A Clockwork Orange

One of my favourite films by far is A Clockwork Orange. There are many reasons for this but the main one is the fact that, even though it is over 40 years old, it has not aged. This is mainly due to the fact that the language and costumes used are not of any particular age or culture and are purely associated with the book and film, not real life. This gives the film a very futuristic and interesting edge, with many parallels to society however not so similar to identify them with a particular era of London.

The film is a satire of society, with the criminals being just as bad as the law enforcement. This type of black humour appeals to me greatly as it controversially pokes fun at the world we live in. It is offensive yet not too far from the truth, even if over-exaggerated. The fact that two of the "droogs" that the protagonist, Alex, hangs around with become police officers that use their power to beat up others is a major example of this.

Another major theme of the film is the use of behavioural therapy to "cure" a criminal. The irony of this is that Alex creates an aversion to the classical music he loves, which is the only real beauty in his life, and it in fact stops him from being human and making moral choices for himself.

The film is very violent and sexually explicit, to the level that to most audiences today it would still be considered highly offensive. I do, however, believe the use of these elements is not unfounded as the effect of making the audience uncomfortable also makes them consider their own morals. The film is making the point that if someone who is not in a place of power (Alex) commits a "crime" we feel they have done something wrong, but if a police officer commits the same level of violence towards a perceived criminal we feel this is justified and this is not something we should be comfortable with.

The fact that the film was banned in the UK for 27 years proves how both influential and controversial the films ideas are and I feel great caution should be exercised when producing a film of this nature. The film has been linked to many real life cases of crime and this can only be seen as a negative influence of viewers, however it is also one of the most highly rated cult classics by the fantastic director, Stanley Kubrick and I feel to the correct audience the film is a masterpiece. I do not feel films of this level can simply be viewed, as further reading and interpretation is needed to unlock the many hidden meanings and intended satire of the film to allow the viewer to appreciate the artistic direction of A Clockwork Orange.

Link:

Making of Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flzsv0-Gjf0