If***

This film captures the particular ethos of a public school and the general flavour of any highly structured community, combining an allegorical thrust with a clear-eyed exploration of an essentially British institution. Constructed in 8 chapters introduced by titles in a Brechtian schema, a surrealistic edge (Anderson prefers ‘heightened reality’) is brought to events in the later sections as the line is blurred between fantasy and reality, an approach reflecting the influence of Zero de Conduite. Although conceived several years earlier, the timing of “If’s” release coinciding with the events of May 1968 ensured its success against the expectations of Paramount’s executives.