A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) was DISTURBING - Movie Reaction - FIRST TIME WATCHING
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- Опубликовано: 26 июл 2022
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I was unsettled for probably 90% of this film's runtime. The other 10% I was trying to decipher the accents
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Starring:
Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke, Michael Tarn, James Marcus, Patrick Magee, and Michael Bates
Written by:
Stanley Kubrick and Anthony Burgess
Directed by:
Stanley Kubrick 
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Hey everyone! Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is finally here and I cannot tell you how unsettled and disturbed I was watching it. This was probably one of the hardest movies I have ever had to watch due to the very detailed and graphic imagery, character motivations, as well as just the overarching story, themes, and use of music. Everything worked in a dark and twisted way which made for an engaging yet horrific film.
Thanks for watching! Have a great day! :)
Yes, this movie is very disturbing, but the soundtrack is amazing. The script uses a lot of Russian words, for example, "droog," which is an Anglicized spelling of the Russain word for "friend."
I love a Clockwork Orange, it's one of my favorite films of all time. Is it disturbing? Yes! But it's extremely deep and thought provoking. I find it curious and ironic that after Alex's treatment the priest points out that fear of physical pain is the only thing that is making Alex behave, since in Christianity it is the fear of pain (in hell) that makes Christianities adherents behave. I think that was most likely intentional on the writers part.
You should check out "Come And See" from 1985, it's free on RUclips, Mosfilm, it'd make a great reaction video especially going in blind.
I agree with you but seriously if you think this movie is difficult to watch 🤷♂️ You should watch the movie Platoon ✅ everyone should watch the movie platoon to truly see what a difficult to watch movie is ☯️💯
@@MsDboyy Platoon wasn't difficult at all imo, I think you should check out the film I mentioned above if you're looking a difficult to watch war movie "Come And See" or check out Requiem For A Dream or if you're an animal lover "The Plague Dogs". Platoon is absolutely nothing compared to those.
"I was cured, all right!"
That big bodybuilder guy towards the end is David Prowse, Mr. Darth Vader himself. This was made long before Star Wars and his appearance here wasn't really noticed until much later.
Fun Fact: According to Malcolm McDowell (on the commentary track from the 2007 DVD release), the sped-up sex scene was originally filmed as an unbroken take lasting 28 minutes.
Medical Supervision Fact: The doctor standing over Alex as he is being forced to watch violent films was a real doctor, ensuring that Malcolm McDowell's eyes didn't dry up. Malcolm McDowell's eyes were anesthetized for the torture scenes so that he would film for periods of time without too much discomfort. Nevertheless his corneas got repeatedly scratched by the metal lid locks.
Music Enthusiast Fact: Alex performing "Singing In The Rain" as he attacks the writer and his wife was not scripted. Stanley Kubrick spent four days experimenting with this scene, finding it too conventional. Eventually he approached Malcolm McDowell and asked him if he could dance. They tried the scene again, this time with McDowell dancing and singing the only song he could remember. Kubrick was so amused that he swiftly bought the rights to "Singing In The Rain" for $10,000.
Even though I think this is a masterpiece from a brilliant director, I agree with Gene Kelly (who sings the original Singing In The Rain song) that the use of the song in that violent scene is a discrage to such a wonderful and optimistic song.
If only Malcolm McDowell would have thought of another song to sing. But of course that discrepancy was exactly what was appealing to Stanley Kubrick.
@@tubularap Grace Kelly obviously doesn't understand the film or the original source material.
The electronic score is by Wendy Carlos, who is a major pioneer of synthesizer music. She created albums like 'Switch On Bach' which was pioneering in the use of analogue synths to produced multilayered symphonic music. She also went on to provide scores for The Shining and the first Tron movie.
24:06 "He's surrounded."
