A Clockwork Orange

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2005)

This film was initially a huge success when released, but when news broke out of two horrific copycat incidents, it was immediately banned by its own director, Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, Full Metal Jacket). It was only after his death in 1999 that the film was allowed to be released to the public on home video and DVD, but even before the ban, and today, it is considered a cult classic. Basically it is a futuristic Britain, where Alex De Large (Golden Globe nominated Malcolm McDowell) is the leader of a teenage gang of hooligans, the "Droogs", who go out every night carrying out acts of "ultraviolence" for fun. They attack an innocent old Tramp (Paul Farrell), attack old author Mr. Alexander (Patrick Magee) and rape his wife in their own home, and Alex murders a woman in her home with a giant phallic sculpture. Alex is sentenced to fourteen years, and after two he hears of a new experimental cure for prisoners that would get him out within two weeks, it is called the Ludovico Technique. It is a treatment where they clamp his eyes open and force him to watch horrific ultra-violent and rape crime, and coincidently the music playing is Alex's favourite composer, Ludwig Van Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The treatment is complete and Alex is shown to show extreme sickness when being faced with violence either to or from himself, and when he wants to caress a woman. Alex is released as a cured man, but his past comes back to haunt him when people he knew from his thug days make his new life torture. This includes the old tramp rounding up many others to attack him, Alex's thugs turned cops Georgie (James Marcus) and Dim (Warren Clarke), and most awful of all the mad Mr. Alexander torturing him with the 9th Symphony. It is the point of hearing the torturous music that Alex sees no other way out but suicide, but after jumping out of the window, he only breaks all his limbs. In the end, the experimental cure is abolished, Mr. Alexander is imprisoned for madness, and Alex rests in hospital knowing that he is now truly cured with his dark imagination. Also starring Michael Bates as Chief Guard, Worzel Gummidge's Anthony Sharp as Minister, Philip Stone as Dad, Sheila Raynor as Mum, Michael Tarn as Pete, Steven Berkoff as Constable, Star Wars' Dave Prowse as Julian and Coronation Street's John Savident as Conspirator. The most disturbing scenes of the film, before the nasty musical torture and clamping eyes, they are in the first thirty or so minutes. These are seeing a tramp very badly beaten, an old man attacked and his wife raped while Alex is singing the happy song "Singin' in the Rain", and the murder with the giant penis. The lead character and his friends speaking like old fashioned slang-spouting yobs is interesting when you consider it is meant to be a near future. This film is up there with Natural Born Killers, accused of glorifying violence (and rape), and it is also debated whether this is really a masterpiece, I would say if it gets many people talking and making an impact in Kubrick's career, then I believe it is. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Film Editing, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Picture, it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Track and Best Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Alex De Large was number 12 on 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains, the film was number 21 on 100 Years, 100 Thrills, it was number 54 on The Ultimate Film, and it was number 7 on The 50 Greatest British Films. Very good!