Review of if.... (1968) by Terri H — 27 Dec 2008
Excellently paced and manipulated by Lindsay Anderson; if.... marks a pre-iconic McDowell as another rabble-rouser with moral ambiguity; fighting the good fight, at least symbolically, but also a bit juvenile and quick to the draw; a film punctured into sections seems to be building toward a passionate and glorious foray of anti-establishment violence and revolution; but once Anderson starts to subvert that picture, tugging at your sense of real, the metaphors come out in droves; is this a picture about the school system or war? Is violence glorified; necessary; a spectacle; or perhaps, most intriguing, is it an expectancy? To what extent is violence not just considered, but encouraged or implied, as an agent of change? Equal parts childish blood-fantasy and well-spun allegory;.
This review of if.... (1968) was written by Terri H on 27 Dec 2008.
if.... has generally received very positive reviews.
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