"Its funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when u viddy them on the screen"

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2012)

Stanley Kubrick was a celebrated director and screenplay writer that gave us cinematic masterpieces like 2001: A space Odyssey, the shining, full metal jacket and the list goes on. A clockwork orange is a part of this special list. Though it lost the race for the Best movie Oscar to "The French Connection" in 1972, I bellieve it could have gone either way - both being trendsetters & works of inspirational cinema.
When I started the movie, the first shot really set my mood - The smirk on Alex's face, those eyes full of determination, hatred, scorn, revenge, unremitting, intense - just ripping through the viewer and sending a chilling message down the spine. Before Alex was imprisoned, Stanley Kubrick presented a theatrical piece of anarchy brought about in a devilish manner. Sometimes it felt like Nihilism and sometimes, just pure & unadultered paranoia. Malcom McDowell's portrayal of Alex's character must be commended - There was a sense of symphony to Alex and what he did, as if he was performing with the background music. It was like watching a concert.
But the highlight of this movie was not the plot, but the theatrical extremities in which the cast portrayed their characters. This was brought together with detailed camera-work, background music, sets, artwork, make-up and symbolism. Specific sequences in the storyline helped in building up the feeling of hoodlumism and anarchy - billy & his boys raping a young girl, the garbage lying around when Alex was returning home from his evening odyssey, the vandalized art pieces, broken lift, artwork at the milkbar. Stanley Kubrick did well to create an atmosphere for Alex's delinquent behaviour. The background score added to the overall drama. Throughout the movie, most of the scenes had concert music in the background, even during acts of crime or action sequences - like when Alex and his droogs were beating Billy & his boys. When there was no music, there was silence with the dialogues echoing in the room, as if live theatre performances were getting delivered. It helped in building up the concert/theatre feeling very nicely.
Stanley Kubrick did well with artwork and make-up that denoted underlying sexuality and anarchism. Detailed creativity like Alex's eyelashes and the piece of art at the murdered lady's house are classic. The poster of clockwork where Alex is peeking out with his eyelashes & smirk, still gives me a quirky feeling. Knowing that Stanley himself was an avid photographer & knew all about cinematography, it isn't a surprise that in the credits under cinematography, John Alcott's name has been mentioned only as lighting cameraman. Stanley manipulated the camera-work that suited his style & which went with the movie's flavour - the close faceshots, camera-work from unique angles to shoot the characters.
All in all, a clockwork orange is a masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick, in his long list of successful pieces of work. It is worth mentioning here that clockwork is by no means an easy film to watch and/or understand, as many will be turned off by the explicit violence and rape. It'll make the viewer heavy-headed and leave the theatre in shock. But that was Mr.Kubrick's style afterall - Shock & Awe. This is a brand of cinema which'll live on for many years to come.
Score - 8.5 out of 10. Definitely recommended if you have got a taste for drama.