A Clockwork Orange – Stretching the Boundaries

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2011)

A Clockwork Orange (1971) is an artistically inventive approach to a possible, not-so-distant future. The story takes off with the introduction of its main character, Alexander DeLarge, portrayed beautifully by Malcolm McDowell. The audience is then taken along for a ride to experience the nighttime festivities of Alex and his gang. An ordinary night for them consists of drinking spiked milk, beating howling old men, instigating fights with other local gangs, causing cars to swerve out of control while playing hogs of the road, and then a bit of sex with non consenting victims. Though the film is set in a future where the young are cunning and ruthless, Alex himself still seems to be a misfit of his time. All he seems to understand is crime. He enjoys every awful bit of his adventurous evenings without ever shedding any signs of pity or remorse. In his mind, it's as if it's right to be incompetent and abysmal. According to Alex, living this life of constant immoral crime puts him one foot above the rest of society. Even his fellow gang members (referred to as droogs in the film) don't always agree with his self-centered indulgence. Eventually the droogs decide that they are no longer going to tolerate his leadership. When this decision is first brought up to Alex, he punishes them in a memorable slow-motion scene. The droogs then devise a plan to double cross their unwanted leader. Set up by his supposed friends, Alex is left helplessly injured at a crime scene. The cops arrive on site to find Alex with a nasty blow to the head by one of his droogs. It is then discovered by the police that Alex has murdered a woman in her home. This ordeal sends him straight to prison where he's forced to cooperate with the law. While serving time, Alex learns of an experimental procedure called "The Ludovico Technique". This so-called treatment was designed with intent to reform criminals and keep them from ever committing crimes again. Alex, in an attempt to escape the dreadfulness of prison, manages to win himself a role as the human guinea pig for this new experiment. However, the final outcome of this new treatment is not what Alex expects to receive, and once free from the clutches of prison, he finds that the world of his past has long since transformed into a vengeful realm that is not to his liking. There is a wide diversity of characters in this film. Each character, big or small, finds a way to stand out and be unique. For example, the constantly grinning P.R. Deltoid, performed intriguingly by actor Aubrey Morris, finds a way to always steal the audience in his limited screen time. His unique character ends almost every sentence with a questioning "Yes?" Another character that frequently stands out in his limited screen time is the lovable character of Dad, played by Philip Stone. Stuttering Dad always seems scared to death of his own son, Alex. What many may find interesting about the script of A Clockwork Orange is the fact that the dishonorable main character is never truly punished for the crimes he commits. Instead, he's simply rewarded for them. Alex never truly reforms into a better person. The story devises a way for the audience to root for this demented character. Alex enjoys and loves every last bit of his evil actions but doesn't end up being punished for the extreme crimes he's committed, which is totally contradictory to the standards of the Classic Hollywood Style where the villain almost always paid for his wrong doings. Wendy Carlos was in charge of the music for this film, and was responsible for the computerized sounds this music created. Kubrick & Carlos continued working together, and similar music can be heard in Kubrick's later film, The Shining. In some scenes of Clockwork, the music featured is very contradictory to what is happening in the scene itself. For example, there is a scene featuring happy, dancing music while the scene itself is showing the audience a gang tearing off the clothes of an innocent girl and attempting to rape her. There is also a scene where Alex is singing to himself the famous, happy song, Singing in the Rain. As he's singing this happy and joyous tune, him and his droogs are beating an elderly man and preparing to rape a helpless woman. These scenes really find ways to discombobulate your mind. (Great Bolshy Yarblockos!) The editing of this film remains distinct with its classic long, still shots, and its frequent zoom-ins and zoom-outs. There is a memorable high-speed scene in a bedroom where Alex is enjoying a threesome with some girls he encountered at a music shop earlier in the day. The shot is quite long even as it is being shown in high speed. There is also the slow motion scene that was brought up earlier where Alex feels he needs to put his droogs in place by injuring them and pushing them into the harbor. These fancy shots give the audience a different and more unique product than what they would be given if the scenes had been shown at regular speed. Kubrick was not on a quest to give the world a movie they had already seen. He wanted to emphasize the film's uniqueness in every way possible. In some ways, A Clockwork Orange can reflect the exploitation period of cinema. Some aspects of the story can be considered a cautionary tale, feeding on the fear of the unknown future. This story can remind mankind to enter its future with caution, and to make sure that upholding the law remains enforced. This is truly a story that can be looked upon as a warning. In summary, A Clockwork Orange is a story about a boy who knows no good. For a change, the film shows the perspective of a violent demented character as opposed to a rugged heroic figure.