if....

by David Ehrenstein, David Sherwin, Lindsay Anderson

Booklet accompanying The Criterion Collection DVD of if.... produced by Karen Stetler. Includes the essay "School Days" by David Ehrenstein, "From Crusaders to if....," a script-to-screen timeline by screenwriter David Sherwin, and "Lindsay Anderson Interviews Lindsay Anderson," a mock interview from the film's original publicity campaign.

Paperback

Published June 19, 2007

About the author

David Ehrenstein was an American critic who focused primarily on gay issues in cinema.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Sherwin's timeline of the writing of the film and how it changed from his original version into what it became. I knew the name Seth Holt was familiar. He directed Scream of Fear and The Nanny for Hammer, both of which I viewed in 2018. The former was on the same disc as The Gorgon, and I ended up liking it better. Sherwin noted that John Howlett, his original co-screenwriter and Seth Holt both hated the final result. The script was originally much gayer, and Wallace and Travis's relationships were originally the reverse, with Mick Travis having an affair with Bobby Phillips and and being unable to tell his parents about the gay relationship, and another character called Johnny Knightly getting involved with the coffee shop girl. All three pieces are very informative, and while they cover some of the same ground as the other DVD supplements, provide much additional insight.