Julian, the big guy with the glasses is actually the late former english champion body builder, David Prowse who's known for his work from Hammer horror films such as the Monster from Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, and he's even more famously known as the Body performer of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Your closing comments are giving me CHILLS. I love how you understand why the beginning has to be the way it is. And you're right: it was shocking for '71...and it's shocking for 2022! 1.) I've seen this movie ten thousand times spanning decades. I NEVER realized the doorbell was Beethoven's 5th. THANK YOU! This is why I love reaction channels!!!!! 2.) Oh my god, dude, "Singin' In The Rain" is a MUST! I thought you had seen that one! YOU are going to LOVE that one. You've seen lots of musicals; there ain't a better one than "Singin' In The Rain". Even people who hate musicals love that movie. 3.) I almost got chills watching you notice how great the camerawork is. Kubrick was a photographer before he was a director, which tells you everything, right? All of his movies the camerawork is excruciatingly deliberate and exact and perfection. "The Shining" is a perfect example. Every shot. As you can see, all of his movies are different. "Strangelove", "2001" and "Clockwork" were made in a row ('64, '68 and '71) (he took his time making films!). He never made the same movie twice! Or even once! Ok, I can't stop writing. THANK YOU, OUR AMAZING BROTHER AND FRIEND!!!!!! This reaction is FIRE!!!! :D
Dude... you immediately realizing that the old writer's doorbell tone was Beethoven...amazing. Great observation on your first view.
Clockwork Orange is wild. I particularly love watching people try to puzzle through the Nadsat.
Alex's sociopathic enjoyment of the bible has to be my favorite part. And his former droogs become cops because the occupation attracts people predisposed to violence and abuse of power...
Burgess does pose a most interesting question in his work - "Is a man who chooses to be bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?"
I love the freezeframe at 24:07 where David Prowse is sitting directly under himself (in the poster) as Darth Vader. What's even cooler is that the wine bottle next to Prowse mimics the exact silhouette of Vader!
It's almost as if Kubrick directed this video.
good eye!
Malcolm McDowell got this role after starring in 1968's "If...." It is one of my top 5 favorite movies. I highly recommend it.
I’d highly recommend the Kubrick masterpiece “Barry Lyndon” A beautifully shot period film based upon the novel by Thackeray.
Barry Lyndon is so often overlooked. It's maybe my favorite of his, tied with 2001.
yup, barry lyndon is great, for some reason it always reminded me of milo and otis, the narrator trying to explain the reason barry is doing this or that
Cinematography is brilliant, but the narrative is boring...I blame Thackeray.
@@flarrfan I agree. The cinematography and the costumes of Barry Lyndon are excellent, making the film a great period piece, but the story is weak. Most of the characters are unlikable, including the protagonist. It mostly follows the protagonist from one misadventure to another without an overall direction (lack of primary conflict to drive the story and characters). The narrator also gives too much away, even spoiling what will happen several times and eliminating the suspense, which I found strange because it is such an easily avoidable mistake.
I admire Stanley Kubrick a lot, and he is one of my favorite directors, but he was not perfect. Barry Lyndon had excellent cinematography and costumes, but not a good story to keep one invested for over 3 hours of running time.
@@hellohi821 - Interesting to read your argument, and @Kent Weissinger, that there is a lack of central story which makes for a boring narrative.
I can understand that lack of plot can rub people the wrong way. It just so happens that any lack of story is actually what I like about this movie. It is a bio-pic about the life of a man, and that life unfolds as it happens, in the process making Barry a capable opportunist.
Funny that you think they were no controversial films like this at the time. The 1970’s were actually a great period for controversial storytelling. Stories like Midnight Cowboy, All The President’s Men, Easy Rider, Dog Day Afternoon and more were filling theaters. That being said, the year A Clockwork Orange was nominated for Best Picture, multiple people refused to present the Best Picture Award because they didn’t want the film to win and it was considered the big contender for winning that year.
Well said!
1970s the year of Marlon Brando,a piece of butter and a Parisian beauty.....check out Last Tango In Paris.
A few interesting facts about this film:
1) The original cut of this film was given a X rating, but has since been lost. So, believe it or not, you watched the R-rated version.
2) This film was/is so shocking, it is still banned in a few countries, including the UK, but I think that was recently lifted. Stanley Kubrick himself banned it in the UK after receiving numerous death threats.
3) The original rough cut was about 4 hr 30 min long, and after cutting the excess footage, Kubrick ordered one of his PAs to burn it, so no one knows for sure what that footage contained.
Also, the "language" Alex and his Droogs speak is called Nadsat, which is fictional slang created by the book's author, Anthony Burgess ("Droog" basically means "friend"). It's essentially a combination of bastardized Russian and English words.
And, if you'd like to continue watching Kubrick films, I highly recommend Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut... but you may need to do a lot of censoring for EWS.
Not to be pedantic but the film was never "banned" in the UK, but you are completely correct to say it was withdrawn by Kubrick, for the reasons you gave.
