Philosophical 'Clockwork Orange' Thrills us with it's Lessons

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2005)

Anthony Burgess book of the same name is really the rarest of gems in English letters; The philosophical novel. The main character is the near futuristic street thug Alex, played in director Stanley Kubrick's ultra violent screen adaptation by Malcolm McDowell. Who brings a priceless and vicious vigor to the roll which is almost impossible to top. Alex and his gang of 'Droogs' wreak havoc on 21st century London, as they rape, rob and rampage throughout the early scenes of the film and novel alike. Both stories following each other very closely with just a few minor changes. But when Alex is betrayed by one of his traitorous droogs after giving him a thorough 'Tollchocking' He finds himself holding the bag for a burglary gone awry. Which turns into the bludgeoning death of an elderly cat lover. With a long and frightful arrest record Alex finally lands in prison. Where he sets out to convince the in house Chaplin and anyone else who'll listen that he is reformed and ready to rejoin society. And when a radical new treatment becomes available to one lucky inmate. A therapy which can be completed in a mere two weeks. Alex considers himself the perfect candidate to be revamped and released in a fortnight's time. Not realizing that he will become 'A Clockwork Orange.' When Kubrick previewed his film for critics and audiences alike. People were stunned by what they saw. And whether or not you liked it or hated it one thing was for sure. No one had ever seen anything like it. The 'Ultra violence' is amply gratuitous and the rape scenes are harrowing, especially for the era that only immediately followed the sexual revolution. It's hard to imagine that Kubrick got the code and ratings administration to slap an R rating on there. Actually the film was originally hung with an X rating and it only after Kubrick revamped the editing, which included speeding up some scenes which were downright pornographic that he was able to get the labeling changed to an R rating. The dialogue is similar to the dialect which Burgess employed in his brilliant novel. Which is Alex's own mix of Russian, street slang and the regular King's English. Hearing McDowell speak these lines with wit and vinegar is very satisfying. His performance is a special accomplishment. I'm sure he brought more terror and life to this persona than even Burgess, who was also an accomplished conductor and writer of classical music, dared dream. And Kubrick isn't too bad himself. No one had ever even attempted to make a film this daring up to that date. And whether you gather the moral implications or not. There's not one scene that wouldn't entertain as it's own entity. With the engrossing and fascinating McDowell leading the way in almost every frame. Many have called Kubrick the greatest film maker of all time. Including, among others, the not too shabby himself Martin Scorsese. And after watching 'A Clockwork Orange' and being thrilled by it for the umpteenth time. I can find no avenue to disagree. This film is spectacular reel after reel. Do yourself the favor of seeing it for yourself. 10 out of a possible 10. T.H.