I'm not sure if half of the people who claim to love this film know why they do. Well, let me rephrase that. They like it because of what it contains: graphic sex, ultra-violence, dystopian science fiction. But that's where it ends. They like its content, but could care less about its message or its inherent craftsmanship. A Clockwork Orange is a film with graphic material that is justified by its even more graphic message: what is morality without choice? Is forcing people to be good in and of itself inherently good? The central character, Alex, is a murderous youth who is subjected to an experimental treatment to make him physically adverse to violence and sex. But afterwards, can Alex even be called a human? His free will defined him as a human. Without it, is Alex more than just a shell? There's much that can be said about A Clockwork Orange's exquisite craftsmanship. Stanley Kubrick, a noted perfectionist, slaved over ever frame to make sure that it was just right. The result is a film that seems to exist in two worlds: that of real life and that of the most frightful Orwellian hellscape. Much like Lars von Trier's Antichrist, the film seems to exist in a world where the Devil has already won. Yes, there is great evil in this film. But for once, such graphic material is necessary. I couldn't conceive of this film without the rape, the sex, the violence, the profanity. It is a disturbing film because it has a disturbing story to tell. Whether or not you partake of it is up to you.
10/10
A few years ago, I had a night where I was having trouble falling asleep. So I popped A Clockwork Orange into my small bedside portable DVD player thinking that I'd probably watch about fifteen minutes until my brain became tired enough. I had rented it shortly after learning about Heath Ledger's affection for the movie and how it was used as inspiration for his Joker performance.
ReplyDeleteDespite it being past 1:00 AM when I started and watching it on a very small screen, never before had I been so enthralled from a movie's very first frame to the very last. Such a memorable experience that still gives me chills just thinking about it.
I'm glad you were able to finally cross this one off your list of films to see! Have you seen al of Kubrick's films yet? Also, did you ever get around to seeing Titanic?
ReplyDelete@Ian
ReplyDeleteThat's happened to me before, too. I guess we should be more careful picking which films to watch when we're groggy!
@Chris
ReplyDeleteI've seen all but 4 or 5 of Kubrick's films. The only major work of his that I haven't seen is "Lolita." All of the other films were early films that he basically financed by himself.
And...no...I still haven't seen "Titanic." I know it was a big blockbuster and Oscar winner, but it isn't that high up on my "to-see" list. But I'll get around to it eventually.
I gotta see more Kubrick myself. I'm not a big Titanic fan, but I think its one of the few movies I've seen that you haven't yet!
ReplyDeleteThat's quite likely...
ReplyDeleteI actually saw A CLOCKWORK ORANGE [my last year in high school] and within two years read the GREAT book - (which has the final chapter which was excluded from publication in USA, and hence Kubrick based his film on 8 chapters, and not 9) - it's a philosophical book, it's a statement about society, and has a message about free will. Violence aside I think that the message made this quite a good and strong, capable work for Kubrick as director.
ReplyDeleteWell, Kubrick was very fascinated by human nature. It was a theme that came up time and again in his work. "A Clockwork Orange" was one of the great theses concerning human nature in the 20th century. So, really, Kubrick was probably destined for this film.
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