If… (15)

Lindsay Anderson’s If..., while tapping into the revolutionary spirit of the late 60s, is a High European classic that is also quintessentially English. Malcolm McDowell heads the cast as Mick, who leads his classmates in a revolution against the stifling conformism, the bullying prefects and the incompetent teachers of his public school. The film’s greatness lies in its surreal take on these events as reality and fantasy merge. If… deserves the reputation as one of the best films to have come from these shores, a subversive, anti-authoritarian masterpiece that stands as a blistering attack on the moralityand values of the middle class. It’s certainly a corrective to any excess Hogwarts nostalgia!