A Clockwork Orange Review

 

        This is probably one of the most controversial films that I’ve talked about. Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange is one of those films where it got banned in some countries. Not because it was awful, but just how violent it was at that time. My first exposure to it was when I was watching the video on YouTube, it always goes back to that site. Anyways, this person called the Nostalgia Critic was talking about a Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon and used a scene from the film as a reference for a joke. Now having seen all of it a second time, here’s what I think. 

1. Alex

        I was confused when the movie started to roll. I was expecting the usual Warner shield but a series of flashes of color with text introduced the studio and title. We then smash cut to seeing the main star of the film. That shot of Alex is one of the highlights of the film. He doesn’t blink and stares at the camera, in turn the audience. He narrates throughout the whole film about his gang’s actions and what he usually does. 

        I like how the whole film operates with him being in the center. Including his gang The Droogs and getting caught shows what he goes through. For as much as he’s the main character, this is the only movie I can think of where there is no protagonist. He commits atrocities and it’s one thing where we can’t turn away. What I like about the character is that he's not just violent, he's calculating. There's a scene where he asserts himself as the real leader of the gang, since they want to rob bigger places.

        If there is one interesting thing about him is that he loves the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven. Amidst the moments of hearing classic music being recorded on a synthesizer in the movie, we see why Alex likes to listen to Beethoven. It’s the association between his love of music and violence. There’s one scene which perfectly personifies it. And it’s tough to describe it since it involves great editing and really put it there just who Alex is. 

2. Dystopian Future

        Aside from Alex, the setting is also interesting since it ties in with the main idea for the film. Which is this theme of choice and freedom. It’s tied into a world where  Maybe it’s one of the reasons why Alex and his gang act the way they do. And it’s also the reason Alex goes through a treatment to cure him of his psychopathic tendencies. 

        Like I mentioned earlier, the whole film details what Alex goes through, the first half is with him and his gang. The second is when he’s incarcerated, and hearing of a new treatment to leave prison. It’s a second highlight since we see a treatment called the Ludovico Treatment being applied. To put it simply, it’s an experiment to cancel or erase any sort of violent instinct. 

        It’s quite dystopian since, we hear that the prisons have been overrun and crime is rising. The reason why it’s an equally worse thing than what Alex does is that it robs a person of their freedom or choice. Alex chooses to be evil, but the prison pastor thinks he’s good on the inside. Seeing the whole thing being played out gives me fears since Alex has prongs to keep his eyes open. 

        And that’s where the title of the film comes in. Clockwork Orange sounds redundant, but the whole idea of the title is to make something living into something artificial, like a machine. The way the government thinks to give Alex a treatment to be averse to violence so that he can be a good man. And seeing it in practice when he convulses when he is berated and sees a tempting naked young woman stand before him. 

        Another aspect of this future is that the classic works being butchered. The one I got here as an example is graphic, but it’s to serve the point. That classic art has been skewed to be in line with the ultra-violence. For instance, when we see the Droogs face off against a rival gang, we see a painting, and the camera pans down and we see the rival gang accosting a woman. It’s a world where any sort of authority isn’t possible.  

3. Legacy 

        The movie was controversial during it’s time. While the violence on screen is quaint, it wasn’t by design since it’s contemporaries were doing the same thing. You had films like Dirty Harry and Bonnie and Clyde that were loose with showing violence. That was because the Hays Code, an old censor board was ceased. Although, A Clockwork Orange was banned in most countries. You could say that the two other films are justified with the violence, in Orange though, it's a violence that's too much.

        You would be surprised that various media has referenced the film a lot. Not the rapey parts, but just homages from the opening to the costumes the Droogs wear. It was hilarious seeing the Droogs appear in Space Jam: A New Legacy. That’s hilarious and ironic, since Warner Bros. didn’t want Pepe le Pew to appear due to his questionable character trait but turned a blind eye when the gang is shown and did the act in their movie. 

4. Overall 

        A Clockwork Orange is an acquired taste. You’ll be turned off by the violence, but it makes a great watch to see someone be violent. I didn't want to go more into detail on why the film is a classic, but give it watch.