A Clockwork Orange.

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 2002)

The Brighton riots between the Mods and Rockers in the late 1960's influenced Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. It is one of the most acute, powerful and highly acclaimed novels of the twentieth century. In the vein of Brave New World and 1984 it tells the story of a distopian future, the perils of totalitarianism and the danger of playing God.' However, when Stanley Kubrick brought the novel to life on the silver screen, the acts of violence displayed in the film were recreated by youths around the country and Kubrick was consequently forced to withhold the distribution rights. Nevertheless, the film was re-released posthumously.
The film follows the life of Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang of droogs. They are a ruthless gang of four youths who steel, rape and fight their way through the film. However, when Alex is set-up by his disillusioned gang-mates and charged with murder, he faces a lifetime of imprisonment. Nevertheless, in jail Alex hears of a new aversion therapy, which allows him to be released, without threat, back into society. This, of course, has side effects. Alex is not actually cured, he is merely physically incapable of undertaking the criminal acts he reveled in prior to his jail sentence. The narrative, which is one of foreboding, is meticulously constructed to encapsulate the themes of the novel. The characterization furthers this and allows the audience to sympathize with the protagonist despite his flaws, which heightens the satire by revealing society's, rather than Alex's, failings. However, it is the script that mirrors the novel most lucidly. The language is a discerning blend of English, Russian and Cockney rhyming slang. Although it seems like gibberish to begin with, the audience slowly adjusts and becomes familiar with the prose. This mirrors the transformation experienced by Alex: at the beginning of the film he is a miscreant but he slowly adjusts and becomes familiar with the rules of society. The script therefore acts as a form of aversion therapy for the audience.
Consequently A Clockwork Orange is one of the most discerning, penetrating and sagacious adaptations from novel to film. It maintains the novel's narrative, characters and themes throughout. It complements the novel yet it creates an entirely fresh and stimulating perspective in a new medium. Kubrick's highly idiosyncratic style brings Burgess's novel to the cinema with the sensitivity, intelligence and unique aestheticism of no other contemporary director.