A Clockwork Orange

To call Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange' controversial would be an understatement. When it was originally released in 1971, its graphic depictions of sex and violence caused an uproar both stateside and abroad. The film was heavily protested, received the most restrictive ratings available (including an X-rating in the US), and was ultimately blamed for a series of copycat crimes that occured in the UK. Kubrick even barred his film from UK distribution after he began to receive death threats (the film was not officially banned by the British courts as has been frequently reported). Through it all, perhaps the most shocking thing about the film is that it still manages to offend and disturb viewers thirty-five years later.

The film itself is set in a neutered, futuristic London that's plagued by roving street gangs. Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is a teenage boy obsessed with rape, ultra-violence, and Beethoven. He also leads a particularly savage band of droogs who love nothing more than to follow their mad leader into trouble, whether it be assault, robbery, or murder. When two of his thugs decide they're tired of Alex's brand of tyranny, they knock him unconscious at the scene of a vicious crime. Arrested and sent to prison, Alex is offered freedom if he participates in a painful form of experimental aversion therapy. As his mind is normalized by the government, Alex is forced to question his nature, his morality, and his desires.

It took Kubrick eight months to complete filming of 'A Clockwork Orange' -- quite an accomplishment for a notoriously obsessive director who had a reputation for torturing his actors with dozens of takes. In fact, 'A Clockwork Orange' the fastest production Kubrick ever set his hands to, arguably contributing to the film's rapid-fire insanity that serves as an appropriate match with thematic intensity of Anthony Burgess's original novel.

Although opinions on the film itself vary wildly, I've always found 'A Clockwork Orange' to be a future-dystopian masterpiece. Yes it's incredibly dark and twisted, yes it depicts some of the most vile acts ever set to film, and yes it does have questionable messages tucked beneath its surface. But at the same time it brilliantly explores the depths of human darkness and our instinctual love of violence. I'm personally convinced that viewers aren't disturbed by the nudity and bizarre imagery in 'A Clockwork Orange' -- instead, they're bothered by the authenticity of what they're watching. I find my stomach turning at the sheer joy the droogs take in ultraviolence, not at the ultraviolence itself. Kubrick uses extreme imagery with precision and in doing so forces us to question our own beliefs and virtues. In a sense, he shows us the very things we don't want to see in ourselves.

The second half of the film (Alex's "rehabilitation") has received the harshest criticism over the years, and admittedly Kubrick risks glorifying Alex's actions by transforming him from a monster into a victim. But if you look closer, the director is in fact questioning society itself. Are we willing to degrade our own decency to combat the monsters in our midst? Are we willing to exact revenge to achieve justice? Are we willing to rape the mind of a rapist? Regardless of how you answer those questions, the fact that Kubrick challenges viewers to consider the debate elevates 'A Clockwork Orange' to a level that transcends the its sci-fi/future dystopian trappings to become something much more universal and relevant.

Philosophy aside, it's impossible to deny Kubrick's talent at the peak of his career. He pulls deep performances from his actors and sets them against uniquely unsettling cinematography. Say what you will about his stories or thematic interests, but Kubrick was an amazing filmmaker, and he played every trump card he had in 'A Clockwork Orange.' Even people who can't stand the cynical tone of the film or its disturbing imagery should at least be able to appreciate the art of it all.

'A Clockwork Orange' is a dense and demanding examination of humanity's darkest desires. I can't guarantee you'll enjoy the film as much as I do, but here's betting that it will engage your intellect and leave you thinking about a variety of heavy subjects for weeks to come.