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If.... [1968] [DVD]
 
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If.... [1968] [DVD]

DVD ~ Malcolm McDowell
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
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Frequently Bought Together

If.... [1968] [DVD] + O Lucky Man! [DVD] [1973] + Blow Up [DVD] [1966]
Total RRP: £45.97
Price For All Three: £15.74

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If.... [1968] [DVD]
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Product details

  • Actors: Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan, Rupert Webster
  • Directors: Lindsay Anderson
  • Writers: David Sherwin, John Howlett
  • Format: Black & White, Colour, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment (UK)
  • DVD Release Date: 23 Jul 2007
  • Run Time: 107 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000NJLYV2
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 731 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in this category:

    #13 in  DVD > Classics > Drama

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Palme D’Or-winning British classic, If...’s long wait for a DVD release is finally over, and the end result does it proud. Boasting commentaries, interviews and a quality documentary too, it’s a true collectors’ piece for fans of the film.

And make no mistake about it, it’s the superb movie that’s the star here. If... is, for those new to it, set in a British public school, and from this setting it has plenty then to say on authority and society. Directed by the late, great Lindsay Anderson, the film centres on Mick Travis, magnetically portrayed by Malcolm McDowell.

Superbly marrying fantasy and more realistic elements, If... is packed with iconic, and often quite surreal moments, leading right up the to the famed and indelible ending that sticks long in your mind once the credits have rolled.

A strong, powerful influence for many who followed it, If... is powered by Malcolm McDowell’s astounding performance (which would earn him the part in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange). It’s arguable that he’s never been better than he is here, and he’s in good company, thanks to a top-quality supporting cast too.

Perhaps the greatest complement to If... though is that, decades after is initial release, it’s not only recognised as one of the finest British films ever made, but it’s regarded in many quarters as a classic of cinema full stop. And if you’ve not yet had the pleasure, this DVD release finally, belatedly, can open the film up to a whole new audience. Let’s hope it does. --Jon Foster

Special Features

  • Commentary with David Robinson and Malcolm McDowell
  • Lindsay Anderson’s Oscar winning documentary Thursday’s Children
  • Cast and Crew interviews
  • Interview with actor Graham Cowden

    See all Reviews

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    Customer Reviews

    47 Reviews
    5 star:
    		 (29)
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    		 (4)
    3 star:
    		 (6)
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    Average Customer Review
    4.0 out of 5 stars (47 customer reviews)
     
     
     
     
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    Most Helpful Customer Reviews

     
    52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars About time too...., 11 Jul 2007
    By Dizygotic (Cheshire, UK) - See all my reviews
    This 'must-have' DVD is an extraordinary, iconic and beautiful film by the late Lindsay Anderson. A film always undervalued by Paramount for whom it was their third choice to take to Cannes, yet it won the Palme d'Or and was nominated for both a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. So undervalued that Paramount eventually caves in under pressure to produce the DVD 38 years after its release with a commentary recorded by Malcolm McDowell four years ago!

    I saw the film on its release in a small cinema in Glasgow and came out changed. It was a keystone of British late 60s film that included 'Blow-Up' and 'Barbarella'. The surreal elements (the chaplain emerging from a chest of drawers, matron wandering naked through the corridors, the cafe scene...) imply that the school scenes were fantasy, yet several elements accurately reflected some independent schools at that time.

    For many years the mix of colour and monochrome scenes, which add to the film's mystique, was thought to be a deliberate move by the director. However a documentary 5 years ago revealed a more prosaic reason. At a time when colour film stock was significantly more expensive than monochrome when the budget ran out the director was forced to film some location scenes in black and white.

    The haunting 'Sanctus' (taken from the Missa Luba by Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin) became a chart hit. The petty tyranny and growing resentment were beautifully measured and caught the rebellious spirit of the late 60s with the student riots in Paris, 'The Prisoner' on TV and the ubiquitous Che Guevara posters. The denoument was every rebel's fantasy and it was interesting to see that the recent Dr Who episode "The Family of Blood" had an unashamed homage to this climax.

    This film must be on every British film wanted list. Better far, far too late than never, but better it had been released years ago.
    Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



     
    61 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars A long awaited DVD release..., 28 Feb 2007
    By simonpeggfan (Maidenhead UK) - See all my reviews
      
    Oh, it's almost inconceivable, nay ridiculous that this hasn't come out on DVD until now. It's still rather incongruous that even after this we'll be waiting for 'O Lucky Man' to complete the Lindsay Anderson's Mick Travis trilogy (Britannia Hospital's out, in a vanilla version from Cinema Club).

    If you know "If...." already then it's likely you'll love it - if not then here's your chance to taste one of the best films from one of the best UK filmmakers of the 20th Century.

    "If...." develops into an armed rebellion at a British public school. Associated with the 1960s counterculture movement, it was filmed at the time of the student uprisings in Paris in May 1968, and from the ethos of the time includes controversial statements such as "There's no such thing as a wrong war. Violence and revolution are the only pure acts", and "One man can change the world with a bullet in the right place." and features a number of surrealist sequences throughout.

    Although it's a work of it's time it stands up remarkably well, from its fantastic performances and direction, as well as the strength of the film as a whole.

    Not to be missed, one of the great DVD releases of 2007!!
    Comment Comments (3) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



     
    36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars DVD issue of classic British film, 11 Jun 2007
    By Jason Parkes "We're all Frankies'" (Worcester, UK) - See all my reviews
    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
    'If....' is the first part in a loose trilogy based around the central character of Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell), the subsequent parts being 'O!Lucky Man' & 'Britannia Hospital'. Written by David Sherwin, it was initially titled 'Crusaders' & takes its influence from Jean Vigo's classic surreal short 'Zero de Conduite' (1933). Director Lindsay Anderson was a key figure in the British New Wave- which took it's cue from the Nouvelle Vague & itself would influence directors in the New German Cinema (such as RW Fassbinder). Anderson, as Godard & Truffaut, moved from film criticism to making his own films- such as the brilliant 'This Sporting Life'(1963). Here he moves back to his alma mater, Cheltenham Boys College- though it could be any institution...

