A Clockwork Orange (1972)

THIS WILL MAKE YOU THINK

I AM 22 AND FOR ABOUT 7 YEAR I HAVE HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE CLOCK WORK ORANGE MOVIE, I HAD BEEN DESCRIBED PARTS OF THE MOVIE AND WAS VERY INTERESTED BY THE MOVIE.
ONE I HAD FINISHED WATCHING THE MOVIE I FOUND THIS TO BE BIZZAAR, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT IN ITS DAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD MOVIE.
PREWARNING:- BE PREPARED FOR RAPE AND VIOLENCE AND IF YOU LIKE THE SONG 'SINGING IN THE RAIN' IT WILL CHANGE YOU VEIW ON THE SONG FOREVER.
BUT IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT I WOULD RECOMMEND TO DO SO. September 30, 2008

Shocking! Mind-Blowing! Classic Kubrick!

This movie is truly timeless and although certain elements betray its age e.g. use of cassettes in the future instead of cds, use of a typewriter instead of a desktop pc by the writer etc, this film transcends time and its message is still very thought-provoking and evokes strong responses from viewers just like modern avant-garde artworks are supposed to. From "Dr. Strangelove" to "2001: A Space Odyssey" to this, Stanley Kubrick's brilliant directing genius can only be described as producing cinematic high works of art. Just like in the great "2001:...", Kubrick forces you to think about serious issues, stunning and shocking you to come to your own conclusions and to stimulate your senses all the while refusing to tell you what to think.

Some may feel Alex got off too easy and for all his major offences against society should be severely punished ala capital punishment and may actually come to this conclusion from watching the film. Others may actually feel sorry for and happy for Alex that he returns to "normal" and that the powers that be get what they deserve with the threat of a loss of power. Either way, the film disturbs you enough to elicit strong responses making it difficult to remain indifferent or to not have an opinion which is the definition of good modern art.

This film could also be a metaphor for thought control and governance asking the question: is it proper to force people to accept an ideology even if they don't truly believe it themselves? Whether it is Communism or even Capitalism or any religion should people be given a choice which one to go with or should society take all steps to penalise even to the point of using physical pain and suffering to ensure compliance? It is telling at the end when Alex becomes "healed" only when he realises that the very powers that are trying to "heal" him are sick and maybe even sicker than he is; a different sort of corruption but corruption nonetheless.

This film as time has shown is the true winner of the Oscar for the Best Picture, Director and Actor awards for that year and how "The French Connection" won for these categories is beyond belief. This film is certainly a lot more rewarding on so many levels and has certainly aged a lot better to rank among the best ever films.

The great news is that the digital restoration and remastering has been done very well making both the picture and sound quality of this dvd very, very good indeed. Although the Special Features are nothing to speak about, I'm hoping the newly-released Blu-Ray version will have extras such as making-of and other sorts of documentaries as well.

By far a film masterpiece by the great Kubrick and a must-have for every film buff's dvd library.

Highly recommended! September 28, 2008

Masterpiece!

C'mon.. if you are a fan of movies,
this is an ESSENTIAL purchase.

You will never forget this movie once you watch it.
NEVER.

I read Heath Ledger was watching this movie to prepare for his Dark Knight Joker role...
thats very cool. September 27, 2008

Puts a Smile on my Face

i've always loved this film and I think the BD looks and sounds great ( I think the dolby mix is better ) The BluRay is the best I have ever seen the film and it took me back to the 71 first week showing on Broadway. It will be released with better sound some day; but this one is already pumped up a bit so go for it. The content does bother some people but the story, the drama, the style, the visual/music presentation make a bitter pill go down well. I miss Kubrick. September 24, 2008

A Taste of the Old Ultraviolence

Alex DeLarge is your average eighteen year old boy...if by average, you mean he fully embraces the old ultraviolence and wanders the streets with his three droogs causing havoc and doing whatever he likes. Skipping school, breaking and entering, rape, assault...just another day in Alex's life. However, when a planned rape turns into an "accidental" murder, things start to turn fowl for Alex. His droogs turn on him and he winds up being caught by the police. He is then taken to a correctional facility where he spends the next few years, puts on the front that he's fully embraced the bible, and that he's now a changed man. But when word makes round of the experimental Ludovico treatment, Alex realizes his chance at freedom and jumps through the proper hoops to get out of the penitentiary he finds himself in and get into the experimental facility where he can be "cured." He is promised that he'll be a free man within a fortnight. The treatment consists of a drug known as Serum 114 being injected into the patient before making them sit through short films such as a man being beaten to a pulp, a woman being the sexual victim of several men, and a Nazi concentration camp film set to the soundtrack of Beethoven's ninth symphony. Alex begins to feel sick during the films and the doctors insist it's part of the cure. Alex's love for music and Beethoven in general become one of the adverse affects of the treatment as the ninth symphony has the same affect on Alex as the urge to beat or rape someone would. Alex soon comes to realize that you can never go home again and that being a free man isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially after a treatment such as this.

It took me this long to finally sit down and watch this film. I have been told for months, maybe years, by friends that I need to see this because I'd enjoy it. I should have listened to those recommendations long ago because I did enjoy it. It is definitely an odd film. The film starts and it makes the viewer feel like they've missed something entirely that everyone else already knows about, but as the film unravels it snowballs into a unique vision of cinema. It kind of reminded me of Altered States, but I enjoyed this much more than Altered States. Even though A Clockwork Orange has a running time of well over two hours, it didn't feel that way. I wasn't glancing at the clock wondering when the film would end. The film didn't drag at all. It was odd, as I mentioned before, but it was interesting enough to keep my attention span throughout the entire film. That's something I take note of with the amount of films I sit through every week.

The way the film looked and sounded was amazing, as well. Even though Clockwork is closing in on being forty years old, it sure doesn't look like it. Every scene had brilliant, vibrant colors that pretty much made every frame jump off the screen. The sound in the film was also near perfection. I was reading on IMDb that this was the first film take advantage of Dolby Digital surround sound and it shows.

I also really love the way Kubrick shot this film. His sense of perspective is incredible. The long hallway shots and scenes that highlight an actors facial expressions are some of the most memorable scenes in the film and a lot of credit for that goes to the way he shot it. He's a director that I've come to realize I actually admire quite a bit, but need to actually see more of his work.

Malcolm McDowell deserves a nod, as well. I doubt I'll be saying anything that hasn't already been said about him in this role, but humor me and pretend that this movie was just released on DVD or something. He makes the film and I'm not just saying that because he's in the lead role. I mean, it's hard to imagine A Clockwork Orange with another actor in McDowell's place. Malcolm McDowell is Alex DeLarge, period. Some of the speeches he gives along with the way he acts during and after the treatment process are some of the most memorable of any film I've sat through.

A Clockwork Orange is quite a unique trip, no matter how you look at it. It is weird and unusual, but is worth the watch since it's never actually boring. Kubrick's vision of the film could be the main reason to sit through it as it seems like every shot grabs your attention largely in part to its perspective. Arguably though, the film could be worth seeing due to being the film that Malcolm McDowell is best known for. Clockwork is a film I wouldn't recommend to anyone as I feel like it may not only go over some viewers heads, but soar over. It's for viewers with unique taste for cinema that are willing to sit down and actually pay attention to a film rather than be on the computer or do anything else while trying to watch a movie. A dramatic/science fiction/thriller that is not only viewed by some as one of the ten greatest films in the sci-fi genre but also one of the greatest films of all time.

Rating: 8/10 September 23, 2008

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