Product: A Clockwork Orange [VHS] (1972)
Rating: 5.0
Is This the "X" Version Or the "R" Version? Yes!
There are 2 customer reviews so far complaining that this disc is labeled "Rated X," when it's actually a different, R-rated version. So which version is it, X or R? Not as simple to answer as it may seem...The original theatrical release in 1971 was rated X. According to IMDB, the movie was re-released in 1973 with three editorial changes (see IMDB under "ACO"/ Trivia for a description of the changes). This altered 1973 version was rated R by the MPAA. (This is not unheard of: Paramount did the same thing with "Saturday Night Fever," re-editing the R film to a PG, to allow Travolta's teenage fans to see it in re-release.)By the time the first Home Video release of "Clockwork" came around (mid-'80s), the original X version was considered to be more properly an R by then-current standards, and so the X version was released on Home Video with a new R rating. (IMDB says the MPAA did not re-rate it for Home Video, that the studio simply changed it. Having worked at a major studio for some years, I don't believe the MPAA would allow a studio to change an MPAA rating without their input; they own the ratings system. But, with or without them, the original X version has always been released on Home Video with an R rating). The re-edited version from 1973 has not seen the light of day since.Bottom line (I said it wasn't going to be simple): This DVD contains the original, unaltered, X-rated version, which is now distributed with an R rating.Thanks to Prof Cicero for his help with this history.