I have not seen any of Kubrick’s works prior to Dr. Strangelove, but of the films from Strangelove and beyond I would have to say A Clockwork Orange is without a doubt my favorite. Being a fan of great dialogue, this film takes dialogue and flips it on its head from the very start.
Here is Malcolm McDowell’s opening speech as Alex, which is read over the image above while “Funeral Music for Queen Mary” plays in the background:
There was me. That is, Alex, and my three droogs. That is, Pete, Georgie, and Dim. And we sat in the Korova Milk Bar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova Milk Bar sold milk plus. Milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence.
For me I hardly need more than that opening speech for me to like this movie, but this story of hooligan turned reformed citizen turned hooligan just gets better as it goes. And if that line of dialogue isn’t enough, just pick this title up one night and at about the 50 minute mark you will be introduced to the character known as “Chief Guard” played by Michael Bates. I am not sure if Kubrick told Bates to read his lines the way he does, but when Bates says, “Pick that up and put it down properly!” I dare you not to take absolute enjoyment in this film.
In as much as the film is about music and dialogue, it is also about shock value. A Clockwork Orange leads you around corners you don’t really want to go down, but you can’t help but watch. Take for example the image below.
I don’t know about you, but those clamps keeping Alex’s eyes open are enough to make me squirm. Some may look at the scene above as a torture scene in some ways, and if you do, and the subsequent scenes that immediately follow it then you may actually find yourself actually sympathizing with a rapist and murderer.
Personally I never had much sympathy for Alex as a person in this movie, not for an instant, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like him. I thought he was likable as hell, at least as an outsider looking from afar. Not sure I would want to roll with him and his droogs. I am not exactly one for the … ultra-violence.
Where you fall, in terms of your sympathy for Alex, will all depend on a couple of things. Do you think a murderer/rapist can be reformed? Do you believe in the freedom of choice?
Based on the novel by Alex Burgess, I have heard many people that read the book before seeing the movie and liking it, not finding a lot of satisfaction in the film, much in the way that some got upset that Kubrick completely changed up Stephen King’s “The Shining” (more on that one later). Hopefully, one of these days people will learn that movies are rarely better than the book they are based on, but I would wager a guess that anything Kubrick made based on a book will never be the same as the source, and the two really should be looked at as completely separate entities.
As far as the special features go this one comes with a great audio commentary with Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman along with documentaries and making-of featurettes on the second disc. For you HD DVD buyers, the HD DVD is actually the only one of the Kubrick collection that comes as a 2-Disc set as well, which must be as a result of the length of the special features because it isn’t the longest movie of the five.
If you are not planning on buying the complete Kubrick collection and going to piece meal it, I will suggest you make A Clockwork Orange the first one you buy. This is the essential film in this collection in my estimation, but as odd as it may sound to many, I view Eyes Wide Shut as a close second. That’s just my taste though, use it as your guide, and I will see you later with more on the rest of the collection.
Now for a quick bit of trivia from the film…
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- The Shining (Review Coming Soon)
- Full Metal Jacket (Review Coming Soon)
- Eyes Wide Shut (Review Coming Soon)