"Nadsat" is Russian for teen.
Kubrick adapted the novel quite faithfully, though he was obliged to clean up Alex's habits a bit - the girls he meets in the record store are around 11 (he r*pes them), and he enjoys running over small animals in his stolen car. Anthony Burgess wrote the novel after his wife was assaulted by muggers. It was written in 1960, and this story was (probably) set in the 80s or 90s. The world of "Clockwork" is like 1984-Lite - a dreary place with a government that actively preys on people and a system that creates loathsome hoodlums like Alex and his "droogs". Not too far off from our world, minus the Russian and Neo-Elizabethan slang.
I'm surprised Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977) hasn't been mentioned in these comments, on the roster of disturbing 1970s films. (That would be a good one for you, Ollie!) I personally found Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986) difficult to watch, due at least in part to the sudden onset of flu and fever that I was experiencing while watching the film in the movie theater. It's hard for me to see snippets of that movie even today without feeling a wave of nausea! Day of the Locust (1975), which nobody seems to remember now, also goes completely and violently off-the-rails and at the end, as I recall.
Eraserhead is such a tough watch for me. I saw it in the early 80’s, when I was around 16 or 17 & I have yet to watch it again. I’d seen plenty of strange, avant-garde type films, so it’s not like I was sheltered or anything.
I know I should probably watch it again, but there’s just something about that film that truly disturbs me & I have no interest in doing so.
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 With the amount of time that Ollie spent talking about the unsettling camera work and elements in Clockwork, Eraserhead would likely drive him mad. Eraserhead is a masterpiece for evoking a visceral reaction from the viewer. Truly the epitome of "unsettling".
Him: This is the most unsetteling movie I have ever seen.
Me: Bring in Mr. Lynch.
Ooh! I love that Moog synthesizer soundtrack by Wendy Carlos. That opening shot of the malevolent stare of " Alex" is a classic.
I'm 12:35 in and man oh man, your reaction is classic! Have to go to the dentist....can't wait to come back and finish it up! The spitting scene: Kubrick is famous for doing ungodly amounts of takes, sometimes taking days (or weeks!) to shoot a single shot. The spitting was done over and over and over again, everyone taking turns spitting at Malcom McDowell until it landed "just right"! OOF!! The things we do for Stanley! 😂 Thanks for doing this difficult but incredible movie!!!!!! I know it must have been a pain to edit!
At 42:10, you mention this unsettling quality of ordinary things being made to seem odd and unsettling, a kind of "Uncanny Valley" thing. The playwright Berthold Brecht used the term "estrangement" to describe this deliberate alienation-effect. Btw, I really enjoyed your reactions to A Clockwork Orange, and even more, your thoughtful analysis. Thumbs up!
Malcom McDowell is such a great underated actor, who sadly got stuck with villain roles. The first time I saw him (back in my teen years) was in Star Trek Generations where he played the movie antagonist, but he couldn't do much with the stereotypical role given to him.
He was also of course played the title role in Caligula.
The title refers to a mechanical orange that has the look and feel of an actual orange but none of the juice or flesh within. Alex is like a clockwork Orange in that he looks human but lacks the moral fibre within and is only the sum of his parts and those who operate the mechanisms that warp his mind one way or the other. Your observation about the music contrasting with the tone of the imagery also could apply to Alex who becomes an upstanding citizen by all accounts but there's something not quite right about it, he's not exactly moral, just incapable of immoral behaviour. The power he exerted over his victims in the beginning has been reversed as the State exerts its power over him as it attempts to create an ideal society, but it doesn't feel ideal at all. PS: The guy who moved in with Alex's parents is David Prowse who was the man and body behind the mask of Darth Vader in the original trilogy.
@@Jack-Shat ask yourself who wrote the book, or who directed the film and who just acted in it, then ask which one related more to the theme presented in both. THEN tell me why it's utterly impossible for both to be valid interpretations.
@@Jack-Shat you are both kind right at the same time, the title comes from a old slang "queer as a clockwork orange", if you look for the phrase you will find this: It is something, bizarre, odd, unusual(you were right about this part), Cockney phrase from East London indicating something bizarre internally, but appearing natural and normal on the surface. Author Anthony Burgess appropriated the phrase for the title of his novella A Clockwork Orange(the other guy was kind right too you see).
