A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
A film review by Ted Prigge
Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Writer/Director: Stanley Kubrick (based on the novel by Anthony Burgess) Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Aubrey Morris, Michael Bates, Philip Stone, David Prowse, Adrienne Corri
"A Clockwork Orange" finds Kubrick at his personal peak. His past two films, "2001" and "Dr. Strangelove" are two of the greatest films ever made; one an epic space opera/satire, the other a black comedy/satire. "A Clockwork Orange" completes Kubrick's trilogy of his utter masterpieces (although his other films are also brilliant, but not as much as these are). His subject, as it is in such films as "2001" and "Full Metal Jacket" is dehuminization. And like the other two, he takes his film from a literary source and puts his own spin on it.
Many people believe this to be just another of those "anti-violence" films. Uh huh. And "Trainspotting" was just another "anti-drug" film. "A Clockwork Orange" is a film about the dehuminization of people - if you take away the choice of violence, you can't really be a person, can you? No. Sad but true fact. Kubrick paints a near future where the "good" people hide at night as ruffians and gangs come out and do their own schtick - raping, looting, singing Gene Kelly tunes, playing "Kings of the Road," you know, the usual. The center of this intense, poignant, darkly comic satire is Alex DeLarge (the perfect, and I mean perfect, Malcolm MacDowell, also at his peak). Alex is 15 in the novel by Anthony Burgess (which, in a newer publication of it with the final chapter Kubrick deleted from the film, has a forward published by him before his death where he basically he says he wrote it under pressure and basically regrets writing it 'cause he gets WAYYYY too many papers from students on it), but Malcom is a brisk 26. No matter.
Alex lives with his parents somewhere in England, rarely attends school and goes out at night to, what he tells his parents is his "night job," and proceeds to loot, rape, sing Gene Kelly tunes, play "Kings of the Road," and all that other stuff I talked about. The first half-hour deals with a typical night for them: they go to a drugged-up-milk bar where they get drugged up and ready for some "old ultraviolence;" taunt then beat an old homeless man senseless; have a braul with another gang; play the aforementioned "Kings of the Road; loot an author's (Patrick Magee) house then rape his wife (Adrienne Corri); then go off to their respective homes where Alex finishes it off with some old Ludwig Van [Beethoven] (just in case you didn't know). In the morning, he claims to have a huge headache to his ignorant parents and goes out (after a meeting with his Parole Officer, played with hamminess by Aubrey Morris), meets some young girls, has an orgy with them (set to the Lone Ranger section of the "William Tell Overture") then gets ready for another night on the town with his mates. All this in the first 30 minutes.
This particular night, though, his mates set him up as he kills a woman with a giant phallic sculpture (heh heh) during a looting and is scooted off to jail finally at the ripe age of 15 (we assume). Here is where the satire takes shape as he spends time in prison, reading the bible (but only liking the sex and violence parts) and chatting up with the wise chaplain. He learns of a government experiment to rehabilitate its convicts quickly and efficiently...but it is still in the works. He does everything to get it and he eventually gets chosen as the guinea pig. The whole thing is to be strapped down with his eyes clamped open (he actually did have his eyes clamped open and reportedly almost lost his sight...but it's for a Kubrick film so it's worth it) and watch hours upon hours of sex and violence. With drugs mixing into his system at the same time, he soon finds he is repelled to sex and violence and, unfortunately, Beethoven, for his Ninth Symphony is used in a film showing Nazis. After a showcase where he is bullied by an actor and throws up when a topless woman walks right up to him, he is set free...only as a zombie...a clockwork orange, if you will.
Once out, everyone he had beaten turns right around and beats him (literally or figuratively): his parents have rented his room to a jerk who's doing a job and tell him to go elsewhere (in an emmotional scene perfectly heightened by the first, somber movement of the "William Tell Overture"); the old homeless guy he beat up, attacks him with all his homeless buddies; his mates ("droogs," really - I never mentioned they speak a weird lingo called "Nadsat" which is a combination of Russian Slang and something else, I don't remember) are now cops and they beat him and try to drown him; and to top it off, the old author he looted tries his way at vengeance since his wife had died from her rape wounds and he has gone a tad off-kilter. At the end of it all, Alex throws himself from the author's top story in an attempt to kill himself since he is no longer able to defend himself...but he only hurt himself and he goes into a coma where he is rehabilitated to make a choice once he comes out. With his last line, "I was cured all right," the film ends on a note of happiness and dread, knowing that he is back to his old self so he can make a choice and it will probably be for violence.
Kubrick reportedly feels that violence is eternal and you can never take it away. This could not be better illustrated with this film. Violence is a part of life no matter what, and taking it away means the end of a person. The film not only satirizes this, but also the government's lack of being able to control society naturally. The government in this film is working towards a nice cause - it would be nice to live in a world without violence and jerks - but it is impossible and amoral. Even though I think this world blows anyway, I certainly don't want a world with zombies like in "Brave New World." Violence is actually something we need to make life worth living.
"A Clockwork Orange" is one of the most thought-provoking films ever to be made. It has so many levels to it that a full report on all of them would mean boring the hell out of people by the utterly huge length of it. Also, I have to go to work soon, so I can't just rant on the meanings of this film. It is very open to inerpretation and can mean different things to different people. It also has stood the test of time: it is one of the most talked about, most contreversial, and most idolized films ever made. I know that I have been majorly influenced by it. The scenes are perfectly crafted by Kubrick to appear beautiful, horrifying, funny and intriguing all at the same time. The violence is quite voyeristic and tempting. With his hand-held direction, Kubrick invites us to join in the droogs fun because violence is something we need. He illustrates this the best at the end when all the people he hurt attack him hypocritically and he has no way of defending himself. He actually makes the viewer sympathize with/for a totally amoral character as Alex, who is wonderfully portrayed by Malcolm MacDowell.
It has also been spoofed in such films as Woody Allen's "Sleeper" and been inspiration for such films as "Trainspotting" and even a bit of "Fargo." And besides, it spoofs "Singing in the Rain."
Besides, this film is so fun to watch. With its funny lines, comical violence scenes and outrageous sets and costumes, this was bound to become a cult hit. Even if it has been viewed as a way to provoke violence (and reportedly influenced gangs to dress up like them and/or beat people to Gene Kelly tunes), you can't deny its intensity as an intense satire. Its scenes live in your mind for the rest of your life: the first shot, which opens on Alex's face and slowly pulls back to the back of the milk bar; the infamous (and hilarious) "Singin' in the Rain" loot/rape scene; the accidental murder scene where Alex breaks a woman in the face with a giant sculpture of a penis; the shot of him strapped into the chair in pain; the shot of the crazed author taking ultimate pleasure in hearing Alex suffer; Alex being fed by the head of government as he lies in bed in a huge cast; etc, etc, etc.
"A Clockwork Orange" deserves to be esteemed from everyone, even if you really didn't care for the violence.
*Note: This film was originally rated X for intense and graphic violence, rape, sex, lots o' nudity as well as a bit of language. I reccomend it to everyone, but it is hard to watch if you have a bad stomach and/or can't handle watching violence or rape.
*Another Note: For us "Star Wars" geeks, look for David Prowse who played the guy underneath the Darth Vadar costume as the crazed author's physical therapist. You can't miss him. He's, like, 100 feet tall.
MY RATING (out of 5): *****
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