(Lyndsay Anderson, 1968)
The film is what's called a "sleeper", a surprise hit, coming from virtually nowhere and produced on a low budget, building to reach cult status. A modern equivalent might be Nia Vardalos's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" which has gone on to become the most successful independent film of all time.
Made in the spring of 1968, the film is shot intermittently in black and white; Anderson has claimed that this was for reasons of finance rather than art, but nonetheless adds to the sense of anarchy inherent in the film. Those scenes shot in black and white ate crucial episodes, as what occurs in those scenes could be seen as fantasy and therefore throw the rest of the film's events into question. The black and white scenes also echo the old style black and white films, evoking values similar to those transmitted by old style black and white films which are, ironically, attacked in the film itself.
Rebellion is a crucial theme, as the boys rebel against the pillars of 1960's British Establishment consisting of government, the church, the military and capitalism. At various points throughout the film Anderson states that these can be called upon in times of crisis, hence the bizarre scene in which the 3 central characters are asked to apologise for their disruptive actions, and the vicar is pulled out from inside a drawer! After much confusion, we finally figured this scene out to mean that it's a visual metaphor for people calling on the establishment to justify their actions, even in war. The revolution that occurs in the film represented the microcosm of British society as it existed at that time. There was a strong possibility that the revolution could have occurred on an international scale given the then current socio-political climate.
The film adheres to a fractured narrative form and even though it can be classified genre-wiseas a drama, it also observes the conventions of other genres such as the western, fantasy and romance.
What's striking about this remarkable film is that it's divided into sections, rather like the chapters of a book, with each section having a title and a number (this is perhaps a reference to the film's source material, the book "Crusaders" by David Sherwin). Below is a precis of what happens in each "chapter" :
1. College House - Return
- we are not immediately introduced to the film's main character, although when he does appear, he is shrouded in dark clothing giving him an air of mystery.
- student life in College House is very strict and controlled, and already we see there is a pecking order amongst the ranks of the school.
- hierarchy is very important; there is a class within a class as the school consists of both upper and middle class boys. This perhaps reflects on the class differences existing in 1960's Britain.
2. College - Once Again Assembled
- here we see one of many recurrent scenes in the church, demonstrating that religion/the church is an influential pillar of society (but will ultimately be rebelled against).
- the college staff are themselves strict and controlling - the deputy headmaster (Capt. Mainwaring from Dad's Army!!) tries to find a happy medium, while the Housemaster pays lipservice to freedom and individual rights while powerless to do anything about it in the face of stifling oppression.
3. Term Time
- we find out that the staff are just as bad as the students, giving in to the college pecking order and effectively using the new students as servants.
- in the scene where the boys are reading their starsigns, "resist all urges to go into battle today" is very telling, given the film's conclusion.
4. Ritual and Romance
- opens in black and white.
- the "romance" is contrast against the boy's repressed possibly hmoerotic sentiments. It is interesting to note that they have to travel outside the world of the school to experience reality.
(is the girl, played by Christine Noonan, real or just a symbol of the boy's sexual fantasies?)
5. Discipline
- again, opens in black and white.
- the posters covering Mick's walls depict revolutionary icons such as Che Guavara and Lenin.
- we learn that caning is used as physical punishment at the school - we only see Mick's punishment because we have come to identify with him the most.