A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is one of the most famous (or infamous) films of all time. It is a Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ book and is basically a social commentary on a future Britain. With very violent, very graphic scenes and fantastic direction from Kubrick it is in my mind one of the best films ever made. It was withdrawn from release in the UK by Kubrick himself, and represents a turning point in the use of violence in British filmmaking.

Alex is a young sociopath who likes violence, rape and Beethoven. He goes around with his gang of droogs attacking people for entertainment until one day he goes too far and kills a woman. This leads to imprisonment and a form of psychological conditioning, a scene which has become famous in its own right. The film then focuses on the effects of this conditioning, which has made Alex averse to violence and lust. It is very violent and quite sinister in places, but it is a very important film, and one which should not be missed.

Normally, I start by talking about the lead actor, but with A Clockwork Orange, all the plaudits go to Stanley Kubrick in my eyes. The best directors are those who seek perfection and it is reported that Kubrick scouted potential locations for filming and took thousands of photos. He also didn’t care how many takes it took to get a scene spot on. Luckily, Malcolm McDowell (who plays Alex) was quite good at getting what Kubrick wanted. Kubrick chose an extra wide lens for filming much of the film in order to convey a dream like state, and he achieves this masterfully. Further, his use of music and colour in this film is magnificent. I don’t think I’ve seen many films in which the music is so perfectly fitting for the scene, or used to such great effect.  There is much debate as to which of Kubrick’s film is his best, and I’m not going to put my opinion across just yet, but there is absolutely no doubt that A Clockwork Orange is one of his finer accomplishments.

Malcolm McDowell is also brilliant in this film. It is quite a surreal role to be playing, but he does it perfectly. His character is utterly without morals and McDowell portrays this perfectly. In some of the more violent scenes, which must have been quite difficult to film, McDowell excels, and has obviously thrown himself into the role. I was quite surprised that he wasn’t nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for this role, just because of how sinister his character comes across as. He manages to create a sense of fear, and yet empathy with the audience. It is like I have said with many other film villains: the audience knows how horrible, twisted and wrong he is, but at certain points of the film they cannot help but feel sorry for him. For example when you realise that during his correctional therapy, his favourite song is playing, it is a pivotal moment. Further, when he is released into the wide world and attacked, his sickness as a result of violence means he cannot defend himself, and this leave a very pathetic character compared to the one presented at the start of the film.

It is always difficult to make a film based on a book. The film is relatively faithful to the book. However in the book, the last chapter sees Alex ‘recover’ and leave his sociopathic past behind him. In the film there is some ambiguity (or not) as to whether he is really cured of his psychopathic ways. This was the main problem that the author had with the film. Another difference between the film and the book is that the ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ scene did not happen. In the film it is a tense and sinister scene and one of the more famous one of the film, but it was completely improvised by Malcolm McDowell in order to add a little more ‘flavour’ to the scene. In the film everyone seems a lot older than in the book, and a lot of the seriously graphic and twisted scenes are aged up a bit. The two girls that Alex takes home and has sex with are a lot younger in the book, and are actually raped. I think that this level of difference is justified though, given that the film was released in 1971. Even now, that sort of scene would be questioned. Burgess (the author) absolutely loved the use of music though, and got on very well with Stanley Kubrick. There aren’t too many differences between the film and the book, and in any case, the changes that are made are usually for the better and increase the cinematic effect of the film.

Stanley Kubrick is a genius, and A Clockwork Orange is one of his masterpieces. It is a film that should remain in the public domain for a very long time. It has very profound implications for morality, psychology, society and criminality, and is a film that provides an entertaining commentary on these themes. However, it is serious too and is one of the most thought-provoking films you will ever watch. I can only recommend that you watch A Clockwork Orange because it is one of the best directed, best produced and most important films I have ever seen.