A Clockwork Orange (film)

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This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry in 2020.

A Clockwork Orange
"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence."
Genre: Crime Dystopian Directed By: Stanley Kubrick Produced By: Stanley Kubrick Written By/Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick Based On: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Starring: Malcolm McDowell Patrick Magee Adrienne Corri Miriam Karlin Cinematography: John Alcott Editing: Bill Butler Music By: Wendy Carlos Production Company: Polaris Productions Hawk Films Distributed By: Warner Bros. Pictures (US) Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK) Release Date: December 19, 1971 (New York) January 13, 1972 (United Kingdom) February 2, 1972 (United States) Runtime: 136 minutes Country: United Kingdom United States Language: English Budget: $1.3 million Box Office: $114 million

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 British-American dystopian crime film adapted, produced, written, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 book of the same name. The film employs violent images, to comments on themes of psychiatry, juvenile delinquency, youth gangs, and other social, and economic subjects in a dystopian near-future Britain.

Alex, the main protagonist of the film, is a charismatic, anti-social delinquent whose interests includes classical music (particularly Beethoven), committing rape, theft, and ultra-violence. He leads a small gang of thugs, Pete, Georgie, and Dim, whom he calls his "droogs" (from the Russian word друг, which is "friend", "buddy"). The film chronicles the horrific crime spree of his gang, captures, and attempted rehabilitation via an experimental psychological conditioning technique (the "Ludovico Technique") promoted by the Minister of the Interior.

Plot

In the future, Alex DeLarge (portrayed by Malcolm McDowell) and his droogs spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on "a little of the old ultra-violence", while jauntily warbling "Singin' in the Rain". After he's jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady to death, Alex submits to behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he's conditioned to abhor violence. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims.

Why It's Cured All Right

1. The acting performances, particularly from Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge, is nicely-done, and also helps with the characters as well.
2. The poster is creative, as it features a triangle that has Alex inside of it wielding a knife with an eyeball on his wrist and with an image of his wife below him, is pretty iconic due to how detailed and descriptive of the film it is, not to mention how it's also very well-drawn, and creative for a film released in the 1970s.
3. Interesting, well-developed characters that are likable, and makes the film feel intense and faithful to its book.
   • Alex DeLarge is a sociopathic criminal with an addiction to the danger and thrill he gets from committing crimes.
   • Mr. Frank Alexander is a writer who, after Alex's treatment and his assault by Dim and Billyboy, he finds Alexander who helps Alex recover with the intention of using him to remove the current government for power by forcing Alex to suicide. It also should be noted how his character is a reflection of Anthony Burgess within the book.
4. The plot of one and their gangs spending the nights getting high before embarking on violence is done nicely, it also shows that you can make a well-written crime film, even with its controversy of the graphic violence it depicts.
5. Really nice costume designs with Alex and his droogs' hats, and the grey like outfit for a main protagonist and his gang is also pretty cool.
6. A few relatable references here and there; and given how long ago the film was released, the fact that they still hold up and remain easy to sympathize with to this day is no short of remarkable.
7. Memorable moments, such as the orgy scene while the Lone Ranger theme song plays in the background and Alex's eye-torture scene.
8. I'm singing' in the rain, just singin' in the rain.
9. Over-the-top moments with Alex and his gang that come off as extremely hilarious and unforgettable.
10. While not 100% loyal to Anthony Burgess's novel, it can still be loyal to the book from time to time, with how its directing is done and how the scenes were shot.
11. The fight scenes are entertainment, for example, the rival gang fight scene makes the film intense for its crime genre.

Reception

A Clockwork Orange was a hit with American audiences, grossing more than $26 million on a conservative budget of $1.3 million, was critically acclaimed, and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture (losing to The French Connection). As of April 14th, 2024, A Clockwork Orange holds an 87% "Certified Fresh" rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 82 reviews with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Disturbing and thought-provoking, A Clockwork Orange is a cold, dystopian nightmare with a very dark sense of humor." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on reviews by 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Box office

The film was also a successful box office hit, as it grossed $41 million in the United States and about $73 million overseas for a worldwide total of $114 million.

It was also the most popular film of 1972 in France with 7,611,745 admissions.

Trivia

• The film is one of the most controversial films of all time; the reason for this is due to depictions of extreme graphic violence, including the infamous scene where a Dutch girl gets raped. It was cited as having copycat acts of violence, and was banned in several countries worldwide during release. It was originally met with a polarized reaction from critics due to the violent content throughout, but the film is now considered a classic.
• In the United States, the film was given an X-rating in its original release, but later on, Kubrick had to cut out 30 seconds of the sexually explicit footage from two scenes and replace them with less explicit action in order to have the film to be rated-R.

External links

• A Clockwork Orange at the Internet Movie Database
• A Clockwork Orange on Rotten Tomatoes
• A Clockwork Orange on Metacritic

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