982 with its complex system of class differences and privileges. "If..." which was released in 1968 at the peak of youthful rebellion in Europe and USA, received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations and won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival where it competed with 27 films from all over the world.

Anderson was in part inspired by Jean Vigo's 41 minutes long "Zero for conduct" (1933) about the similar to "If..." subject. Like in Vigo's film, Anderson inserts some surrealistic episodes shot in black-and-white and according to him, it was driven by budget rather than style. Malcolm McDowell in his first big screen role and the first of three Mick Travis' movies is a charismatic leader of the rebel students who call themselves the Crusaders and like to break the rules. The cruel corporal punishments from the faculty and the older students provoked a bloody uprising against the school system.

Made almost 40 years ago, "If.." still has a power to shock as well as to entertain and it remains an outstanding and controversial depiction of the problems that have not disappear from the English public school system or from any school system as well as from society in general.

I am sure that Stanley Kubrick saw "If..." and was impressed by McDowell's debut performance, by his charisma that shines through his close-ups and especially in the final shot of "If...", and by his face that strangely combines innocence and youthful openness with cynical scornful almost reptilian contempt for humanity. I believe that "If..." was the reason Kubrick offered the part of charming psychopath Alex to the young actor.

When "If..." came out, it was the right sort of film at the right time. However, when seen today, the movie looks terribly choppy, lacks focus and especially humor. Like a gallon of milk, this film does not get better with age! Roughly first half of the film is like a documentary--a recreation of the horrid life in a British public college (to translate into American, a 'private high school'). It appears to be a fascist system where there are many rules just for the sake of rules, abuse of arbitrary power the norm and a rather homo-erotically charged atmosphere predominates--and it was both interesting and a bit said. However, when it came to the actual story, this is where the film really let me down. Despite setting up a horrid atmosphere where the plot should have been easy to construct, the plot just seemed, at times, irrelevant and very episodic....and often incoherent and meandering. I know many consider this a classic and it's achieved a level of respectability now that it's part of the Criterion Collection, but the movie just seemed cheaply made and incomplete---and not just because random portions of the movie are in black & white. While controversial and counter-culture back in the 60s, now it just seems bad.

Who was Malcolm McDowell's character and who were his very nameless and faceless friends? We never know anything other than very superficial things about them--like Malcolm's character steals a motorcycle. But WHY did he do this? And, why wasn't there any follow up on this? And what about the naked lady towards the end the film who walks through the dorms?! What's all this about--what is going on and why? It just seemed random and pointless. And why did a few scenes seem funny and surreal...and yet NOTHING was done with this and it was never exploited!?! For example, I loved seeing the minister in the drawer---but with nothing preceding or following it, what was this?! And, with 95% of the film very serious, this seemed out of place and irrelevant. And, for that matter, the entire ending was that way. While having the four problem students (though at times they are only three--did you notice that one appeared and disappeared in scenes?!) destroy the big ceremony was potentially a great idea (like the ending of "Animal House"),it was a lost opportunity for me because instead of ruining things, they started killing people. Killing people in a mass murder like the Columbine Massacre didn't seem funny...just awful. Nothing's funny about mass murder (I know, I know...I am quite a prude in this department).

Had this film appeared in 2010, critics would have rightfully torn it apart for being incomplete and incoherent. Yet, oddly, it's a classic!

Complex psychological drama from director Lindsay Anderson, who would later complete his bizarre trilogy with O LUCKY MAN! and BRITANNIA HOSPITAL. Layered with subtext and impossible to fathom with just one viewing, this is the classic "rebellion" story, this time set in a posh private boy's school rife with hatred, class warfare, and struggles for power and leadership. Although the physical aspects of the storyline have dated somewhat in the turbulent years since this film first came out - with films like CLASS OF 1984 and others putting the violence in this one significantly into the shade - the artistry, visual style, complex characters, and detailed performances put it above the rest. The film always remains grounded in realism with no flights of fancy and the action is subtle and thus more true-to-life than many other movies using the school setting as a battleground.

Physical aspects of the film are highly accomplished, from the photography to the music, even right down to the settings and costumes. Even the haircuts in this film are important as a symbol of rebellion and uprising. Due to budget constraints, many scenes are shot in black and white, giving the movie something of a pretentious tone but these were more of a result of Anderson running out of money than anything else. The film marks the debut of actor Malcolm McDowell, perfectly cast in the leading role of Mick Travis, a student who has had enough, and any fan of McDowell from later in his career will find him contributing his usual powerful performance at this early stage. Many strong actors fill out the supporting roles, with plenty of familiar faces from respected British actors willing to take part. Anderson achieves many powerful moments in his movie, especially the caning in the gym which stands out in my mind as one of the most shocking I've seen despite the lack of on-screen violence. IF.... is in many ways a brave and original movie and deserves to be seen at least once by those with an interest in British cinema.