Rent If.... (1969)

A Must See - The Great Anti Establishment Film - If.... review by GI

The great British counterculture and anti establishment film from director Lindsay Anderson. It remains today an enigmatic, often surreal critique of the British private education system that is mired in privilege from wealth rather than academic ability. There's been much discussion over the years around scenes from this film which for the most part remain mysterious and invite all sorts of textual analysis much of it contradictory. The story focuses on a prestigious all boys boarding school in England where the pupils are all from aristocracy or wealthy families and where the school actively promotes archaic traditions and rituals that result in sadistic punishment if abused. As a new term starts three older boys led by Travis (Malcolm McDowell) begin to challenge the ridiculousness of the system which is overseen by prefects who have the power to punish dissent including vicious canings. Eventually Travis and his band decide to act violently and begin a massacre of staff, parents and other pupils. This has become a cult film with many plaudits and stylistically it opens up lots to discuss including the various changes from colour to black & white and some Pythonesque scenes which will baffle, amuse and may even frustrate. This is a satire that challenges the viewer, a film that defies a description. It certainly caused a furore on release with its nudity and attack on a system much loved in the UK. It's certainly a film to check out if you've never seen it and one to watch a few times to absorb it's unusual narrative, style and structure.

Class[room] Warfare - If.... review by griggs

It’s hard not to be grateful for having skipped public school after watching this one. The rituals of conformity, the petty cruelties, the sheer hierarchy of it all—half a century on, it doesn’t feel all that dated. That’s part of the film’s bite: school as Britain in miniature, where power stratifies, injustice festers, and rebellion simmers until it finally erupts.

Malcolm McDowell is superb as Mick Travis, all insolent charm and suppressed fury. It’s easily the strongest of his outings as the character, and the role fits him like a blazer that’s just a touch too tight. The choice to shift between colour and black-and-white cinematography adds to the sense of disorientation, as if the walls of the school can’t quite contain what’s building inside.

If.... isn’t subtle, but that’s its strength. It hammers its themes home with ferocity, reminding you that repression doesn’t last forever. Sometimes, the only way to pass the test is to burn the exam paper.