    The film centres on episodes, which exist sometimes in a form of reality & drift otherwise into a surreal fantasy, each builds towards the denoument which sits well next to the 1968 riots in Paris ('If....' managed to capture the zeitgeist- see also the Civil Rights riots in the States or the predominantly middle class anti-war protestors both sides of the Atlantic). 'If...' drifts from colour to monochrome- taking its cue from Godard & influencing later works such as 'Natural Born Killers' & 'Nixon'. It was widely reported that this was due to budget considerations, and it is hard to mould a theory of why each colour is used. As in 'Nixon' (1995) it shifts film stock son frequently, there is no definite grammar as to what each represents- I just think it heightens the surreality & reverses what is fantasy & reality (we aren't sure if any of this is occurring- especially if we bear in mind the following films). A classic scene that demonstrates this is the episode where Mick & friend steal a motorbike & go out to a cafe in the middle of nowhere, where they meet the mysterious girl (Christine Noonan)- where we shift between (at least) three different conceptions of this situations (strangers? lovers? friends?) accompanied by the recurrent African music- which just happens to be on the jukebox. The girl recurs later as, perhaps the headmaster's daughter- she is seen gazing out of a window through a telescope. It is unclear- which is the joy of this film...

    'If....' was certainly of great influence- Stanley Kubrick was a big fan & casted Malcolm McDowell in 'A Clockwork Orange' as a result (also the 'war face'part here can be seen in Kubrick's later dark masterpiece 'Full Metal Jacket'). The cast are fantastic- made more surreal by the appearance of sitcom regulars like Arthur Lowe, Graham Crowden & Robin Askwith. It is notable that Stephen Frears worked on this in a technical capacity, similar to Nic Roeg's camerawork on films like 'Fahrenheit 451' that lead to moving towards their own directing films...

    'If....' is a perfect film, it makes complete sense when viewed next to other works of the time that exhibit a blend of Brecht & Kafka- such as Godard's 'Weekend'(also 1968), Antonioni's 'Zabriskie Point' (1970),Pasolini's 'Teorema' (1968) ,Pontecorvo's 'The Battle of Algiers' (1966) & Costa Gavras' 'Z' (1968)- which all exhibit revolt & end in destruction (and I take a previous review that mentions 'The Prisoner', 'The Singing Detective' is similarly shifting through the surreal- between fantasy & reality). It has also been cited by many musicians, including Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV), Mark E Smith (The Fall)& Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream). Must be the spirit of revolt and the very British institution on screen?

    'If....' is one of my favourite films, and a contender for one of the best British films ever made- easily ranking next to 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Performance' & 'Blow Up'. A timeless allegory that is compounded by the culture surrounding incidents like Columbine & Dunblane, and more recently, Virginia Tech. 'If....' is punk rock before punk rock, a very British film with very European sensibilities, and one of those films that always makes my Top 10 of all time list. A very welcome DVD issue, and the bonus screenplay is a very pleasant addition too!

    If....only British cinema could be this daring again....

    Comment Comments (2) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


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    Most Recent Customer Reviews

    1.0 out of 5 stars dont waste your time......
    From the other reviews, I was expecting a classic. Very disappointed in this wallowingly slow dribble. Read more
    Published 7 days ago by Kashgar

    3.0 out of 5 stars It seems a little dated now, but I was charmed by McDowell
    This film was a cult hit at my boarding school in the 1970s and it left a great impression on me as a teenager and young adult for its razor sharp insight into public school life... Read more
    Published 1 month ago by Nigel Watts

    1.0 out of 5 stars What's it all about?
    It's all right writing a load of bollox about the 'id' of it all and whatnot, but what is the movie all about? Theres no review about it here anyway, just a load of ole waffle. Read more
    Published 1 month ago by Badger 8028

    3.0 out of 5 stars Well, maybe three and a half
    "If" concerns an English public school and its oppresively conformist atmosphere. It centres on the character of Mick Travis(Malcolm MacDowell) whose disrespect for authority and... Read more
    Published 3 months ago by Fredward Beasley

    4.0 out of 5 stars Dated,but still worth watching
    Anderson's "If" reeks of the 1960s-the anti-authoritarianism,the readiness of militants to use violence,a strange,dream-like storyline. Read more
    Published 3 months ago by Franz Bieberkopf

    4.0 out of 5 stars Time capsule
    The film starts out starts out as a beautiful,hilarious and knife sharp portrait of the English public school system in the 60's to gradually disintegrate in surreal nonsense... Read more
    Published 4 months ago by yellodog

    2.0 out of 5 stars Garbage
    Much as I regret to differ from all the other reviewers talking up the glories of "If", I frankly thought it was utter rubbish. Read more
    Published 4 months ago by T. D. Welsh

    1.0 out of 5 stars Why If.......
    The cover of the film hints that guns are at least involved slightly in the film's plot.
    This film is actually about a gymnast and his school friends having scones and tea... Read more
    Published 5 months ago by Mr. T. Walker

    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you......Travis.
    If....if only I had had the, ahem, nerve to do the same as Travis and his two friends. If...if only there had been a hot girl like THAT in the local cafe, if only I had been able... Read more
    Published 6 months ago by JUDE

    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, surreal film
    I had never heard of this movie before but it was on Film4 last night and I watched it on a whim because it stars Malcolm McDowell and I enjoyed his performances in A Clockwork... Read more
    Published 6 months ago by marky77

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