"The absurdities of human behaviour as we move into the twenty-first century are too extreme—and too dangerous—to permit us the luxury of sentimentalism or tears. But by looking at humanity objectively and without indulgence, we may hope to save it. Laughter can help." - Lindsay Anderson
This season focuses on Lindsay Anderson’s everyman trilogy, a satirical state-of-the-nation address that holds up a mirror to a contemporary Britain that Anderson considered to be in moral decline. All three films star Malcolm McDowell as the title character Mick Travis.
This loose and often surreal trilogy follows Mick Travis’s journey through British society, starting with If… (1968), a rebellious attack on public schools and the class system; followed by O Lucky Man! (1973), an absurd, dystopian picaresque road movie; and ending with Britannia Hospital (1982), a sharp satire focusing on Thatcherism and the NHS.
Featuring a fantastic repertory cast of greats including Arthur Lowe, Ralph Richardson, Helen Mirren, Rachel Roberts, Leonard Rossiter and many more, Anderson, along with screenwriter David Sherwin, created an anarchic trilogy of films that remain as fresh and politically charged today as when they were first made.
Programmed and with introductions by Kino Klubb’s Joey Bell.
