Deconstruction, reflection and analysis of the 1968 film “If…” By Lindsay AndersonThe 1968 film “If…” Directed by Lindsay Anderson, the action takes place in a middle-class British boarding school. Young boys are portrayed as outsiders, as some spend their year at school reluctantly. The main character "Mick Travis" is the leader of a progressive revolution, slowly but increasingly ignoring the rules and regulations of a strict archaic system. The opening of the film immediately demonstrates this as Mick hurriedly travels the corridors hiding a rule-defying facial hair phenomenon, dodging the authoritarian prefects who boss around the school's "scum" in the first years. One of Mick's classmates calls him "Guy Fawkes", foreshadowing his rebellious personality from the start. The prefects, aptly called "Whips", are interpreted as the most powerful, especially as they show their disapproval of Mick's "attitude". "Rowntree", in particular, beats Mick savagely, which only strengthens his resolve to fight repression. The conclusion of the film is really quite eccentric, as the boys begin to rebel the narrative begins to have fantastical elements. The chaplain who was Mick's first target was shot in the head, believed to be dead, so we could then see the man alive and lying in a drawer. This questionable sense of reality makes the final act of Mick and his "Crusaders" unbelievable, as they carelessly shoot their school friends. The genre of the film is classic British drama, with satire and surrealism. British film culture is highlighted by the fact that the film is an allegory, to represent a bigger picture. The moral of the film, even though it was produced 46 years ago ... middle of paper ...... she is dissatisfied with her mundane marriage and seeks attention from young boys. She is seen walking around the boys' dorms naked and the black and white color saturation suggests this is a metaphor, a reference to her desire for sexual attention which she does not receive from her husband . Religion is questioned throughout this film, referencing the shooting of the chaplain during military training for war; it showed an immediate lack of respect for a man of God. Although this respect was not shown by the chaplain, as he had previously asserted his dominance over the schoolchildren, abusing him in class, Mick could only know this too well. The lack of respect for one another shows a lack of connection, this could be a metaphor for the overwhelming message of God in the society of the time and the youth culture who refused to be molded and chose the anti-life. riot and the use of firearms..