If...
Malcolm McDowell. Well, that’s a name who hear very often when it comes to cult movies. After all, his face is literally adorned to supercilious film “buffs” walls in an attempts to look cool; “oh yeah, the thematic substance of A Clockwork Orange combined with the rage of delinquent men is juxtaposed against our ultra-violent post- modern era means blah blah blah.” Yes, we know. But not only is McDowell a tour de force in this cult classic, but he is the poster boy for all things controversial. As well as Stanley Kubrick’s timeless film, he is in brutal Caligula and Oh Lucky Man! (which would subsequently see McDowell reprieve his Mark Travis role, something we’re going to talk about in a few moments.)
Yet it is in this public school fantasy drama If… that Malcolm McDowell made his debut and thus paved his way to controversy. He plays Mark Travis, the everyday boy of a public school that. Now, we all know by now that public schools were a public disaster, perforating the boys horridly strict education with a caning now and then. Travis is the average representation of a normal boy trying to get through his school days. Venturing out to break the rules, Travis becomes the unwitting source of attention from the Whips, prefects who want to stamp out bad behaviour. Enthusing his fantasies and desires, Travis becomes an unwelcome nuisance that to culminate in more dangerous behaviour. Directed by Lindsey Alexander, this is a visceral and fantastical movie.
Stanley Kubrick supposedly plucked McDowell from this movie to play his now iconic role as Alex DeLarge. It’s very easier to see why. Here as Mark Travis, he plays a rather intriguing character that is impulsive, intellectual, sarcastic and full of every fantasy that people are divulge on a daily basis. Dowell handles Alex’s sneaky streak as well as his bubbling rage under the calm serenity of his facial expressions. Handling the tension that builds with every humiliation of the school, Travis’ ideals represent a lot of frustrations that many people, alluding to Travis’ “everyday” image. He smirks through his issues whilst feeling the pangs of them, disappearing into surreal moments in order to cope. It’s this level of relatable distortion that makes the movie alarmingly poignant and it is executed wonderfully by McDowell.
On that point, what makes Alexander’s If… an interesting movie is that you get to see the world through Travis’ mind and dreamscapes. Intertwining the picturesque views of idyllic England school life with the brutality of his imagination, toiling with this under current of rage and impeccability. It is, for its time, a genius portrayal of violence in what has been credited as one of the first movies to counteract the culture of war time dramas and romance. It showcased the humanity of violence, the beat pulsating complexities underneath it and the building simplicities that encourage it. It’s strangely poignant, marking cult cinema brilliantly in the United Kingdom.
The seeds of Alex are here. The progressive actor McDowell has gone forth to create a career on risqué material in such an impeccable way. If anything, If… may be weird but it will resonate loudly with audiences today still.