"A Clockwork Orange" -Mychael Foster

Title/Year: “A Clockwork Orange”, 1971

Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Stanley Kubrick, New York, USA, 1928

Budget: $2,200,000

Gross: $26, 589, 355

Synopsis: Clockwork Orange is about a young man who runs a violent gang of thieves, drunks, and rapists. Eventually this young man Alex (Malcolm McDowell), ends up accidently killing an older woman after breaking into her house, which lands young Alex in a correctional facility/prison. While there Alex tries to be a “model-student” which he thinks will help him get out early, but in truth it paves the way to his inevitable death.

Narrative and Visual Keywords: Glow, vibrant colors, dystopian, gangs, rape, 1984-esque, police state, morality, beauty blended with darkness.

Characterization/Dialogue: POV is through Alex, narrating most of the movie. We only see what Alex see’s, we only feel what Alex feels. The actual text is very stylized to a futuristic Britain gang slang.

Camera/Lighting/Editing Technique: It’s all very much stylized. Things are lit up when they are supposed to be lit up, and in contrast things are shadowed in darkness when that is what is called for. The camera moves so elegantly and is angled ever so precisely. And the editing is also very well done and stylized, fast paced when intense moments are occurring, and slow long drawn out shots for the more “taking it all in” feel.

Political/Social Commentary: This movie dives into a whole police state theme, where the government and military work together to develop a way to brainwash “sick” and “depraved” people to restore them to “normality”.

Historical Relevance/Recognition: see below

Notable Collaboration: N/A

Random Fact, Etc: Anthony Burgess, the writer of “A Clockwork Orange” the novel, originally sold the movie rights to Mick Jagger for a quick $500 when he needed money.

Why is the film considered controversial? Where was it banned?

In its original release in America, the movie was rated “X”, then “C” for Condemned, then “O” for Morally offensive. In my opinion for very good reasons, because all the graphic images are very intense, even for a “Saw” fan.

Kubrick pulled it from theaters in Britain after a copycat murder occurred, which in my opinion was a weak move. I understand his reasons for doing it, but talk about “1 in a Million” more like “1 in 6 Billion”, my point is that one person should not stop the progression and controversy of art.

What societal “comfort zones” does it push the limit of?

Rape, non-intent violence, drugs, theft, torture, murder, all these things and more are shown and dealt with in this movie. In addition the brainwashing of the corrupt and the effects of that are also something disturbing that should be discussed.

Would it still be considered controversial if it were released today?

Oh yes, I believe so. There is no way, in my opinion, that this movie would not cause problems even released today. The violence towards woman would be enough to get press.

Do you feel the Director’s choice to show the material is ethically sound?

Well first you have to remember that this movie is based off a book, keeping that in mind I wonder what Kubrick left out and added and how that affected the movie. Putting that aside, I think as long as people know what kind of movie they are getting into then it shouldn’t matter. Unless I am being bewitched by the beauty of the film, I think the abuse, and raping, and killing, and torturing, is just a part of the movie therefore ethics don’t really have a place here.

Would you recommend this film to a friend?

After finally being able to see this movie in its entirety, I would most definitely recommend it to a friend, because my friends generally have the same taste in movies as I do. Also I just utterly loved this film. It was beautiful and dark and bizarre and uneasy and everything I like to see in a film.