A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is the finest film that has ever been made, in my view. Stanley Kubrick has made so many masterpieces, and is by far the best director that ever graced our world. A Clockwork Orange is simply his finest hour!

The film grabs you and glues you to your seat from start to finish. Malcolm McDowell gives us a shining example of superior acting, and the movie is as perverted as any of Kubrick's masterpieces (and then some!). It contains horrifying violence, extreme emotions, perversity and weirdness at it's very worst. It all boils down to serve you a plethora of thoughts for you to take with you and contemplate, after the film ends.

However, with all the perversity bursting out of this film, you will probably NOT like this film the first time you see it. I know I didn't. Fortunately, I gave it a second chance, and thought: Hey, it was actually not bad at all. After the third time, I was lost for words.

After the fourth time, there was little doubt in my mind, that this was the finest film ever made, and regardless of how many great masterpieces I see, A Clockwork Orange still towers above them. I'm sure you'll agree, if you give it the chance it deserves, although it may require for you to see it more than once.

A disturbing but yet very beautiful piece of film-making, Kubrick has created the ultimate study of mind manipulation in this film. It is a protest against reform programs that take away freedom of a choice, and the message of the film in terms of paying for one's sins in all eternity is inescapable, evident to a large extent in the sardonic nature of the tale. Although set in the future, it hardly feels like it is, this being because the message of the film is overwhelmingly powerful and capable of applying to any age. The film has a number of possible hidden meanings to it – a feat equaled on scale only by Kubrick's former film '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Besides for the meaning behind the film, there are still the marks of a masterpiece. Kubrick's direction is superb alongside the good photography, capturing shadows and angles needed to establish tone. The editing is excellent too, done in a flashy, brainwashing style at times to have relevance to the film. The choice of cast is again inspirational, however the film achieves the most in terms of music. Kubrick manages to use one of the earliest forms of art, classical music, and give it an unforgettable style and importance in the film. It is truly a difficult task to explain what is so great about a film such as 'A Clockwork Orange' – it is maybe best explained by watching the film itself.

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 like and respect Stanley Kubrick, and feel that along with 2001, Dr Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket and Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange is one of his best films. It is probably Kubrick's most controversial film, but it is also one of his most fascinating at the same time. It is the sort of movie that you need to see more than once though, I didn't think much of it first time I love it and appreciate it much more now for what it set out to do.

A Clockwork Orange is a shocking film I give you that, particularly with the rape and sadistic ultra-violence in the first half, and the scenes where Alex is being brainwashed do bring forth ambiguous messages. Still, like with the rest of Kubrick's work it is very well made, has a haunting soundtrack that fits wonderfully with the tone of the film(especially loved the use of the Beethoven), superb writing and direction from Kubrick and a compelling story that evokes thought afterword complete with a purposefully unrepentent ending. Also Malcolm McDowell is absolutely superb in what I consider the performance of his career.

In conclusion, very fascinating film. 10/10 Bethany Cox