Revolution is the opium of the intellectuals.

an instant favourite. a film of such scale and ambition but which still manages to create memorable characters and an overarching message. fantastic surrealism. don't be put off by the 3 hour running time, it wouldn't be the film it is if it were shorter

Part of a loose trilogy of films directed by Lindsay Anderson, starting with If...., then this film, then Britannia Hospital. They're strange, playful films that bring to mind elements of the French New Wave. This one is 3-hour-long "journey of a man" epic in the vein of Little Big Man, Forrest Gump, or Being There, (Interesting to see how some of these movies feature characters with cognitive disabilities, painting them as a passive participant, a product of their times so that those times can be critiqued) but there's so much variety and unpredictability that it doesn't get dull. Lots of commentary on class and capitalism.

If you like this, try Zazie dans le Metro, a totally bonkers Louis Malle movie about an unsinkable girl loose on the streets of Paris.