Product: A Clockwork Orange (1972)
Rating: 4.0
Disturbing and compelling
After hearing of the hype and critical praise that this film has received, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. It's a very visual piece, with plenty of colourful imagery punctuated by classical music that is used to great effect in some of the most disturbing scenes. As for the violent scenes, they're mostly tastefully done, with less focus put on the act themselves than on the perpetrators and the victims. This is particularly impressive in a day where movies measure themselves on body count more than anything else.The story itself though, is absolutely horrible and particularly the clinic scenes are hard to watch. The worrying conclusion that society is more concerned with curing the problem than looking at the root of the problem is pertinent even today.Even so, I wouldn't go so far as to say that this film is a masterpiece (a word that has been associated with Kubrick an awful lot - remember that John Carpenter's 'Halloween' was also branded this and then he made 'Vampires'). There are plenty of clichés such as the weird and wonderful central character and his love for classical music. Such things are as old as the hills.Still, the acting is excellent and a superb narrative is kept throughout the film which is thankfully not devoid of humour. This is a wonderfully strange experience, but it's probably not something that you'd wish to watch over and over.