Table Of ContentTURNER CLASS IC MOVIES BR IT ISH F I LM GU IDES
The Tauris British Film Guides series has since its launch in 2003
contributed to the revaluation of British cinema by going deep into
key British films from the past hundred years. To carry the project
forward, I.B.Tauris has now entered an exciting and innovative
partnership with TCM (Turner Classic Movies), the premier movie
channel dedicated to keeping the classic movies alive for fans old
and new. With a striking new identity, the series will continue to
provide what the Guardian has called a ‘valuable resource of critical
work on the UK’s neglected film history’.
The series will continue to draw on all genres and all eras, build-
ing over time into a wide-ranging library of informed, in-depth film
guides, demonstrating the variety, creativity, humanity, poetry and
mythic power of the best of British cinema in volumes designed to
be accessible to film enthusiasts, scholars and students alike.
TCM is the definitive classic movie channel available on cable, satel-
lite and digital terrestrial TV <www.tcmonline.co.uk>
JE F FREY R I CHARDS
General Editor
British Film Guides published and forthcoming:
A Night to Remember: the Definitive Titanic Film Jeffrey Richards
The Dam Busters John Ramsden
The 39 Steps Mark Glancy
Whisky Galore! and The Maggie Colin McArthur
The Charge of the Light Brigade Mark Connelly
Get Carter Steve Chibnall
Dracula Peter Hutchings
The Private Life of Henry VIII Greg Walker
My Beautiful Laundrette Christine Geraghty
Brighton Rock Steve Chibnall
A Hard Day’s Night Stephen Glynn
if.... Paul Sutton
Black Narcissus Sarah Street
The Red Shoes Mark Connelly
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Anthony Aldgate
A Clockwork Orange I.Q. Hunter
Four Weddings and a Funeral Andrew Spicer
TURNER CLASS IC MOVIE BR IT ISH F I LM GU IDE
if....
PAUL SUTTON
Published in 2005 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
6 Salem Road, London w2 4bu
175 Fifth Avenue, New York ny 10010
www.ibtauris.com
In the United States of America and Canada distributed by Palgrave Macmillan
a division of St Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York ny 10010
Copyright © Paul Sutton, 2005
The TCM logo and trademark and all related elements are trademarks of and
© Turner Entertainment Networks International Limited. A Time Warner
Company. All Rights Reserved. © and ™ 2005 Turner Entertainment Networks
International Limited.
The right of Paul Sutton to be identified as the author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any
part thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing
from the publisher.
isbn 1 85043 672 x
ean 978 1 85043 672 0
A full cip record for this book is available from the British Library
A full cip record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress catalog card: available
Set in Monotype Fournier and Univers Black by Ewan Smith, London
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books, Bodmin
Contents
List of Illustrations /vi
Acknowledgements /vii
Film Credits 1
Introduction 3
1 The Context 5
2 The Narrative 44
3 The Reception, the Sequel 83
4 The Conclusion 103
Appendix 105
Notes 109
Sources 113
Illustrations
1. Filming the chapel scene with boys from Cheltenham College
(Brian Pettifer [BP]) 16
2. Michael Medwin, Miroslav Ondricek and Lindsay Anderson on the
first day of filming (BP) 21
3. Lindsay Anderson directs the troops (Memorial Productions [MP]) 29
4. The first take of the first shot on the first day (BP) 38
5. Ben Aris leads the juniors in a game of rugby (BP) 45
6. Lindsay Anderson rehearsing the juniors including Rupert Webster
(far right) (MP) 55
7. Anderson explains the finer points of Rowntree to Robert Swann
(BP) 60
8. A helping hand for Sean Bury as Jute (MP) 63
9. Malcolm McDowell and David Wood at play (Paramount) 64
1 0. Christine Noonan publicity still (BP) 66
1 1. Preparing Peter Jeffrey for his final scene (BP) 79
1 2. Robin Askwith and friends carrying Brian Pettifer (BP) 82
1 3. Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis eyeing up BSA motorbikes
(Paramount) 87
1 4. Geoffrey Chater telling Guy Ross to fight temptation (MP) 90
1 5. Malcolm McDowell wardrobe shots for the final scene (MP) 98
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the cast and crew members I interviewed
for this book, Malcolm McDowell, Jocelyn Herbert, Rupert
Webster, Brian Pettifer, Graham Crowden. All other pro-
duction quotes, unless stated, are taken from preparatory
publicity material. The extracts from Lindsay Anderson’s
diaries and letters are taken from the working draft of my
book, Lindsay Anderson: The Diaries (Methuen, 2004). Con-
tinuing thanks to Stirling University. The photographs are
from the author’s collection and from Brian Pettifer.
Film Credits
IF. . . .
Production Company Paramount/Memorial Enterprises Ltd
Producers Lindsay Anderson, Michael Medwin
Director Lindsay Anderson
Screenplay David Sherwin
from the script ‘Crusaders’ by David Sherwin, John Howlett
Director of Photography Miroslav Ondricek
Cameraman Chris Menges
Production Design Jocelyn Herbert
Editing David Gladwell, Lindsay Anderson
Music Marc Wilkinson
Casting Director Miriam Brickman
Assistant Director John Stoneman
Assistants to the Director Stephen Frears, Stuart Baird
Sound Recordist Christian Wangler
Dubbing Editor Alan Bell
Dubbing Mixer Doug Turner
Camera Operator Brian Harris
Camera Assistant Michael Seresin
Assistant to the Producers Neville Thompson
Production Manager Gavrik Losey
Production Accountant Brian Brockwell
Assistants to the Editors Ian Rakoff, Michael Ellis
Interpreter Jirina Tvarochova
Production Secretary Zelda Brown
Wardrobe Shura Cohen
Makeup Betty Blattner
Continuity Valerie Booth
Construction Manager Jack Carter
Electrical Supervisor Roy Larner
Transport Jim Hughes
Electrical Contractors Lee Electrics
Production Processing Humphries Laboratories
Length 10,005 feet
Running time 111 minutes
UK Release 19 December 1968
US Release 9 March 1969
