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Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2003)

Probably one of the most controversial "oscar-nominated" films ever (1971) - Because of copy-cat violence (that the film was blamed for) director Stanley Kubrick withdrew it from circulation in Britain a year after its release. A Clockwork Orange (based on the 1962 satiric novel by Anthony Burgess) startles, mesmerizes & hypnotizes with its unique brand of futurism, criminal posh, dehumanization, and higher moralities. It flows into unchartered territory with each passing scene, and can easily astonish the weakest of minds. The character development in this film is quite extraordinary because you really can't predict the eventual outcomes & relationships of the cast, most of which meet under bizarre circumstances to begin with.
My favorite scene is when Alex de Large (played by McDowell) is overcome with heavenly bliss while listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and then trances out on his porcelain statues of dancing Jesuses, his pet snake Basil, and his own sadistic realm of erotic pop art & dementia. All of this represents the various conflicting elements of good vs. evil in his life. The pace of the film comes to a crashing halt when young Alex is sent off to a stripey hole (prison) after being convicted of murdering the female proprietor of a health farm - by bludgeoning her to death with a large sculpture of a rocking penis.
The film was defeated in four Academy Awards categories by William Friedkin's The French Connection, but has since grown into an international cult phenomenon. I had the luxury of viewing this masterful gem in London during a re-release in 1999 (not long after the passing of the great Kubrick). All I can say is that this movie is still as fresh, obscene & tantalizing as it was in 1971.
Be sure to pay close attention to the oblique synthesized electronic score by Walter Carlos, as it complements the frighteningly decadent cityscapes of a "very near" future. Some people might also find it difficult to follow this film which uses lots of foreign "Nadsat slang" language -- primarily used by Alex and his gang of Droogs. If you'd like to know the translations of these words and phrases be sure to check out any of the many Clockwork Orange dictionary or Nadsat websites.