A brilliant work of art from the greatest filmmaker of all time

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2017)

There is no doubt that Stanley Kubrick was extraordinarily intelligent, and he is definitely my number one favorite filmmaker of all time. I love every one of his professional films, from The Killing (1956) to Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Each film of his clearly shows his expertise on a technical level, which for him began with still photography. The many topical issues, which are apparent in many of his films, have also been heavily discussed. His films, 2001: A Space Odyssey for example, have all received heavy criticism upon initial release. But no other film of Kubrick's has been as controversial as A Clockwork Orange. When I first saw A Clockwork Orange, I was a sophomore in high school. And, as you might expect, I was disgusted by what I had perceived as the cold, warped, and biased nature of the film, but I later realized how wrong I was. Just like many other viewers of the film, I was particularly negatively affected by the rape scene that occurs within the first ten to fifteen minutes of the film. However, after several more viewings of the film, and after thoroughly reading (and listening to) some rare interviews of Stanley Kubrick (I understand how much Kubrick disliked interviews), I began to understand not only his intentions, which were clearly misunderstood by many haters of the film, but also the brilliance and central idea of the film. Just like with any other Kubrick film, there is a lot to be said about A Clockwork Orange regarding the technical aspect and style of it, as well as the substance, intelligence, and brilliance that all lie beneath the surface of it. I advise you to BE CAREFUL before reading my review, because there are SPOILERS.
First of all, I have to FIRST mention the incredible cinematography that the film involves. As a filmmaker currently in college, I have in particular been heavily influenced by the use of the ultra wide-angle (or maybe fisheye) lens, tracking, and zoom shots used in the film. Although I find it very difficult to explain why I love these shots so much, they bring much of an effect to the screen. In addition, I love the shot of Alex's POV as he jumps out the window toward the end of the film; I find it amusing that the camera survived six takes of being dropped for that particular shot. I also love the use of slow and fast motion in the film, which adds to the satire of the film. What amazes me about Kubrick is that he almost never planned out his shots. I simply cannot imagine some of the most memorable shots in the film being unplanned. In a way though it makes perfect sense, since Stanley Kubrick started out as a photographer and cinematography came naturally to him.
I also LOVE Kubrick's choice of music in his films, and A Clockwork Orange is no exception. I think it's genius, and absolutely appropriate, for classical music, such as Beethoven and Rossini, to be used extensively throughout the film. The classical music also fits well because Alex is a lover and fan of Beethoven.
What I also love about Kubrick is that his films have their own style; he didn't like to go with the usual cliches used in lots of films. For example, there is a certain kind of way that he cuts. He doesn't like to cut when not necessary, so he usually holds a shot for long time when it's appropriate to do so. I think these slow cuts can add much drama to a scene. There are a lot of these slow cuts in The Shining, for example, when Jack Torrance is speaking to Grady in the bathroom scene. There is a very dramatic scene in A Clockwork Orange that also uses these slow, infrequent cuts: when Alex returns home from being "treated," he discovers that a fellow named Joe has replaced him in his own home. This way of cutting has influenced me tremendously, and I have incorporated it into some of my own short films.
Malcolm McDowell could not have been a better choice for the role of Alex. I recently watched the film If... for the first time, and I can clearly see why Kubrick decided to cast him. Besides McDowell, I also particularly love the performances of both Patrick Magee and Philip Stone, both of which have roles in Barry Lyndon, and the latter having another role in The Shining as Delbert/Charles Grady.
Beneath the surface, A Clockwork Orange is a very intelligent work of art that can lead to many different interpretations or meanings. There are several themes or meanings that I believe can be interpreted throughout the film: man versus society; anarchy versus total government control; freewill versus the abuse of freewill; etc. One could also argue, and Kubrick has discussed this himself, that the film portrays the left- and right-wing characters as equal in terms of means and ends but differing in terms of beliefs. The film also portrays the philosophy (and I quote Kubrick once again) that "society is imperfectly structured because of the nature of man." Alex starts out as a criminal, murderer, and rapist. But he ends up becoming a Clockwork Orange when society deals with him in ways that may be just as bad as, or even worse than, the evil crimes that Alex committed himself. The doctors use a brainwashing technique, known as the Ludovico technique, to treat Alex. The film, in my opinion, becomes more interesting when it goes full circle, and Alex ends up back to where he started - as an evil criminal without any "goodness" within him. But the biggest reason why I love this full-circle transformation that occurs within Alex is that I believe that Alex ends up rejecting what society has not only given to him, but forced into him. A Clockwork Orange is not just a work of art or a masterpiece of a film, but it's something that everyone can relate to in one way or another. Let's use school as an example (the film If... with Malcolm McDowell is a great example of a film that directly shows this). I believe that learning and education are both important. However, I also believe that true learning must come from within. When learning becomes a requirement in school, students can start rejecting the education that is being given to them. Therefore, the students start defying the teachers and the staff members at school. This is not always the case with everyone, but I certainly had a similar reaction myself while I was in high school. That's when the issues portrayed in A Clockwork Orange come into play. As Stanley Kubrick explained, we can all identify with Alex on the unconscious level, but we don't all become Alexes "as a result of morality, the law and sometimes our own innate character." There are so many more things that could be said about A Clockwork Orange, which is why Stanley Kubrick tended not to speak too much about the meanings of his films. Stanley Kubrick, from an interview regarding Full Metal Jacket, has explained, "If a film has any substance or subtlety, whatever you say is never complete, it's usually wrong, and it's necessarily simplistic: truth is too multifaceted to be contained in a five-line summary. If the work is good, what you say about it is usually irrelevant." Nevertheless, I cannot see the film the same way (with disgust) that I saw it immediately following my initial viewing. For example, I know for a fact that Stanley Kubrick never did glorify violence nor rape; I think that believing something like that is way too simplistic. To show the various crimes of ultra-violence that Alex commits during the beginning of the film is simply to develop the character of Alex as an evil sociopath. I currently continue to think about A Clockwork Orange - all the time, in fact - and I think it accurately illustrates the nature of man in an unbiased way.
Overall, I believe A Clockwork Orange to be a timeless societal, political, and philosophical commentary open to subjective interpretation. I, therefore, urge viewers to watch this film with an open mind and allow themselves to put their own interpretation on it. I understand that it may be extremely difficult for many viewers to see much brilliance and beauty in the film after an initial viewing due to the "ultra-violence" and extremities portrayed in the film. I furthermore urge viewers to watch the film more than once, to appreciate it as stimulating masterpiece of cinema.