Uhrwerk Orange

A Clockwork Orange was always a film I wanted to watch but it was one of these films that I was too young to watch when it was initially released in British cinemas and then banned by Director Stanley Kubrick from being available in Britain. The ban remained until he died.

The film became infamous for its depiction of violence and sex. It overlooked the fact that despite its initial scenes of brutality and rape, in its heart it is a dark comedy set in a futuristic Dystopian Britain.

An adaptation of Anthony Burgess novel, Malcolm McDowell might be a shade too old to play the teenage delinquent Alex getting high on milk-plus which is infused with drugs and then partakes in an orgy of ultra-violence which includes beating up a vagrant, fighting with a rival gang and then speeding through the country roads where they burst into the house of a writer who gets beaten up and watches his wife get raped as Alex sings Singin in the rain.

We know Alex is still at school as he lives in his parents flat and is visited the next morning by his probation officer who is concerned about his absence from school.

However Alex's luck runs out. He falls out with his fellow gang members and when he breaks into another house, he kills a woman with a phallic sculpture, betrayed by his gang and caught by the police, he is sentenced to 14 years in jail.

The opening part of the film would had been deemed shocking in early 1970s Britain. I doubt that level of sex and savagery would had ever been seen before in a mainstream British film.

However the film becomes more of a surreal prison film once Alex ends up in jail where he joins a church group and tries to fend off advances from fellow inmates. A visiting government minister offers him a chance to take part in an experiment. Once he undertakes an experimental aversion therapy for rehabilitating criminals within two weeks the film becomes a black revenge comedy.

Once freed from prison and rehabilitated Alex finds there is no room for him in his parents home, he gets set upon by a gang of vagrants as the tramp who he beat up in the beginning recognises Alex. His old gang members are now in the police and they torture him. Worse still he stumbles into the house of the writer who he attacked and he gets his vengeance as well. Poor Alex now cannot listen to his favourite piece of Beethoven without doing harm to himself.

There is an underlying political satire of a government wanting to tackle violence in society by being draconian themselves until public opinion turns against them.

The film contains a lot of slang derived from east European languages and although I mentioned he looked rather old to play the teenage Alex, Malcolm McDowell delivers an amazing performance providing a narrative with his Yorkshire tones.

The film might put off some of its audience with its disturbing opening but settles in well after that.

In a dystopian world, Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) leads his 3 followers in ultraviolence. Eventually, he is arrested for killing an old lady. In prison, he finds the violence in religion to be calming. He volunteers for an experimental treatment program. The treatment makes him ill when confronted with violence and sex. He is released and is confronted by the violence that he himself promoted.

This is almost experimental in its examination of sex and violence in society. It is an unique surreal film. The ideas behind it may be lost to people who sees this simply as an artistic violent movie. No matter how one dissects this, Malcolm McDowell's performance is beyond reproach. He shows his great acting abilities.

i just saw this movie about a day ago, and it completely blew me away, namely the main character, protagonist, hero? Alex. we love, hate, and or just plain utterly confused about how we feel of Alex. Alex is the greatest villain ever because he is ourselves, he is the worst of ourselves. hes the deep dark place inside you that rises to the surface eventually, and then pushed down just as fast because it terrifies you. the way Alex stares into the camera in the first scene just freaks me out, he has a little smirk on his face that seems to say you may hate me, but you'll never be rid of me, because there can never be good without the bad, and i am the bad.

A Clockwork Orange (1971) is a movie I recently rewatched on HBOMAX. The storyline follows a little gang of misfits who travels the streets of England causing chaos through their random acts of violence. When they cross each other one night trying to establish a leader the direction of the gang and leader of the gang changes permanently...this movie is directed by legend Stanley Kubrick (The Shining) and stars Malcolm McDowell (Halloween), Patrick Magee (Zulu), Michael Bates (Patton), Warren Clarke (Firefox) and Adrienne Corri (Bunny Lake is Missing). This story from beginning to end is absolutely captivating. The sets are eccentric and unique. The dialogue is brilliant as the terminology is entertaining and well delivered. The acting by McDowell is all time great. One of my favorite all time performances. The circumstances throughout the film are horrifying, hilarious, intense and unpredictable all at the same time. The cinematography within the film keeps your mind turning throughout. This is an all time masterpiece that is an absolute must see and a 10/10.

Few films are as sensational or infamous as Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange". It's impossible to sit through ACO and not have a reaction; whether it be shock, disgust or amazement. The savage tale of a brutal young droog and his subsequent "reformation" by the government is as shocking and thought-provoking as ever.

While the film's depictions of violence and sex are what it's most known for, ACO works on far deeper levels. The disturbing portrayal of youth and its satirical depiction of a government's attempts to create a better society are brilliant, but the most fascinating aspect of ACO is the questions it poses about good and evil. While the crimes Alex commits at the beginning of the film are atrocious, what the government does to him is worse. The film presents the absolute worst aspects of man, but shows that even these are still favorable to a man without the choice. People can denounce the film because of its brutal content, but the importance of the questions it poses can't be denied.

Equally excellent to the film's content is the effort by the crew. Kubrick's perfectionism pays off well, as ACO in one of his most visually striking films. Malcolm MacDowell is nothing short of amazing as Alex. Kubrick's use of surreal imagery and set pieces, as well as the ingenious use of music to compliment the on-screen action, creates a world that perfectly reflects the protagonist's behavior and the government's policies.

A Clockwork Orange is by no means an easy film to get through, as many will be turned off by the scenes of violence and rape. But this masterpiece is far more complex than a simple romp through a world of youthful violence. It's a rare example of film-making that demands that the viewer actually think. Real horrorshow all around, Oh my brothers.