Great analysis! Kubrick worked miracles with such a tiny budget for this film. 1971 was a pretty great year for movies overall--in addition to A Clockwork Orange there was also Shaft, The French Connection, Harold and Maude, Taking Off, Klute, Dirty Harry, Bananas, The Last Picture Show...TRIVIA: the only song Malcolm McDowell knew was 'Singing In The Rain' and after watching McDowell do an improv dance while singing it, Kubrick bought the rights from MGM to use for the rape scene.
Damn. That’s a good year!
I remember when Malcolm McDowell was the hot young British actor. The Malcolm McDowell films I would recommend are O Lucky Man! from 1973 and Time After Time from 1979.
“These are really iconic outfits, I can’t wait to find out what they’re for 😊” Hahaha so innocent
This movie was banned in my home province for two years after it was released. When I finally got to see it I was not disappointed in the least. I've seen it dozens of times and the soundtrack is particularly good.
Before the MPAA ratings they had the Hays Code which was brutal. Bad guys always had to lose, cops couldn't be corrupt, they couldn't make a lot of stuff that we would find OK for not just PG-13 but just PG movies. When it was repealed in 1952, things started to loosen up. "Psycho" was considered graphic and shocking in 1960. As TV became popular and the old blockbuster Westerns and Musicals failed to pack theaters, daring, shocking, and experimental cinema became something new and interesting that TV couldn't provide. Kubrick's earlier "Lolita" (1962) and other 60's movies like "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) "Easy Rider" and "The Wild Bunch" (both 1969) were revolutionary and influential in pushing the boundaries of shocking subject matter.
"In 1971, you don't really have this insanely disturbing..."
Oops! Stop right there!
I'm 60 years old. I learned all my cuss words at the drive-in in the early 1970's. Why? Partly because I lived in a U.S. society which strongly discouraged adults or kids cussing. Partly because the only media we had was either print, radio, TV, or movies and they were extremely censored if you were below the age of 18. That's why we snuck in the drive-in ; )
But also, and especially because, only a few years prior to 1971, the Hays Code had finally gone away, and we got the ratings system we have now with G, PG, R, and X.
At that time, film directors, writers, producers, etc. who had been VERY restricted with what they could show on screen for decades went nuts with freedom. They went as far as they could in the opposite direction of older, classic era films. There were LOTS of "insanely disturbing" and some really amazing films made between the last half of the 1960's and 1977, when "Star Wars" came out. When "Star Wars" was a huge hit, the pendulum of what could and could not be shown swung slowly back to moneymaking, but shallow and unrealistic, films (thinking of you, Marvel Universe).
Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars and the Marvel Universe for what they are. I read Marvel comics back when all their storylines were just illustrations, and was there for the very "first" Star Wars in '77.
But, those films are all essentially for children (and the precious Chinese market which does not want sex or deep thought, but more explosions and superhero's, please). In the late '60's and most of the '70's there were LOTS of Mature, adult, disturbing (as in deeper thinking, difficult subject matter, and, yeah, sometimes lots more sex) films.
Some that come to mind off the top of my head:
1. Midnight Cowboy
2. Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
3. M*A*S*H*
4. Catch-22
5. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
6. Pink Flamingoes
7. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
8. The Last Picture Show
9. Dawn of the Dead
10. Superfly
11. The Exorcist
And there are many, many more. The culture of the time was chaotic. Many people compare that period to what's going on now, and they have a point. People by 1971 had seen war protests, heard rock music that was so, so, so different from the smooth, orchestrated tunes they had grown up with. Saw hippies and the Manson Family and didn't know how to tell them apart. The era was anything but tranquil, so people were actually used to being shocked by the time "Clockwork" came along. I will say, it set the bar of "disturbing movie" higher than it had been for a mainstream film. Stanley Kubrick would be proud to know you were upset, but thoughtful about it.
"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" that's a lot of good old-fashioned fun for the whole gang.
great list!
@@TJinMO Thanks!
@@krosewall Yes, that's pretty much it. Younger people don't know about the cinema revolution in the 60's and 70's. They think anything before the year 1990 was all like the 1950's. Nope.
If you want dark, 71's "Little Murders" is pretty bleak.
Well, let's be honest, Ollie.... after you've watched THIS movie.... pretty much any other movie should be a piece of cake to watch. LMAO!
