1. Lindsay Andersons Mick Travis Trilogy
If. (1968), O Lucky Man! (1973) and Britannia Hospital (1982) Okay, so Im cheating a bit here, but Lindsay Anderson deserves a lot more recognition. If nothing else, he can take credit for introducing the world to Malcolm McDowell, who appears in all three films as the cynical, sardonic and sharp-witted everyman Mick Travis. The trilogy ties three stories loosely together, using Travis as a focal point for discussions about the changing political and social landscape of Britain.
If. introduces us to Travis as a rebellious public schoolboy, who ends up leading a revolution to take over the school and guns down all his teachers. It depicts the backwardness of public schooling in contrast to the fiery intelligence of the newer students. Its my candidate for the greatest high school film ever made, due to its ambition, distinctive characters, depth of ideas and Andersons scintillating direction.
O Lucky Man! picks up the story some years later, where Travis has abandoned these ideals and become a coffee salesman in the North-East of England. Following the structure of Voltaires picaresque novel
Candide, the film is a three-hour rollercoaster through Travis life as he survives being experimented on by mad scientists, falls in love with Helen Mirren, is arrested for smuggling bullion and ends up auditioning for a role in
If. (dont ask).
Britannia Hospital rounds off the trilogy with Travis working as a muckraking journalist, who infiltrates the eponymous hospital in London to expose Dr. Millar, carrying on his nefarious experiments from the second film. The film blends an elegiac look at the decline of the British Empire with a gruesome recreation of
Frankenstein, a cameo from Mark Hamill as a stoned cameraman, and a brilliant last ten minutes involving the unveiling of the Genesis project
The Mick Travis trilogy may not be very consistent, or make a lot of sense in its later stages, but they serve as a timely reminder of what British film is capable of doing when it pushes the envelope. Anderson treats his audience with the greatest intelligence and respect, making them think at every turn while offering us much at which to scratch our heads, in wonder or in puzzlement.
Three Men on a Blog reviews: If., O Lucky Man!, Britannia HospitalThe Movie Hour podcasts: #28, #33, #37