Short(ish) review #16

A Clockwork Orange (1971) - "Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven."

During my time at university, there was a module available concentrating on Stanley Kubrick and his works. Unfortunately, it was unavailable to me as my degree was Journalism and Media, not film. I'm sure I would have found it interesting though.


Total Film once called this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece the 2nd most controversial film of all time; number 1 was Birth of a Nation. And that is one of the main reasons why this film is so famous.

Inspired by the novel by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange is set in a near-futuristic (well it was released in the 70s) Britain, concentrating on a group of "ultra-violent" youths led by Alex (Malcolm McDowell). He is arrested and then sent to jail for, as he calls it, "the accidental killing of a person". He volunteers to take part in a rehabilitation programme to get rid of his violent side, but once released he struggles to re-adapt to society. A lot happens in the opening 20 minutes of the film. There isn't the chance to pause or catch you breath, because so much takes place. They leave the Korovo Milk Bar, then they're beating up a homeless man, followed by the encounter with Billy Boy and his gang and then breaking into a couple's house after a late-night drive.

For the book, Burgess famously created his own language - Nadsat, a combination of Russian and Yiddish. However, this makes it somewhat difficult to read as you keep having to turn to the glossary to understand the meanings. As for Kubrick's directorial techniques, he varies some of the speed of shots, fast and slow motion, complimenting the music very well and also using a hand-held camera. Despite the fact he adapted numerous literary works, none of the original authors appreciated the movie; they regarded them unfaithful to the original material. However, I'm not sure that Burgess went to the extent that Stephen King did and completely remade his work.

Malcolm McDowell gives a terrific performance as one of film's all time great anti-heroes, making him an icon. He is possibly the only actor who could have portrayed this character. I love the fact even though this film is mostly set in London he does a Northern accent. But he is also a very terrifying character, not because he is a violent hooligan; it's his obsession with Beethoven. How many teenagers do you know who listen to Beethoven? In an interview to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary, he admitted he originally thought it was a black comedy, especially considering that audiences nowadays will laugh in places.

Right, the controversy. What this film did was make on-screen violence look acceptable, something also shown in others films at the time (most notably Bonnie and Clyde and Straw Dogs). The most controversial part of A Clockwork Orange is the rape scene early on. Part of the uproar was the claims that that scene inspired copycat crimes, including a 14 year old boy being convicted for manslaughter. There was also a report of a rape, in which the attackers were whistling Singin' In The Rain. As a result, Stanley Kubrick decided to withdraw the film from any format in the UK, also after having received death threats. This ban was finally uplifted in 1999, after Kubrick's death, and in July 2001 there was the premiere of the uncut version on Sky Box Office. By which stage, it had long achieved a cult status. I can understand why this is such a controversial film. I can imagine the uproar that there was at the time. Would there be that same uproar nowadays? Maybe not, but there will always be controversial films for whatever reason - violence, sex, racism, politics, copyright, people singing 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' whilst being crucified or the first on-screen use of a toilet in a mainstream film (I'm looking at you Psycho).

Part of the films legacy includes the Walter Carlos synthesized soundtrack, which has been replicated many times even to this day. The film also inspired a fashion trend, especially amongst musicians like David Bowie and Heaven 17, and a popular choice for fancy-dress parties. This is amazing considering that it was a movie known only for its reputation.

When you next watch this film, sit back and relax with a glass of milk, a blast of Beethoven and lashings of the old ultra-violence.