Psychological Brainwash

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2011)

A psychological brainwash that leaves a victim, Alex played by Malcolm McDowell left to fight his personal battles of violence while being conditioned against them. Alex, alongside his group of droogs, create havoc around an English town until he is caught by police and imprisoned for murder. It is there he meets the Minister, acted by Anthony Sharp who puts Alex through psychological conditioning by subjecting him to sickness when shown images of violence and sex. It is this conditioning that leads to his release and ultimately his misery as his "cure" is seen as wicked and controversial by the people. After a suicide attempt, Alex ends up in a hospital ward where the effects are reversed and Alex finds himself "normal" again. The theme of this film revolves around the psychological boundaries that are questioned when involving human subjects. Alex, although agreeing to such treatment in lieu of jail time, was victim to the conditioning of experimental treatment geared towards removing violent and sexual thought from the mind. What is witnessed, is when presented with choice of violence or sex the subject reverts to conditioning that triggers displeasure. This, in turn limits choice one has to choose the correct path but instead must choose another to avoid pain. The misery that Alex has caused other people in his life, such as rape and violence eventually come back to him. The homeless man that is assaulted in the film's opening scene, finds Alex after his release from treatment and assaults him back. The police officers that break up the assault are non-other than two former droogs themselves, who Alex assaulted and mistreated. They two officers then drive him out in the woods and attempt to drown him. These scenes all play part in the psychological conditioning process as Alex cannot fight back. His attempt to defend himself is met with the urge to vomit, causing him pain. It is the very things that during treatment, ironically causes Alex such anguish. One of these is the repeated music of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Alex, who is passionate about Beethoven, is conditioned against this song as it was used in the condition process itself. Next, there is the imagery of sex and sexual expression. Scenes of nudity being free and open are repeated along with the repression of it during times of rape and conditioning. It is the fight of choice that ultimately destroys Alex which is constant throughout. If given the choice, you are either seen as good or bad when making it. It is choice and expression which makes us who we are and with this film, you witness the human constraint when it is removed.