Fresh
Punchy, poetic pic that delves into the epic theme of youthful revolt.
Variety Staff, Variety
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Overview
In an English boys' boarding school, social hierarchy reigns supreme and power remains in the hands of distanced and ineffectual teachers and callously vicious prefects in the Upper Sixth. Three Lower Sixth students, Wallace, Johnny and leader Mick Travis decide on a shocking course of action to redress the balance of privilege once and for all.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
92%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The film finally succumbs to its own abstraction with an ending that satisfies neither symbolism nor wish fulfillment.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Fresh
A film of tremendous resonance, coming when it did in 1968 with the force of a grenade.
Elliott Stein, Village Voice
Fresh
A modern classic in which Anderson minutely captures both the particular ethos of a public school and the general flavour of any structured community.
Stephen Garrett, Time Out
Fresh
If . . . is so good and strong that even those things in the movie that strike me as being first-class mistakes are of more interest than entire movies made by smoothly consistent, lesser directors.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
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