Orange mécanique

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.

Clockwork Orange, A (1971)

**** (out of 4)

Set at some point in the future, British teen Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) spends most of his time hanging with his goon friends, raping women and causing other violent harm but after he's caught he volunteers for an experimental therapy that doesn't quite work as planned. Sick, shocking, crude, violent, nauseating and vulgar are just a few of the words that many will use when describing this film but I'd call it a true piece of art that rightfully deserves its high reputation. Many people have said that a Kubrick film would never be a Kubrick film if it wasn't an ego-maniac you took his sweet time to make sure what made it to the screen was his vision and only his vision. There's something beautiful about a painter taking his time to make sure his painting has all the right colors and vibes yet if a filmmaker does this he's often criticized for it. There's no doubt in my mind that Kubrick was a mad genius and that's never more evident in this adaptation of the Anthony Burgess novel. To me the greatest thing about this movie is its sick and twisted sense of humor but also the visual look of the film. It's amazing what Kubrick can do in the matter of seconds but the masterful and now legendary opening sequence only lasts a few seconds yet it pulls you into this bizarre world of sex and murder. These two objects are never a funny thing yet Kubrick pulls us into this world where we can laugh at them and follow our "hero" Alex as he rapes one person after another, murders and fights only for us to eventually come to see him as the good guy and a victim. I'm sure one could make this film a very political one and many arguments have been raged about the meaning of the ending but everyone who watches the film will draw something different from it and I'm sure ones own opinion on what's done to our hero will have you seeing the ending in different ways. For me personally, the film has always been an incredibly dark comedy that works simply because the world we're watching might be set in the future but you could call it ahead of its time just like METROPOLIS was. It takes place in the future with the bizarre sets and weird culture yet at the same time the subject matter is so today that you can't help but feel you're in the middle of some nightmare. McDowell's performance is a truly great one as he perfectly plays both the psychotic Alex but also the victim. I thought some of McDowell's greatest work here comes once he's cured and can no longer tolerate violence. What's even better is the narration, which is downright superb and wonderfully used by the director with the actor perfectly delivering the lines and helping one get into the story. You'll also never hear "Singin' in the Rain" the same way again. Some people call the film overindulgent, which is probably is but I see this as a good thing. This just helps create this strange world and in the end it's really unlike any movie ever made and there's just something so unique in its vision that you can't help but feel this is something from the future. Kubrick's vision has never been questioned and fans could debate on which of his features has the greatest look but for my money it's this film. That's not to say this is the director's greatest film but I do think it has the great look and feel. It's certainly a very violent movie but the director gives the violence such a pleasant nature that it just seems normal and rather light. The strange music selection, crazy camera shots and overall strange tone makes it a one of a kind and that's why A CLOCKWORK ORANGE will always be a timeless work of art.

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 would say that the movie is really a gem of an art piece. The use of excellent imagery coupled with pretty out-of-the-place background score tells us about the uniqueness of this movie. Stanley Kubrick has really applied a lot of thought into this.

The director wants the audience to feel something as bad not because he is showing it as bad but because it really is bad. The background music accompanying the ultra violent scenes is comical, and not dramatic or anything else that is commonly associated with such scenes. This gives the viewer an opportunity to feel the bitterness not because the music hints so but because he himself feels so. Viewer's emotions should arise irrespective of what the director is trying to show, and this is one of the greatest successes of the movie.

Another glorifying feature is the central idea of the movie. If a human is striped of the choice to choose from good and evil, he no longer remains a human, he becomes a clockwork. When Alex is brain-washed and "programmed" to choose only good, he wasn't accepted by the society and this shows the irony in the objectives of the British Government. The word Orange from the title presumably comes from the word "Ourange" that loosely means man. And hence the title is so appropriate to the movie.

The artificiality in dialogues and sets give the movie a unique feature and enhance the grip on it. This also means that the viewer has to get more involved. This is definitely one of the best technically shot movies, another masterpiece of Kubrick like the Space Oddessey.

For the uninitiated, set in near future Britain, the movie shows Malcom MacDowell as the head of a group of youngsters involved in sexual violence. Turn of the events leave the protagonist in the hands of the police. Worried by the growing number of prisoners the British Government devises a method of "programming" them so that they always choose the good. Alex is chosen as one of those on which the new system is to be tested. The rest unfolds as a saga of the very human characteristic.

Lastly, I would like to say that you may be compelled to leave the movie in between, but if you are watching it for art and cinematic experience, I recommend you to sit through.

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.