I've seen worse. Far more disturbing. Don't try 'Eden Lake (2008). I am not recommending it at all. But those who want to broaden their knowledge of disturbing films may relish the ghoulish rotten depictions.
@@MikeGreenwood51 Oh, I just put that on my watch-list. I am honestly looking for the most "hard core" disturbing films ever made. Thank you for the suggestion!
Philip Stone who played Alex’s father also was Grady in The Shining.
Hooray!!!! This is definitely one of the greatest films ever. We used to watch it tripping on DXM. The first time i took LSD I tried to watch this. I only made it to the part where they bust into the old man's house. The laughing was crazy and it just seemed to echo into an infinite void. You have to watch it at least a couple of times just to figure out their crazy slang, but its worth it.
McDowell is a fantastic actor. I recommend the 1978 movie "Time After Time", where he plays H.G. Wells, chasing Jack the Ripper through Wells' time machine into present day San Francisco, trying to prevent him from continuing his murder spree.
Saw it twice in the early 70s. We loved it! And we were in middle school! Fell in love with the platinum blonde. The synth score even was added to music class. Shocking? We had films like Exorcist, Mean Streets, even comedies like Blazing Saddles might have disturbed some. But people back then had thicker skins than people today and it was a freer more open-minded era. Maybe because we were exposed to real-life as opposed to internet life. We took it all in stride. Today, movies are safe and inoffensive. Closest thing I've seen to a "disturbing" movie today was JOKER...but not to those of us who'd seen KING OF COMEDY and TAXI DRIVER.
P.S. check out McDowell as HG Wells in TIME AFTER TIME. Another great performance that's a 180 from ORANGE. And a great double-feature with THE TIME MACHINE (original).
Another Kubrick? Never caught THE SHINING?
The "teeth watered" creepoid is Alex's juvenile probation officer, the character known as Mr. Deltoid. Alex is the leader of a gang of juvenile criminals which he refers to as his "droogs".
Yes, that was really done to him.
The guy with the dropper is a real eye doctor to protect him, but they still scratched his corneas.
(8:47) That IS Alex's bedroom.
The bedroom with the creepy probation officer is Alex's parent's bedroom ...hence the glass of water with the false teeth in, at the bedside in that scene.
It's been so long since I seen this movie & it was hard to watch. I have a negative perspective of it but this reaction made me appreciate it more. Wow.. what a movie.. so crazy
The "circle walk" is a recreation of a Gustave Dore painting titled "Prisoners' Round". Anyone know? Are any other shots in Clockwork recreated works of art?
Of the few movies that embody anarchy, a lot were made in the '70s, and this is one of the best.
not the TEETH WATER!!!! Loved your reaction to that most of all! This is a very entertaining reaction video. Had a great chuckle. Thanks!
Fun fact: if you were really confused sometimes by the dialogue and what people were saying you were not the only one ✅ because this movie is based on a book and in the book for some reason everyone speaks in this future talk that is like a combination of cockney British English and also Russian 🤷♂️ Lol for years I didn’t realize it also 😂
In the novel it is revealed early on that he is 12.
Saw this film in 1971 after my college freshman philosophy prof recommended the film. I was 17 and had never seen anything like it and instantly was fascinated by the movie. It was rated X when first released. My girlfriend at the time refused to go see it with me. I bought the vinyl soundtrack. Side note - Had seen 2001 when I was 14. It took a few viewings and maturity to appreciate it.
His eyes were scratched by that device, he was actually stuck with a needle while getting a shot, he did almost drown filming that scene in the woods, as you see there was no cut in the film.
At the bar, they drank Milk+, which is milk plus drugs, like LSD or whatever, so they were as high as could be, during their nightly adventures.
I think that Alex's final fantasy sequence means that the 9th Symphony now, actually inspires him to commit more crimes and have strong sexual urges. Like the doctors had to counter his previous brainwash, unknowingly pushing him to the other extreme.
Also you're right, the bell is a Beethoven tune, holy sh#t, I've seen this movie many times and didn't catch on that, brilliant.
Could it be that Alex the deviant criminal violent thug is inspired to be nauseatingly violent to his favourite music which happens to be Beethoven's.
