A movie which can become an obsession

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2008)

I heard about "A Clockwork Orange" from a book. The synopsis made me see it. Before I saw the movie, I must admit the fact that I was a bit scared (maybe because I was only 14). I can't explain my fear, but ACO is that kind of movie which gives off plenty of energy even before you see the movie. You can feel it... In my opinion, "A Clockwork Orange" can be considered an amazing symbiosis between different kinds of art: the music, the backgrounds, the colors, the futuristic ideas... all is so original, so vanguard, that can give the impression of a real premonition. Firstly, ACO is a hard-worked movie. En-detail, I'd say. Kubrick took into account all the aspects and managed them minutely, in the most attentive way. The script, after Anthony Burgess' novel, is a fabulous combination of irony, satire, drama, a real psychological test. Also, all the other ingredients, like "nadsat" accent or the amusing tongue-twisters create the impression of a contemporary fable. I must, also outline the delicious harshness and black humor. The actors, despite the fact that they weren't important names, at that time, are acting memorable. Alex DeLarge, played absolutely stunning by Malcolm McDowell, gets an unreasonable aureole, which intrigues, fascinates, even delights you. McDowell knew how to capture in a great manner all the subtleties of such a character: the attitude, the way he looks (with those unique and penetrating blue eyes), the way of communicating. He's absolutely impressive. As Burgess said in an interview, Alex in not a psychopath, he is a young and intelligent man who was born in an inappropriate conjunction, and, instantly, he finds the refuge in torturing the others, because his intellectual potential wasn't directed in a right way, wasn't exploited enough and started to grow like a weed, for shameful ends. The theme of the movie and the book is up-to-date: the problem of "mental prison". Practically, Alex was acting with, but also, without his will. He didn't have a point of reference. He was thirsty of getting money and adrenaline, of listening to the music and, above all, he wanted to be a diabolically leader. He enjoyed raping, stealing, beating, but, at the same time, he wanted to make the impression that he was, in fact, a honorable member of the society. He was trying hard to create a great image about him. He was totally unstable: from unpardonable acts of vandalism he was instantly adopting a polite, humble, even lecherous attitude. The "Ludovico" technique took from him the power of choosing: The machine against the man. That's why the title is "A Clockwork Orange" because we can see the terms "organic" and "mechanic" in a permanent conflict and struggle. This obsessive game is accompanied by the fulminating music of L.V. Beethoven, Edward Elgar, Nikolai-Rimsky Korsakov, Henry Purcell, in a hilarious antithesis with Nancio Herb Brown's "Singin' In The Rain", another tool if irony.
Maybe this is the single movie I can consider a harmless but poignant drug.