Maybe The Greatest Dystopian Satire Committed to Film

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2008)

One of the most controversial and talked about films ever made,Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Anthony Burgess' novel A CLOCKWORK ORANGE was unavailable for decades after Kubrick withdrew it from public view in the light of threats against him and his family,and alleged copycat attacks in the UK related to those featured in his film.It was only after Kubrick's death in 1999 that the film was released again in public.Reaction at the time of this release was a little patchy;admiring Kubrick's cinematic skill while being critical of stereotypical characterisation.A further decade on,with frequent stories of indiscriminate youth violence and the development of a 'Chav' culture in Britain,A CLOCKWORK ORANGE now seems more relevant and often devastatingly prescient than it ever did,and it helps that it is flawlessly designed,produced and photographed,all brilliantly marshaled by one of world cinema's greatest helmsmen at it's centre.
The story of Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his droogs,a vicious,ruthless gang of hoodlums whose only aim in life is to get gratuitous enjoyment out of committing copious acts of 'ultra-violence',they beat up an Irish tramp (Paul Farrell),and commit further heinous assaults on a writer (Patrick Magee) and his wife (Adrienne Corri),who is also raped.Alex is eventually caught after beating a so-called 'Catwoman' (Miriam Karlin) to death with a giant-sized phallus.He agrees to take part in a course of government supported aversion therapy whilst in prison (which renders him incapable of violence),but after he is given early release,he finds various former foes and friends alike more than ready to exploit his new disposition,and enact on him the kind of brutality he inflicted on them before his treatment.
The violence depicted in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE inevitably does not come across as shocking as it was when first released,being very stylised and not particularly bloody,but still comes across as very disturbing as Kubrick films it in such a way as to provide a combination of revulsion and laughter (as when Alex performs "Singin' In The Rain" while attacking the writer and his wife) making the whole experience very unsettling.The script itself is equally stylised,being a combination of English and Nadsat patois that author Burgess invented and used in the original novel,with profanities kept down to a minimum. This kind of device works better on the printed page,and in less skilled hands on film would seem decidedly foolish,but it works amazingly well here,with the various words used in Nadsat spoken in a way that you could easily understand the literal meaning.This is one of the many aspects of the film that are fascinatingly prophetic.In the years since,violent youth gangs have been springing up in ever larger numbers in Britain's inner cities,dominated as they are by acres of brutally functional,soulless council housing,perhaps more so in the 21st century.Many have themselves developed particular street slang,designed to confuse and keep outsiders at bay,a distinctive way of dressing (represented here with Alex and his droogs wearing bowler hats,plain white shirts and trousers,with the addition of a jockstrap!),a partiality to drugs and alcohol (expressed in the film via the Korova milk bar),and an obsession with music (Alex's idol is Beethoven).Kubrick perhaps himself didn't think of such forebodings at the time,but much of what is portrayed is all too apposite in contemporary times.
Not much expense was provided in actual production (the only major design was apparently the aforementioned milk bar),and in spite of decidedly prosaic-seeming outdoor and indoor locations,Kubrick incredibly makes it look as though it has a far larger budget,thanks to stylish camera movements,impeccably judged lighting,cleverly chosen examples of pop art,and moments of peerless bravura direction.Perhaps the most memorable archetype of this is when Alex and his droogs walk alongside the artificial lake at Thamesmead.Both the location and point of the sequence itself couldn't be more ordinary and humdrum if it tried,but filmed in ultra-slow motion,accompanied to the strains of Rossini's "Thieving Magpie",is transformed into an extraordinarily balletic,unforgettable piece of cinema by Kubrick at his most dazzlingly creative best.
The film perhaps falters slightly in it's second half while Alex resides in jail and goes through his aversion treatment (Burgess' main satirical point here was his considerable dislike of behaviourism techniques),lacking the ferocious nihilism of previous scenes,but is still absorbing nevertheless.What Burgess tried to state in his novel was that most young men with violent,aggressive tendencies do mature and grow out of such bearing when that difficult teenage hormonal period takes it's natural course.Burgess' novel ends on this relatively sedate note of development.Kubrick however chooses to end the film with the previous chapter,which suggests that Alex is reverting to his old ways.(Kubrick was not necessarily to blame for this;the American version of Burgess' novel did not publish the original,more optimistic final chapter)
The film itself is dominated by Malcolm McDowell.Despite his shameless disregard for the slightest bit of decency,McDowell often makes his character likable,if not intelligent (thanks to his appreciation of classical music),and oddly sympathetic after his medical manipulation in prison leaves him meek,impotent and hapless. The supporting actors tend to take more of a back seat,but Anthony Sharp (as a scheming government minister),and a young Warren Clarke (before he became a big name on UK television) stand out.Michael Bates (as a voluble prison warder) and Patrick Magee go a little over the top,but perhaps this was deliberate,part of the film's constant savage satire and jet black humour,perhaps even more abundant than Kubrick's nightmare doomsday essay DR.STRANGELOVE of eight years earlier.Kubrick was always deeply cynical of establishment figures,and eventually seems more sympathetic to the plight of the exploited Alex than his supposed law-abiding superiors.
Disturbing,perhaps repellent,often ambiguous,but endlessly thoughtful,philosophic and astute,A CLOCKWORK ORANGE could be regarded as the most outstanding dystopian invective ever filmed.Technically outstanding and flawless,with sumptously well-designated music attached,it has perhaps more relevance to this day and age than when first released.The talents of a World-Class filmmaker and novelist combined don't always produce the goods,but A CLOCKWORK ORANGE is wholly worth any eulogy of it's immense quality.
RATING:8 and a half out of 10.