If....
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Synopsis
Lindsay Anderson’s If…. is a daringly anarchic vision of British society, set in a boarding school in late-sixties England. Before Kubrick made his mischief iconic in A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell made a hell of an impression as the insouciant Mick Travis, who, along with his school chums, trumps authority at every turn, finally emerging as a violent savior in the vicious games of one-upmanship played by both students and masters. Mixing color and black and white as audaciously as it mixes fantasy and reality, If…. remains one of cinema’s most unforgettable rebel yells.
Picture 8/10
Lindsay Anderson’s If…. comes to Blu-ray from Criterion, porting their DVD edition from a few years ago over. The film is presented here in a 1080p/24hz high-definition transfer in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1.
It looks as though the same high-def transfer that was the basis for the DVD edition has also been used here, which is fine considering how good the DVD looked. In general the presentation here looks great and offers all of the upgrades one would expect a Blu-ray would have over the DVD: the image is sharper with less compression noise. The image is smooth and clean of any artifacts, looking far more filmic with a more far more natural grain. Colours are a bit muted, which suits the film’s look, but they’re rendered smoothly, and do have a certain pop at times. Black and white sequences are clean with fine contrast and distinctive gray levels. Blacks are also fairly deep and inky.
There are a few minor marks and scratches but nothing distracting. There are some transition shots that can get very grainy or come off a bit fuzzy, but they’re not common. In the end, considering how good the DVD looked, it should be a surprise that the Blu-ray also comes out looking great, offering a more natural looking image.
Audio 6/10
The lossless mono track has some of the same issues as the DVD’s Dolby Digital track, in that it lacks fidelity, comes off weak, and presents edgy dialogue. Still it’s at the very least clear with intelligible dialogue and free of noise.
Extras 7/10
All supplements are carried over from Criterion’s 2-disc DVD edition.
First is the audio commentary by film critic David Robinson, edited in with interview segments from 2002 with actor Malcolm McDowell. I remember initially feeling this would be Robinson’s deal with bits from McDowell here and there, but that’s not the case. McDowell’s material may have most of the track while Robinson seems to be working around it, even referring to what McDowell says. It’s edited together seamlessly, almost giving the idea the two are together. I had feared a dry scholarly track but this presentation actually keeps it fresh and entertaining. Robinson offers the more analytical aspect, talking about the film’s style, Anderson’s work in general and his influences (John Ford, Jean Vigo, Luis Buñuel), and also offers some context to the film. McDowell ends up offering more anecdotal portions, as well as information about working with Anderson (who he obviously adored) and notes on his character. Thanks to its presentation and breezy nature it’s a great track and one I wholly recommend listening to.
Next is an episode from a show called Cast and Crew, which brings together cast and crew members of classic British films. This 42-minute episode of course concentrates on If…., and brings together director of photography Miroslav Ond?i?ek, assistant director Stephen Frears, producer Michael Medwin, screenwriter David Sherwin, editor Ian Rakoff, and, through pre-recorded footage, actor Malcolm McDowell (an older interview from 1985 with Lindsay Anderson is also shown.) The participants all talk about the unlikely production, starting with how the project came to light and how Lindsay Anderson came to be involved. They talk about the themes within the film (like the school as a metaphor for the hierarchal nature of English society) and the basis for many of the elements in the film (Mick was based on a former schoolmate of Sherwin’s.) They offer stories about the problems they faced, like when all financing was pulled at the last minute and how the project was saved by a visit to Paramount, or the problem with a gun that would keep on jamming and the creative way they got around that. They talk about how some of the more surreal elements made their way into the film, what Anderson was like to work with (with McDowell just gushing again), and how the film was received, which was very mixed as suggested by the creative ad that came out for the film, showing both the positive and negative reviews. Some information in here is mentioned in the commentary but it offers a lot of fresh material and is a strong addition to the set.
A 14-minute interview with actor Graham Crowden is up next, with the actor talking about how he first met Anderson (confusing him with director Michael Anderson to his embarrassment) and then his work on If….. It was amusing hearing that this proper looking English gentleman was attracted to the script because of its rebellious side, feeling it represented the country at the moment. He then talks a bit about working with Anderson on some other films. Overal a fascinating interview subject with a dry wit that I like and another worthwhile addition.
Finally Criterion includes Anderson’s 1955 short documentary, the 22-minute Thursday’s Children, which won the short documentary Oscar. Presented in 1080i and looking surprisingly good, the feature looks at the (now outdated, as the menu notes state) techniques a school for the deaf used to teach its children. It’s an incredibly fascinating, tightly edited presentation, showing the children learn words, how to mouth words, and eventually how they are taught to make audible speech. Again, really fascinating despite any outdated aspects to it.
And the booklet, which looks to be missing some photos that appeared in the DVD edition’s booklet, still has the same written materials. David Ehrenstein provides an excellent essay about the film and its social themes, while David Sherwin’s piece again covers the long road the film took to get made. A mock interview with Lindsay Anderson (performed by Lindsay Anderson) from the original publicity material for the film is reprinted here along with the ad for the film that showed both the positive and negative critical responses to the film.
Overall still a strong if somewhat skimpy selection of supplements, but they’re all worth the time and effort to go through, and do offers some great insight into the film.
Closing
It was a strong DVD edition to begin with but the Blu-ray manages to offer a nice worthwhile upgrade over it, even if it’s really only in the image department.
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