A True Cinematic Masterpiece, Achieves What It Needs To Effectively And Intellectually

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2013)

A film like "A Clockwork Orange" is very hard to bare. With subject matter of this film, it's hard not to. But there is something about "A Clockwork Orange" that pushes it to the edge on a psychological level. It's a misanthropic view of humanity's need to be controlled, and the need for freedom, a "balance" that needs to be made. It's a film that definitely will leave audiences in uncomfortable states of mind, but that is exactly what Stanley Kubrick wanted, and it worked perfectly.
"A Clockwork Orange" is about a young criminal named Alex DeLarge who has a lust for "ultraviolence," and engages in the dirtiest of the dirtiest of crimes, assault, rape, murder, violent acts are what get Alex off.
After being caught, he is placed in an experimental program where they "sensitize" Alex to the concepts of violence and rape, and the crippled mindset and life he is left.
It's hard to find where to start with this film, it's, to a person like me, a perfect film. It gets an incredible emotional rise out of the viewers, and it's intellectually stimulating. It asks deep questions about human nature and society, questioning where the border between human free will and human control should be placed. Anthony Burgess is an incredible story teller.
The story originally written by Anthony Burgess is the back bone of what helped shaped the hopeful beginnings for this film. The story is perfect, especially for a cinematic style like Stanley Kubrick. The story is engaging for the audience, and is intellectually stimulating, questioning the boundaries between human control and human freedom.
Stanley Kubrick is an incredible filmmaker. He has visions of pure genius, and knows exactly how to move his audience, and he does it perfectly with "A Clockwork Orange." He shows you the filth of humanity, and he's not afraid to push your feelings to the boundaries. This is the kind of story that HAD to be made by Stanley Kubrick to be as good as it is, a story as intense as "A Clockwork Orange" deserves to be handled by an intense filmmaker.
Malcom McDowell's performance of Alex is excellent. He portrays a cold, lifeless, power hungry, psychopathic criminal with a scary charm, a perfect performance for such a twisted character.
The cinematography is unbelievable. A great use of color, and great composition in nearly every shot, very common traits of Stanley Kubrick's films. The cinematography in this film reminds me of the photographic work of William Eggleston for some reason (at least some of his work). In Kubrick's black and white films, he reminds me more of Robert Frank. The opening shot of this film is a perfect example of Kubrick's great visual style. It starts as a close up on Alex's face, him staring deeply into the camera, not even blinking. As he starts to drink milk we track away from him to see his droogs and the rest of the milk bar that he is in. This was an incredible opening shot for the film, it establishes the fear we should have towards the main character Alex, and gives us a bit of a peek as to whats to come in this film. This shot is great synchronized to "Funeral of Queen Mary."
The music choice is unbelievable. The synthesized version of "Funeral For Queen Mary" was an interesting choice for a theme song for the film, and Beethoven's 9th Symphony is always an excellent listen, but the contrast between Alex's violence and his love of Beethoven is an interesting clash of ideas. There is a lot of great classical music in this film, there is a lot of Rossini as well. And, not to mention, I always found the song "I Want To Marry A Lighthouse Keeper" rather humorous.
One of the most interesting things about this film is the parallels that this film presents. It shows a clash between ideas:
Alex and his "droogs" are older (late high school perhaps), but wear a gang uniform that looks just like a baby in diapers. And of course, their love of milk is an interesting trait.
Also, though Alex has a juvenile gang dress code, it is still, in a way, "fancy" looking, he wears bailey English derby hats, has a cane, and an interesting fake, sinister eyebrow. This is interesting in contrast to his parents, who have a very child-like dress code, despite Alex's baby uniform. His parents have dyed hair, and have a colorful home.
This goes hand in hand with the parallel between the milk and drugs laced in the milk that the gang likes to drink. Kubrick in some way is trying to illustrate a clash between generations, and a mix up between them that is causing some kind of trouble. These kinds of things are subjective to the viewer, but there seems to be a recurring pattern here that Kubrick is trying to express.
Another interesting parallel, and possibly the most important in terms to the entire film, is the duality between free will, and control. Alex is a "free" figure. His parents are pushovers and are completely oblivious to his lifestyle, making Alex a monster who is not controlled. He rapes, he batters, he robs, he kills, he does everything that the most despicable of people would do. But this of course changes after his treatment. The treatment sensitized Alex to violence and sex, and shows how the treatment destroys this man's life when he is trying to rebuild his life.
Before I make this review too long, I will go ahead and wrap it up. This is a must see film, despite its "extreme intensity" emotionally on its viewers. It's a true cinematic classic, and will be a perfect example, to me at least, of what true art should be.