Appearance
If....
Directed by Lindsay Anderson, If.... (1968) is a landmark of British counterculture cinema and a searing satire of the English public school system. Malcolm McDowell makes his film debut as Mick Travis, a rebellious student at a repressive boarding school who, along with his friends, eventually stages a violent insurrection against the establishment.
Winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the film is famous for its surrealist touches—including shifting between color and black-and-white sequences—and its provocative commentary on authority and youth rebellion during the late 1960s.
Locations
The film was shot almost entirely on location at a real English public school, with the administration allowing the production to film during the school holidays.
Cheltenham College, Gloucestershire
The vast majority of the film was shot at Cheltenham College. The school's Gothic Revival architecture, grand chapel, and sprawling quadrangles provided the perfect, imposing atmosphere for the fictional "College Way." The production used the real dormitories, dining halls, and corridors to maintain a sense of stifling tradition. Map Location
Aldenham School, Hertfordshire
While Cheltenham provided the bulk of the school, additional scenes, including some of the interior "house" sequences and gymnasium shots, were filmed at Aldenham School. This location helped round out the geography of the fictional school's campus. Map Location
Cheltenham Town Centre
Various exterior shots of the boys venturing into the local town were filmed in Cheltenham. The town’s Regency-style architecture served as the "real world" that existed just outside the gates of the insular, high-walled school. Map Location
Director
Lindsay Anderson
Cast
Malcolm McDowell
David Wood
Richard Warwick
Christine Noonan
Robert Swann
IMDB
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