A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay)
Anthony Burgess (novel)

Release Date:

2 February 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Being the adventures of a young man ... who couldn't resist pretty girls ... or a bit of the old ultra-violence ... went to jail, was re-conditioned ... and came out a different young man ... or was he ?

Plot:

In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and later volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society's crime problem... but not all goes to plan.

Plot Keywords:

Aversion Therapy | Gang | Britain | Prison | Violence

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Malcolm McDowell	...	Alex
Patrick Magee	...	Mr Alexander
Michael Bates	...	Chief Guard
Warren Clarke	...	Dim
John Clive	...	Stage Actor
Adrienne Corri	...	Mrs. Alexander
Carl Duering	...	Dr. Brodsky
Paul Farrell	...	Tramp
Clive Francis	...	Lodger
Michael Gover	...	Prison Governor
Miriam Karlin	...	Catlady
James Marcus	...	Georgie
Aubrey Morris	...	Deltoid
Godfrey Quigley	...	Prison Chaplain
Sheila Raynor	...	Mum

Also Known As:

Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (re-issue) | Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 (re-rating) (2000) | Ireland:(Banned) (1971-2000) | South Korea:18 (2004) | South Korea:18 (2005) (DVD rating) | Italy:VM18 (DVD rating) | Canada:18A (Ontario) (re-rating) (2008) | Canada:R (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Brazil:16 | USA:R (cut version) (1973) | USA:X | UK:(Banned) (withdrawn by director) (1973-1999) | South Africa:18 (Certificate G/1999/0748 DVD) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | France:-16 (re-rating) | France:-18 (original rating) | Hong Kong:III | Israel:18 (video rating) | Israel:X (original rating) | Italy:VM14 (re-release) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Japan:R-15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Mexico:D | Netherlands:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Singapore:(Banned) | South Korea:(Banned) | Spain:(Banned) (original rating) | Spain:18 (re-rating) (1975) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1999) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Binsey Walk, Southmere Lake, Thamesmead South, London, England, UK

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The book never tells us Alex's last name. He nicknames himself Alexander the Large while raping the music-loving girls. Malcolm McDowell ad libbed the name "DeLarge," a pun on "the Large," in "Scene 15," registry into prison, which is original to Stanley Kubrick and not in the novel. A continuity error occurs when a caption in "Scene 31," hospital, perhaps filmed earlier, gives Alex's last name as Burgess after Anthony Burgess. His full name is given as Alex Burgess in a number of the newspaper articles seen after his (coerced) suicide attempt.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the rampaging Alex is performing "Singing In The Rain," leaning over Frank, his mouth is not moving.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Alex: There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spider-Man 2 (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Overture to the Sun

My brief review of the film

A disturbing but yet very beautiful piece of film-making, Kubrick has created the ultimate study of mind manipulation in this film. It is a protest against reform programs that take away freedom of a choice, and the message of the film in terms of paying for one's sins in all eternity is inescapable, evident to a large extent in the sardonic nature of the tale. Although set in the future, it hardly feels like it is, this being because the message of the film is overwhelmingly powerful and capable of applying to any age. The film has a number of possible hidden meanings to it – a feat equaled on scale only by Kubrick's former film '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Besides for the meaning behind the film, there are still the marks of a masterpiece. Kubrick's direction is superb alongside the good photography, capturing shadows and angles needed to establish tone. The editing is excellent too, done in a flashy, brainwashing style at times to have relevance to the film. The choice of cast is again inspirational, however the film achieves the most in terms of music. Kubrick manages to use one of the earliest forms of art, classical music, and give it an unforgettable style and importance in the film. It is truly a difficult task to explain what is so great about a film such as 'A Clockwork Orange' – it is maybe best explained by watching the film itself.