Difficult to divorce the message from the medium

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2011)

I saw A Clockwork Orange when it first came out, having read the book (not any easy read, incidentally - the droog slang is easier to listen to than to read: the whole book is narrated by Alex). I enjoyed the film (superficially) then it disappeared because Kubrick withdrew it due to the copycat factor.
On encountering it again after Kubrick's death I could understand much more easily that the thematic centre of the movie is the morality of depriving someone of choice - what is worse? The evil that someone does, or the evil of depriving them of the ability to choose whether or not to commit evil acts? Kubrick slyly uses a variety of means to make Alex a character we can like and identify with despite the dreadful acts he commits. And then the conditioning process - and the acts perpetrated on him after his release - make us sympathise with him. This is necessary in order for us to understand the theme of the film. Yet it is also the major factor responsible for real world copycat crime based on this movie.
This, of course, is an unsolvable dilemma.
Personally, I am all for taking away the choice of those who commit such acts.