In this modern Candide, actor Malcolm McDowell (reprising the name if not the character of the hero of Anderson’s If . . .) portrays a young man in search of fame and the better things in life. O Lucky Man! was developed from an original treatment by McDowell, based on his experiences as a coffee salesman before he became an actor. Buoyed by optimism in a sea of sham and corruption, McDowell’s salesman pushes his way to the top, only to fall and rise and fall yet again. The film is a brilliant allegorical version of a neo-fascist, modern England, where individuals, institutions, businesses, and governments are rife with corruption. Underlining and counterpointing the action of the film is a wonderful score by Alan Price.