Product: A Clockwork Orange [VHS] (1972)
Rating: 5.0
Karma
I just watched "A Clockwork Orange" again for the first time in fourteen years. The last time I watched it I was only 15, so clearly my impression of it at this point in my life is different. Even at 15, I found the violence to be disturbing and not at all funny, and understood on some level that the main characer, Alex, despite his "rehabilitation", still had to pay the price for the vicious crimes he commits in the beginning of the film. At 29, this karmic theme makes even more sense to me. Despite being rendered incapable of violence due to the experimental treatment he receives, Alex still doesn't understand the consequences of his actions, and can't see his crimes from the perspective of his victims. So although the government's "treatment" may keep violent criminals from committing more violent crimes, it does nothing to treat the spiritual illness of a society who still, at it's core, rewards aggressiveness and believes that "might makes right".What I certainly didn't appreciate at 15 were the stunning and provocative visuals of the film. Instead of creating a future full of high-tech gadgets, Kubrick fills the scenary with imagery suggesting mannequin-like sexuality and soulless, tacky modernism. Even Alex's gang uniform (lipstick, false eyelash, jockstrap, combat boots) suggests phony, plastic beauty combined with aggressiveness and insanity.Although I believe that "Clockwork" and "Eyes Wide Shut" are the only Kubrick films I've seen so far, I can see from both of these brilliant films why he's widely considered to be a genius filmmaker.