Ultraviolence

A Clockwork Orange is one of the hardest movies I’ve ever had to get through. When I wrote this review, it was only minutes since I watched it, and I was still shaking. A Clockwork Orange is up there with other acclaimed movies I had to mentally prepare myself for. Since A Clockwork Orange was X rated, ultra-violent, and disturbing. While I do think it’s a little less tough to watch then I thought it would be, the effects are still the same. A Clockwork Orange can only be from director Stanley Kubrick. With its bleak depiction of the future as a dystopian cesspool. Where a gang of “droogs” lead by narrator Alex DeLarge commit unspeakable acts in Britain. Each one more disturbing than the last. The most unforgivable thing though would be there improvisational use of a happy song like “Singin’ in the Rain” or even Beethoven. When Alex goes too far, he’s sent to prison for 14 years. Until he leaves early to participate in an experimental procedure that may cure him. The opening shot in the milk bar, Alex being strapped in with his eyes clamped open, and Alex reaching for a woman’s bare naked breasts are the most iconic shots in the movie. It’s what leads to the movie’s biggest questions. Like, can a person really be cured of sexual and violent desires? Malcolm McDowell gives the most complex performance of his career. Making A Clockwork Orange a well crafted edgy picture that I sincerely hope wasn’t trying to be funny.

Alex DeLarge