A Clockwork Orange (film)
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A Clockwork Orange
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This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry in 2020.
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 "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."
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A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 British-American dystopian crime film adapted, produced, written, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 book of the same name. The film employs violent images to comment on themes of psychiatry, juvenile delinquency, youth gangs, and other social and economic subjects in a dystopian near-future Britain.
Alex, the film's main protagonist, is a charismatic, anti-social delinquent whose interests include 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", and "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 techniques 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
- The acting performances, particularly from Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge, are nicely done and also help with the characters.
- Creative poster features a triangle with Alex inside of it wielding a knife with an eyeball on his wrist and with an image of his wife below him, which is pretty epic because it is well-detailed and descriptive. Also, it's very well-drawn and creative in 1970s films.
- Interesting, well-developed, and likable characters make 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, finds Alexander, who helps Alex recover to use him to remove the current government from power by forcing Alex to commit suicide. It also should be noted how his character reflects Anthony Burgess within the book.
- The plot about one and their gangs spending the nights getting high before embarking on violence is done nicely; it also shows that a well-written crime film can be made, even with the controversy of graphic violence depictions.
- Nice costume designs with Alex and his droogs' hats, and the grey-like outfit for the main protagonist and his gang is also pretty cool.
- A few relatable references here and there; given how long ago the film was released, they still hold up and remain easy to sympathize with to this day is no short of remarkable.
- Memorable moments, such as the orgy scene while The Lone Ranger theme song plays in the background and Alex's eye-torture scene.
- I'm singing in the rain, just singin' in the rain.
- Over-the-top moments with Alex and his gang that come off as extremely hilarious and unforgettable.
- While not 100% loyal to Anthony Burgess's novel, it can still be loyal to the book occasionally, with how its directing and the scenes were shot.
- The fight scenes are entertainment; for example, the rival gang fight scene makes the film intense for its crime genre.
Bad Qualities
- Alex and his droogs often do some juvenile things that would get them punished. Not only that, but the latter would often turn on the former and torture him for no reason.
- It can get very sexual at times to the point where the film could make one feel uncomfortable.
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 14 April 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 humour." On Metacritic, the film earned a 77/100, based on reviews by 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Box office
The film was also a successful box office hit, grossing $41 million in the United States and about $73 million overseas, for a total of $114 million worldwide.
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; this is because of the extremely graphic and disturbing violence depictions, 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 its 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. Still, later on, Kubrick had to cut out 30 seconds of sexually explicit footage from two scenes and replace them with less explicit action to have the film rated R.
- The famous scene where Alex's eyes are wedged open for immersion therapy has gone on to be parodied in media; examples are Agents of SHIELD (they parody this twice), The Simpsons, The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans Go!, and others.
- Anthony Burgess (the author of the book the film was based on) hated the film because it wasn’t fully loyal to his novel.
Videos
External links
A Clockwork Orange at the Internet Movie Database
A Clockwork Orange on Rotten Tomatoes
A Clockwork Orange on Metacritic
Comments
- Mature
- Films preserved in the National Film Registry
- Films
- American films
- Good media
- Good films
- Important media
- Important films
- 1970s media
- 1970s films
- Warner Bros. films
- Films directed by Stanley Kubrick
- British films
- Controversial films
- Controversial media
- Adult films
- Based on books
- Comedy films
- Crime films
- Drama films
- Box office hits
- Live-action films
- Action films
- Banned films
- Mystery films
- Dystopian films
- Best Picture nominees
- Dark tone films
- Black comedy films
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- Awesome grasp on the source material
- Warner Bros.