Oh My Brothers!

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2006)

This is possibly one of my favorite movies of all time. This is by far the best Kubrick film ever, the brilliance of this movie is three fold; first, the performance by Malcolm McDowell, second the music, and third the political message presented by the movie. McDowell's take on the character Alex is so excellent because he makes you love him. Even when he's doing the most despicable and deplorable acts you can't help cheering him on, and wanting him to do these things to women, and innocents. You love this sociopath and want to hang out with him and go indulge in a little of the old ultraviolence with him. Every time he says my brothers you can't help being taken in by his charismatic and bad ass personality. The scariest part of this movie is when it's over and your sitting there and you realize that you love the character Alex, and you wonder what that says about you as a person. Second the integration of Ludwig van into the movie is what makes it a masterpiece. Beethoven almost becomes a character in and of himself in the film, like he's speaking to you through those eyes as the 9th is playing. also the scene where Alex singing singin' in the rain while raping the wife is so powerful, and it's amplified by the choice of such a happy go lucky song. After watching the movie so many times it's impossible to tell if I love this movie because of my love of Beethoven or if I love Beethoven more because of this movie. They become unified in your mind so that you cannot hear the 9th without thinking about Alex and this movie. You love Alex because as he is a rogue and utter miscreant, but the music he loves isn't hardcore rock, or death metal (even though they didn't exist in 1971) it's classical, and Lugwin van! That more than anything makes you love this character because of his complexity. Lastly, the political message of the movie. How the 'treatment' that Alex is given turns him not into a good man, but rather into a mechanical apparatus that has no real choice. I also love the irony that is not lost on the audience of the Priest saying that Alex has no choice, and is not really being good. But Alex is really the best Christian, because Christianity does not say that people should be good men for the sake of being righteous, but rather because of a threat of punishment if you perform bad acts, this is paralleled to the sickness that Alex experiences, which is his personal hell. The political implication of this are far-reaching and reflect many political writings on control, mainly, to me, Michael Foucault and the idea of biopower. Where in, after much conditioning the agent will control himself because of fear of a threat that may not even be present, much like the mind police in 1984, the fear of possible punishment controls the agent, as it does Alex. For while the drug has left his system the effects of the conditioning make him feel as if he is sick, he is within the panopticon. This is one of the greatest movies of all time, and reflects the artistic brilliance of it's creator. It is one that all generations should experience, whether you are a baby boomer, or if you are a member of generation x like myself. I tip my hat to the genius Stanley Kubrick, possibly the greatest writer/director ever, and this is his shining jewel that blinds with it's magnificence