A Clockwork Orange - Vik Sklyarov

 Title/Year: A Clockwork Orange (1971)
 Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Stanley Kubrick, NYC, NY (US), July 28th, 1928
Budget: $2,200,000 (estimated)
Gross: $26,589,355 (USA) (1973)
Synopsis: Alex and his hooligan gain, go around town in a future England, having the enjoymeny of beating and raping victims, however one night after accidently murdering someone Alex gets caught by the police. While in jail Alex learns of an experiment that would "cure" him and cause him to detest violence and rape, but things to really go as planned.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: Classical music, Ludwig Van Beethoven, visual, sex, violence, prison, ambient sound, gang, dystopian.
Characterization/ Dialogue:  Alex is the narrator in the film, from his POV. Some of the words used in the dialogue,especially coming from Alex are these random Russian words, which definitely fit into the context, they're just said in a different language.
Camera/lighting/editing technique: The techniques are very stylized, there is focus on high keys, silhouettes, etc.
 Political/ Social Commentary:  The police, the government and the mental institutions/clinics all are working together and are part of the high power. They all work together to help "cure" people of their sickness, cause them to be against violence, rape, etc and changing them back to the norm.



Why is the film considered controversial? Where was it banned (considered controversial)?
To do the violence and sexuality in the film, the film received miscellaneous ratings such as an "X" rating, which in our day would be considered an "NC-17" rating. However, one of the big reasons it wasn't shown in theaters for long is because there was a "copy cat" murder occured afterward, thus getting Kubrick to pull the film from theaters to prevent any further problems.


What societal "comfort zones" does it push the limit of? 
Sexuality, rape, violence, drugs.


Would it still be considered controversial if it were released today?
 Well it depends on what aspect of the film would be considered controversial, the violence would definitely not be controversial, compared to the recent films in the 21st century, the violence in these films is far greater than what was shown in Clockwork Orange (which was fairly minor). What can however be possibly considered controversial is the attitude towards women and the sexuality, but then again the culture these days has adapted to far worse, therefore I wouldn't think this film would be considered too controversial. The worst case would be that the film would receive an"R" rating for it's content. But maybe those that get disturbed too easily with offense towards women or sexuality would probably place this film in an "NC-17" rating. The film would still be highly appreciated though by many people who enjoy thought provoking, art cinema.

Do you feel the director's choice to show the material is ethically sound?
  The director adapted the story from a movie and to my knowledge he tried to keep the movie in context with the story. It first depends on the viewer and what they think is ethical or not, but overall if what is shown is part of the story and helps push the story forward, and gives the story "realistic" feel, then ethics doesn't really matter.

Would you recommend this film to a friend?
I would recommend it to a friend who's taste would fit with the style of this film, and to someone who would enjoy this film for what it is.

**Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/