I'm struggling more than I have in a while to find the words to even begin to discuss this film. Stanley Kubrick's 1971 controversial classic A Clockwork Orange may be one of the most interesting films of all time. Whether the interest stems from the analyzation of the ultra-violence or rape or whether it stems from trying to make sense of the flow of the story, there is no doubt that this movie contains a lot of strange substance to talk about. A fantastic performance from Malcolm McDowell and stunning direction and cinematography make this film absolutely gorgeous, but I simply do not know how I feel about the vague, metaphorical reasons for much of the writing.
A Clockwork Orange follows the criminal life of Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, a teenager most corrupted by uncontrollable bouts of rape and violence accompanied by a few of his friends. After his friends betray him and turn him into the police, Alex volunteers for an experimental treatment that will supposedly help rid him of these primal desires. This story and the screenplay from Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess' novel, is the most interesting aspect of the entire film. Not only was this movie wildly controversial in the 1970s upon its release, but still remains so today. However, before initially watching this film for the first time, I have heard so much about its graphic use of violence and non-consensual sex scenes. While this film did indeed have plenty of both of those, I did not feel like the content was that much different than what could be done today. Perhaps it is because I have become intensely desensitized to subjects like these due to today's media or perhaps it was extremely taboo when this film was released, but I did not feel like the main focus of the film was actually its use of these explicit scenes. I felt more of a connection to the mental health theme that ran throughout the story and I feel like that aspect could be much more suitable for today's audiences. I completely understand why this film would have been banned or heavily restricted 40 years ago, but it has not completely aged well. This also goes for the overall message of the film. Even though there are very heavy, political and social overtones that guide this narrative and the characters, I couldn't help but get lost in what message Kubrick was really trying to display.
Since I was completely thrown for a loop when it comes to the main premise of this film, I was not sure what to expect after Alex was thrown in prison after the first forty minutes of the movie. What I did enjoy after that point, however, was Kubrick's incredible directing and the production design of the movie. The story moved along very nicely as Alex received his experimental treatment and was released back into the world to face the people and things that he had previously tortured. This was one of the most interesting parts of the movie, as it was very engaging to see the contrasts between early and "reformed" Alex. The dystopian and strange futuristic setting of this film helped to inspire the design department and it definitely showed. All of the sets and locations used were gorgeous and helped to set the tone of this peculiar world excellently. I also enjoyed the strange language that the characters spoke to one another. It was obviously English, but with a strange touch of something imaginative. The syllables and inflections in their voices were just odd enough to keep me on my toes when interpreting this film. However, what really kept my attention the most was the performance from McDowell. His portrayal of Alex was deeply haunting at the beginning, eventually turning into one of the most human performances of this time period. He was cast perfectly in this film and truly embodied all of the narrative's weirdest yet most compelling elements.
Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange may be one of the most memorable films in history for cinephiles. I love Kubrick myself, but I struggle to figure out how this movie has become so immensely infamous. A story that lends itself too much to interpretation never impresses me and this film, unfortunately, fell into that trap.
My Rating: ★★★★
No comments:
Post a Comment