(At the time of writing this, the sad news that actor Warren Clarke who played Dim had passed away. Our thoughts are with his family and we hope he rests in peace).
I’m willing to bet that if you go into any film students flat or accommodation, they have one particular poster looming out at you with a great big smirk. It is one of the first films that people jump on, frothing at the mouth to talk about semantics and themes at the mere mention of the word “cult.” It has all the tendencies to reign supreme over the masses of cult movies that have now come bounding to our cinematic psyche – it was panned by some hefty critics, it was banned by the filmmakers themselves (or withdrew from the public eye after it was blamed for a few murders) and has since become recognised for its vision.
Oh, if you haven’t guessed – it’s A Clockwork Orange (your suspense automatically ruined by my title I know.)
It takes quite a few viewings of A Clockwork Orange to get to the fruit beneath the brightly coloured and vivid spectacle that Kubrick has created which is somewhat the brilliance of it. Hyper-violent and ultra-bright, A Clockwork Orange is a note on the vapid criminality that youth house when bored or frustrated with the world around them. Though unrelenting in its narrative of violence and abuse, Kubrick’s now acclaimed film toes the line between shock for impact sake or telling a riveting story about the archaic system that has failed troubled young men (which, is somewhat the brilliance of it). The themes peel back, asking you to examine whether murderers and rapists can be reformed and whether these people can go back into society having been conditioned to abhor violence and if it is morally right to do so. It questions whether a soul can be forgiven or if there is something wrong in the nature. All this seriousness conflicting with the comedy and the bright coloured world that Alex envisages make a juicy cinematic eating indeed and you can devour each segment happily – staying at the level of debauchery and anarchic "antics" or delving into the depths of a violent mentality and the state of the society that housed him (and probably would still house him today).
What makes A Clockwork Orange truly a triumph is the casting of Malcom McDowell as Alex. Plucked by Kubrick thanks to his work in …If (which could easily just be called Alex DeLarge: The Early Years) McDowell gleeful gang leading Alex is both witty and terrifying. As he, wide eyed, mercilessly attacks with not much thought, means that he has no empathy with his victims and sees his acts as a way to combat boredom. Enthralling, McDowell is a powerhouse of fear that twists into confusion when he is experimented on in prison. He is able to take a terrifying murdering rapist and turn him into this pitiful creature that we feel sorry for despite loathing him in the first act. McDowell handles the change in character, the wondering lost teenager as he no longer knows his place – even if his original stance was repulsive. McDowell gives us an entirely human monster – a protagonist and antagonist all at once – the ultimate anti-hero.
With an insatiable score that moves the movie into fantastical reality and hits its thudding crescendo at man pivotal scenes, A Clockwork Orange is a cinematic triumph. While it may be hated by some and adored by most, I doubt there are people out there entirely indifferent to the film itself. Kubrick’s direction combined with Burgess’ themes are great but then by adding Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange proves that there is a strain of art made for purely one reason – to provoke. And love or loathe it, it has certainly succeeded in that.
Find out more from Cookie N Screen
Do you like cult movies ?
Or do you like bad ones?
Find out more from Cookie N Screen by visiting www.cookienscreen.net