Product: A Clockwork Orange [VHS] (1972)
Rating: 5.0
a great movie and deserving classic in the sci-fi genre
In A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick of 2001 fame brings to life a brilliant near-future dystopia and manages to shock any viewers with his twisted vision. The book is largely faithful to Anthony Burgess' novel and in fact plays off one of the most popular themes in sci-fi, the Frankenstein theme--though, uniquely, reversing that. Those who say it glorifies violence and rape clearly don't know what in Hell they're talking about. The sheer monstrousness of the anti-hero's actions is meant to serve as a backdrop for his frightful curative treatment. Rape is never, ever presented as something either desirable or acceptable. Rather, its monstrousness is such that the offender must be captured and prevented from ever doing so again. No one would say rape is acceptable, and neither Burgess nor Kubrick tries to convey this idea. It is all Kafkaesque melodrama. Orwell's 1984 is many times more monstrous (though much less violent)but is considered a classic. I just hope people will open their eyes one day to its message and not focus so much on misinterpreting its visual displays.