A Clockwork Orange

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2012)

Surely A Clockwork Orange has to be one of the most twisted and disturbing films to reach any sort of mainstream popularity. As is perhaps symbolized by the first frames of the opening titles, which are soaking in a blood red colour then turning to blue, it follows Alex DeLarge's transition from brutal crook to cured model citizen (and back again?).
With Clockwork, Stanley Kubrick builds an incredibly visually rich dystopia, where every other shot seems to have fascistic, religious or some other allusions hidden somewhere in the screen. Some have complained that Kubrick is hitting the viewer over the head with his message (with a giant porcelain penis, if you will), but I think there are some subtleties hidden beneath the highly stylized and over the top surface, like with all the talk about whether or not a man without moral choice is a man at all, and how after being fed with ultra-violence for the first hour, the first thing that genuinely disturbs me is when the authorities abuse Alex. There is something deeply unsettling about the scene where Alex is being assaulted on stage to the enthusiastic applause of important government figures, more so than when a woman is being raped on stage in front of the viewers of the film, for some reason.
Apart from the compositions, the film has the great direction that can be expected from Kubrick. Is also has great music; apart from classic pieces by Ludwig van and songs like Singin' in the Rain, which are often used as contrasts to great effect, the main theme is truly hypnotic.
Maybe with the exception of the surreal and sexually charged Eyes With Shut, it feels like A Clockwork Orange stands out a bit from Kubrick's filmography due to the unrestrained style and violent nature. However, it still feels decidedly Kubrickian by being almost as visionary as 2001 and as frightening as The Shining.