Legendary director Lindsay Anderson expanded on the social outrage and intense character focus of his debut This Sporting Life with If…., a combustible tale of teenage insurrection. Winner of the 1969 Palme d’Or at Cannes, If…. was a popular triumph and instantly recognised as a classic.
The film is a caustic portrait of a traditional boys’ boarding school, where social hierarchy reigns supreme and power remains in the hands of distanced and ineffectual teachers and callously vicious prefects. But three junior pupils, led by Mick Travis (played by Malcolm McDowell in the role that would catapult him to becoming one of Britain’s most iconic actors), decide on a shocking course of action to redress the balance of privilege once and for all.
Packed to bursting with its director’s customary passion and experimentation, If…. remains one of cinema’s quintessential tales of rebellion, a radical snapshot of late ’60s change, and one of the towering achievements of British film in any era. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this masterpiece in a new Blu-ray edition.
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Supplements
- Audio commentary with film critic and historian David Robinson and actor Malcolm McDowell
- New interviews with producer Michael Medwin, writers David Sherwin and John Howlett, editor David Gladwell, production manager Gavrik Losey, camera operator Brian Harris, and actors David Wood, Hugh Thomas, Geoffrey Chater, Philip Bagenal, and Sean Bury
- Short Film by Anderson: Three Installations
- Short Film by Anderson: Thursday’s Children
- Short Film by Anderson: Henry
- Two U.S. trailers for the feature
- 56-PAGE FULL-COLOUR BOOKLET containing new writing by David Cairns; a new interview with actor Brian Pettifer; a self-conducted interview with Lindsay Anderson; notes on the three short films; and rare and archival imagery