I completely relate to the light-headed, queasy feeling. When I saw this movie for the first time (all alone, no less!), I almost felt like I was drowning at times, and at the end I was literally paralyzed. I could not get off the couch, my mind was blown. And right before that I had seen another great mindblowing, disturbing (though not AS disturbing) movie, "All That Jazz". Those who know that one will attest: that's one helluva double feature for a young person to take in all at once!!!! So....congratulations! Ok, enough from me!
Yeah, I remember All That Jazz being a pretty tough watch.
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 Fantastic, dazzling movie though. Not nearly as disturbing as "Clockwork", but definitely as surreal and weird!
The music is G. Rossini Ouverture from "La Gazza Ladra"
a clockwork orange means a useless object as a man would be like a clockwork orange without freewill. the film was banned for almost 30years in England. the first time I watched it I was hooked on it. I now have a full costume and wear it to Halloween parties. well done for watching the film and getting it😎👍
Not officially banned in the UK, it was withdrawn by Kubrick after press hysteria about supposedly copycat crimes. The film had been on release for months and anyone who wanted to see it had probably seen it at least once by then.
Great reactions and this reaction as well. Good interpretation of the movie too. I think you would really like Barry Lyndon. It is an underappreciated Kubrick masterpiece. Underappreciated is really a strong word as most of Kubrick's films are highly regarded, but within his filmography it's always 2001, Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Dr. Strangelove that are most talked about. I would argue Barry Lyndon is his second best film after 2001 and it is my second favorite probably after 2001. It's really visually gorgeous and has been more highly appraised in recent years like in the Sight and Sound poll of the greatest films. If I remember correctly it was the second highest Kubrick film on the director's list and the 2nd or 3rd highest on the critics list.
Was nominated for various Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director
Wholesome family fun!!!
Even Bart Simpson dressed like "Little" Alex in one of the Halloween Specials.
@@undergroundwarrior70 the first time I saw Bart with his Alex's eye it was like "chef's kiss"
@@lazyatthedisco So true! That scene was the best part of that episode. Had me laughing so hard!
@@undergroundwarrior70 The Simpsons has parodied A Clockwork Orange a bunch of times. I remember also the two cupcakes scene, with Bart trying to touch them from below lol. Or Santa's Little Helper going through the cure procedure 😆
@@lazyatthedisco Wel, well, well, well my droogie. I missed those on the tele. Must been real horrorshow to viddy.
You need to check out the movie 1941 Steven Spielberg. Written by John Milius Director of Conan the Barbarian. You know Spielberg, Lucas, and Milius all went to college together.
1941 did not do well in the theaters when released. But it is a very well done film, and very hilarious with an excellent cast! One of my top favorites.
Viddy well my little brother viddy well
Had to see this movie in a film class in college...unsettling.
that turntable is a Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference Turntable designed in 64 no doubt picked because of its looks.
"I was cured, all right."
Here we go again...
Kubrick was a genius. Even though Steven King never liked how he interpreted the Shining. The shining stands alone from all horror/thrillers
I would honestly say that people today are more easily offended and shocked. You have to remember, in 1971, 20,000 American kids had been killed in Vietnam in the previous 18 months. Protesters clashed with police on the nightly news, and the Tate/Labianca murders had gripped the attention of the nation 2 years prior. 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde" really opened the flood gates for super realistic depictions of violence, so a 1971 audience likely took A Clockwork Orange in stride. The 70's would see some amazing films from up and coming directors before the corporate studio system clamped back down on things in the 90's, giving us the watered down franchises we sit through today. Coppola's The Godfather came out in 1972, Scorsese's Taxi Driver came out in 1976, and so on. The 70's was a much more artistically rich time for cinema than today. Audiences appreciated filmmakers that pushed the envelope.
This movie is unsettling because it's a comedy and everyone acts as if there in one..yet everything happening is dark...Excellent review, with Kubrick one of his little seen best is Barry Lyndon..long , slow, and beautiful with great soundtrack.
Bravo! Love this movie. Glad you enjoyed it.
Malcolm McDowell debuted in this film, and the sheer gusto and joy his character took in being bad astounded critics, especially since Kubrick movies are usually cold and antiseptic.
But McDowell's Alex DeLarge leaped off the screen with more life than any 10 normal movies. And he was instantly compared to Jimmy Cagney and his 30s gangster movies. And he stayed in demand as an actor until his death. The guy was great.
Read the book. It has a glossary in the back that translates the slang.
One of my favorite movies. A movie that's actually about something (all sorts of philosophical issues).
