Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

duffjerroldorg 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 Certainly but also a poetic historical document.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.

MissSimonetta If... (1968) is the first of the unofficial Mick Travis trilogy from filmmaker Lindsay Anderson. It's a significant film in the 1960s counterculture and would come to be influential for other filmmakers in the decade to come. The film is very rooted in the late 1960s and acts as a sort of surreal snapshot of the social tensions of that era. Even today, If... plays well as a story about shaking off stifling tradition and challenging the status quo. Its ending shoot-out is shocking, especially in the light of the mass shootings which we hear of so often in the current century.That being said, there are some problems. If... is Anderson's most iconic movie but not necessarily his most powerful or focused. I felt the film sometimes loses itself toward the middle, dragging down the pacing. The switching between black-and-white film and color is distracting and needless (people try to find meaning in it, but the constant swapping is only there because the filmmakers had budget issues). The parts of If... feel much more satisfying than the whole.The ending has also provided issues with some viewers, who are ambivalent about Mick's (possibly symbolic more than literal) mass murder of the school faculty. Are Mick's actions justified by Anderson? Are we to condemn him? Is this conclusion the inevitable result of oppression and class-based struggle? It's all hard to pin down and has put off some people I have spoken to on the subject of If..., but for me, the questions raised by the bloody finale of the film only make it all the more interesting.O Lucky Man! is a better satire and This Sporting Life is a more poignant look at class struggle-- however, neither has the rousing, youthful exuberance of If... which makes it unique and provides much of its appeal to this day. For all its flaws, it remains one of Anderson's best loved movies.

Leofwine_draca 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.

Irishchatter OK I know this movie included Malcolm McDowell before he got involved with "A Clockwork Orange". I thought at the beginning, it just made me bored straight away because there's pretty much no action. Its just like a typical all-lads boarding school which involves a strict timetable and strict teachers. I felt they should've developed McDowell's character more because he didn't seem to be confident in being a bad boy. Although in the end, he brought a gun to the school but i could be wrong. Ysee, i only watched 30 minutes of this film so I didn't bother finding out the end until i looked at the photos on IMDb. I just think this film is boring and pretty much lazy, I wouldn't consider this as the best movie of the 1960's.