If…. (1968)
91%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Incendiary, subversive, and darkly humorous, If…. is a landmark of British countercultural cinema.
If… is a movie that will make you want to scream “down with the establishment!” while simultaneously feeling like you’re in a fever dream. Malcolm McDowell’s performance is electric and the film’s blend of surrealism and reality will leave you questioning everything. It’s a wild ride that’s definitely worth taking, even if you’re not sure where it’s going to take you. Just hold on tight and enjoy the chaos.
Production Company(ies)
Canal+ Ciné+ El Deseo
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
1968
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.20 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 1968 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 19, 2007
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Robert Swann, Christine Noonan, Arthur Lowe, directed by Lindsay Anderson, written by David Sherwin, John Howlett, drama, R rating, British countercultural cinema, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Pauline Kael, Adam Nayman, Ben Walsh, Gavin Millar, Scott Tobias, Jake Wilson, Harvey G Cox, Paul Schrader, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., David Parkinson, Michael Buening, Total Film Staff, produced by Lindsay Anderson, Michael Medwin, MPAA rating, teenage rebellion, upper-crust English public school, sadistic older boys, first-year students, petty thefts, anti-social behavior, out-of-touch administration, unexpected showdown, satire, surrealism, black comedy, thematic storytelling, colored palette, black-and-white, biting satire, dehumanization, student rebellion, anarchy, color theory, time capsule film, commentary, entertainment value, Malcolm McDowell’s film debut, Pink Floyd, psychedelic folk, rock, A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick, Zero de conduit, Jean Vigo
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
David Wood – Johnny
Richard Warwick – Wallace
Robert Swann – Rowntree
Christine Noonan – The Girl
Arthur Lowe – Mr. Kemp
Lindsay Anderson – Director, Producer
Michael Medwin – Producer
David Sherwin – Writer
John Howlett – Writer
Director(s)
Lindsay Anderson
Writer(s)
David Sherwin, John Howlett
Producer(s)
Lindsay Anderson, Michael Medwin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (5)
The ways in which Anderson tries to illustrate the desire for freedom are so mechanical and carry so little conviction that I think one may conclude that the heroes are shooting because he needs to discharge his rage.
July 6, 2022
Pauline Kael
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
From its title on down, If … is a movie about the power and peril of imagination, and the seductive thrill of wishing that we might externalize our inner lives for all to see and fear.
April 6, 2020
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
If…. remains a relevant and visceral howl at the “Establishment”.
March 20, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Ben Walsh
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
If we can’t read the writing on the wall, perhaps it was because the hand shook a little.
March 20, 2020
Gavin Millar
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Given how readily the film slips from realism to surrealism and back, it’s unwise to take the ending at face value, but the dream of laying waste to the social order remains potent.
March 20, 2020 | Rating: A
Scott Tobias
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Making his debut in the lead role, Malcolm McDowell displays the charisma he would bring to A Clockwork Orange…and the ending still packs a punch.
November 16, 2018
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Especially in its fantasy episodes, If… celebrates the emergence of subjectivity, feeling, expression and imagination that means so much to young people today.
January 6, 2021
Harvey G. Cox
Tempo (National Council of Churches)
The is an acute sense of disappointment about If, not only over the great film Anderson failed to create, but also the lesser film he passed by.
June 30, 2020
Paul Schrader
Los Angeles Free Press
This is the most interesting film so far this year.
March 20, 2020
Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
Vogue
Malcolm McDowell gives a blistering performance in what is undoubtedly a key film in British cinema history.
March 20, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
David Parkinson
Radio Times
For all its beauty and ingenuity, all we’re left with is an ellipse.
March 20, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Michael Buening
PopMatters
[Its] potency is due to the way former documentarian Anderson manages to blend European surrealism into the film’s near-documentary style, successfully highlighting the students’ frustrations by setting their fantasies against cold-shower reality.
March 20, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Total Film Staff
Total Film…
Plot
Exploring pivotal moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turning them on their head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Malcolm McDowell gives a blistering performance in what is undoubtedly a key film in British cinema history.
Lindsay-Anderson.jpg
