Product: A Clockwork Orange [VHS] (1972)
Rating: 5.0
Surpasses Anthony Burgess' novel
Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" is the rare case of a film that even surpasses its already very good source material. In fact, this is one of the best films of Stanley Kubrick (or anyone else).Not only is the film brilliantly acted, scripted and photographed. It has also one of the most original production designs I have ever seen in a movie. But what really makes the picture transcend the novel is Kubrick's brilliant use of music. This adds a dimension to the whole enterprise the book did not have. The scene in which Alex is forced to watch documentary-footage of the Nazis underscored by the ninth symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven is unforgettable. Actually, the whole movie is one memorable scene after another.This film has been largely and uncritically admired as a cult hit by fans of violent movies. Other felt uncomfortable after it because it just shows problems without giving answers. I think that this is the film's strength. Kubrick invites us to figure out for ourselves what his film is all about and this includes the possibility of different answers (or no clear answer at all).