August 31, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 19 Classic ‘60s anti-establishment film comes to Blu-ray by Dennis Seuling “If…” (The Criterion Collection), set at a British boys’ boarding school, stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, a student who, along with his mostly younger friends, encounters a series of indignities and frequent abuse. At every opportunity, they confront authority, which leads to a dangerous game of one-upmanship as masters and students dig in and draw the line. The masters are determined to hold to tradition while the students, spurred on by the charismatic Mick, are just as determined to shake things up. The movie is very much a product of its time (the late ‘60s) and highlights the impatience and rebelliousness of the younger generation. The school is a microcosm of the greater society as it attempts to mold young minds with rigid control and harsh punishment. Mick is the free spirit, the misfit who simply will not conform to rules and regulations, refusing to be broken. Contrasting with strong-willed Mick is the baby-faced freshman Jute (Sean Bury). He is homesick and frightened, but he retains his soul, so viewers watch captivated, tracking his journey. Director Lindsay Anderson takes his time, allowing the audience to observe the school, the interaction among staff and student body, the simmering resentments, and the complacency that allows the faculty’s authoritarian leadership to thrive. There is foreshadowing of violence to come, fantasy sequences, and a gradual change in mood as the boys transform into an angry force. Anderson has crafted an allegorical contrast between freedom and oppression, and couched it in a riveting tale of youth who refuse to be cowed any longer. This was McDowell’s first major feature film, and an astute viewer can easily see the qualities that, three years later, won him the role of Alex in Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange.” Criterion’s Blu-ray edition of “If…” contains a restored, high-definition digital transfer; audio commentary by Malcolm McDowell; “Thursday’s Children” (1954), an Academy Award-winning documentary about a school for deaf children directed by Lindsay Anderson and narrated by Richard Burton; and a booklet featuring a critical essay. “Wrecked” (IFC Films) stars Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”) as an unnamed man who wakes trapped in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a car wreck, two dead bodies, a pile of cash, and a gun. He has no recollection of who he is or how he got there. He doesn’t know if he is a victim or a dangerous criminal. When he hears a fading radio news report about an armed robbery, he is further confused. The idea of a major character who does not know who or where he is has been used before, most recently in “Cowboys and Aliens.” The mystery is set up immedi- Malcolm McDowell stars in Lindsay Anderson’s ‘If…’ ately, and bits of information are doled out gradually as viewers get a picture of who the character is and why he is in such circumstances. Brody is on screen alone a long time, and he manages to hold the viewer’s attention mostly through facial expression and body language. Director Michael Greenspan utilizes flashbacks and hallucinatory sequences to vary the narrative, a technique used successfully in “127 Hours,” another film that depends primarily on a solo performance. Available in Blu-ray and DVD, “Wrecked” contains a making-of featurette. “Prom” (Walt Disney Home Entertainment), available in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, is a feel-good movie in the tradition of “High School Musical,” the hit made-forTV movie that established a formula that still mines gold for Disney. “Prom” involves several intersecting stories that unfold at a high school as the big dance approaches. Viewers meet teens who are about to pass from their childhood years to greater independence and have all the angst and trepidation that comes with major life changes. Class President Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden), a straight-A student destined for Georgetown on a full scholarship, finds herself attracted to Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell), who gets in the way of her perfect prom. Fellow seniors Mei (Yin Chang) and Tyler (DeVaughn Nixon) have secrets, while others face all the insecurities that (continued on Crossword page)