A Clockwork Orange-1971

Director Stanley Kubrick

Starring Malcolm McDowell

Top 100 Films #9     Top 10 Disturbing Films #7

Scott’s Review #295

Reviewed December 11, 2015

Grade: A

A Clockwork Orange (1971) is a groundbreaking Stanley Kubrick film and my personal favorite in his collection, more than one of which appears on my Top 100 Favorite Films list.

Adapted from the 1962 Anthony Burgess novel and thought to be unable to make it into a film, it becomes a psychedelic, creative, and fascinating experience from start to finish.

Bizarre and extremely thought-provoking, Kubrick tells the story of a London sociopath delinquent living in futuristic London, and the strange behavior modifications performed on him after he is apprehended by the police, in an attempt to “reform” him and transition him to be a useful member of society.

The film delves into such social and insightful themes such as morality and psychology and questions these weighty topics.

Interspersed with classical music and wonderful, colorful sets, A Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece in bizarre artistic cinema.

Alex DeLarge loves classical music (specifically Beethoven), violence, and hanging out with friends. He constantly skips school, beats people up, and parties with his friends. His pet snake is his best friend, and his parents seem afraid of him.

Finally arrested after murdering an odd lady with dozens of cats, Alex is sent away to prison where he volunteers for an experimental “Ludovico” technique, which Alex assumes is a “get out of jail free” card.

What transpires next is a freakish and uncomfortable experience for Alex.

The film contains startling and disturbing scenes throughout- when Alex and his team of “droogs” become inebriated from a concoction of milk laced with drugs and embark on an evening of self-proclaimed ultra-violence, they drive to the country where they break into wealthy author F. Alexander’s house and beat him, crippling him for life.

They rape his wife while forcing him to watch, all the while Alex happily sings “Singin’ in the Rain” timing the beats of the song to acts of violence.

The brutality and creativity of this scene are mesmerizing and certainly unforgettable.

We the audience might despise a character like Alex, however, sympathy is felt for him as his “reformation” begins. A disturbing scene, which is forever embedded in my mind, involves the attaching of a contraption forcing Alex’s eyelids wide open while he watches violent scenes and is administered a drug to make him sick, thereby associating the violence with illness.

He becomes psychologically screwed up.

Alex (thanks to a wonderful portrayal by Malcolm McDowell) is charismatic and humorous and, in some warped way, quite likable to the audience, despite his devious ways.

A Clockwork Orange continues to disturb me after multiple viewings- who can forget the sinister grin that Alex wears and the creepy eyelash with mascara that he possesses?

The film sends an interesting message about human nature as Alex turns from predator to the hunted. We ask, “are human beings naturally prone to violence”?

The direction of the film is breathtaking- the weird colors, the (as traditional with Stanley Kubrick)  long-shot camera angles, and the intense musical crescendos.

And the genre of classical music is a wonderful and ominous choice- almost adding a level of sophistication to Alex and the violence.

The weird supporting characters (Alex’s parents, the probation officer, and his parent’s roommate) and the suddenly fast-forwarded sex scenes were unheard of for their time.

Immensely creative and unconventional film making with a moral message and questions about society and mankind, A Clockwork Orange (1971) is a groundbreaking and fantastic, trippy experience.

A masterpiece from top to bottom.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Stanley Kubrick, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Film Editing