When Dim and Billy boy are taking Alex into the woods at 21:55 there numbers are 665 and 667 making Alex in between……
Regarding the title, as you asked what it means: it's a metaphor, for turning something natural and organic into something mechanical. In the words of the novel's author himself, Anthony Burgess: "...the forced marriage of an organism to a mechanism, of a living thing, growing, sweet, juicy, to a cold, dead artifact. Is that solely a concept of a nightmare?"
@ 34:34 I was 16 in '71 when my dad took us to see Clockwork Orange. He explained to me it was about the near future (around the 90s) where many gangs formed, causing all this trouble. Clockwork wasn't felt as too gross to watch, even then. Though it was disturbing! In fact it's very tame compared to many movies that came after. Clockwork was amazing to me, disturbing and unsettling! Near the end, I think the psyche testing the doctor was doing was to show Alex still thought the same criminal thoughts even after the mind treatment he got. It didn't change his heart, just made him hurt a lot if he acted violent. You noticed how they hired his two former gang members when they became of "job age" with qualifications already instilled in them from being a gangster! But as you pointed out the soundtrack was totally different and classical, like in Kubrick's previous hit "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 1968 and one you must do someday soon. You may have noticed the soundtrack album of 2001, Kubrick was plugging, in the emporium scene here just before 8:25. I purchased both soundtrack albums shortly after his two movies here were released.
Ollie if you're going to do "2001" don't expect a fast-paced action thriller or anything like a Star Wars. It is _THE_ scifi movie that set the standard for future awesome films like Star Wars, Interstellar and many others now, and why it's worth a watch. It is bizarre, mysterious, cerebral and may leave you feeling there should be a sequel as it did a lot of us back then. Some people didn't like it, but many more did. I couldn't get enough of it when it came out largely because it was released when the Apollo moon effort was back underway after the tragedy of the Apollo One fire. And it gave those in the troubling year '68, and even now, a look at what a well developed space based society could be like.
However, if you do 2001 definitely do its long awaited sequel "2010: The Year We Make Contact" (1984). 2010 was written by Kubrick's 2001 co-writer Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote the four books on the saga basically called 2001, 2010, 2061 and 3001. I think you will like the sequel a lot too. 🖖😎
This movies is an amazing commentary on social conditioning, and how in order to protect free will, psychopaths needs to be psychopaths and that’s good for the politicians, they even shake hands.
In my country this movie was petty much banned from TV on the 80s.
Something to think about: Alex was a horrible person. Everyone around him was even more horrible, making him the least horrible. Where does that leave us?
The time setting is about "the year 2000" as imagined in 1971.
Tarantino referenced A Clockwork Orange with the Japanese Yakuza with the masks they wore in Kill Bill. Volume One. The film was rated X in the theaters. The book comes with a glossary since there are words that are invented by the author Anthony Burgess that he invented like droog. Malcolm McDowell played some good roles like in If, Time After Time,Caligula,and the remake of Halloween. In the book, Alex is 15 years old and the ending he is reformed but Kubrick did not read the final edition of the book and even so would not have changed the ending. Unsetting? Try The Human Centipede trilogy,A Serbian Film,Naked Blood,Martyrs, or the French film Inside. Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible is a TOUGH watch too!
There is an alternate ending of the novel by Anthony Burgess, but I think it is hard to find. The alternate ending that Alex is married, I think he has children and has a good job. He is walking home or to work and he runs into Pete. They start having a conversation and talk about a bit what they did in the past, they realized what they did in the past was wrong. Pete is also married and he is working as well. Some people who read the alternate ending liked it and some did not.
A lot of the slang in the film is Russian. The Soviets were the big bad during the Cold War. This was to be in the near future from 1971. I think it was seen as youth rebelling by adapting it or it was subliminally planted in their music. Молоко (moloko) milk, друг (droog) friend мальчик (malchick) boy, девочка (devochka) girl, хорошо (koh-row-show) ok and corrupted to horror show.
Did you notice later Dim is officer 665 and Pete is 667. What does that make Alex between them ;)
Btw The Simpsons have made fun of this film repeatedly. Bart reaching for the cupcakes and then collapsing from “the sickness” is hysterical.
I had to read the book for philosophy class in college. It has it's own little dictionary, so you can understand what the droogs are saying. For example: Horrorshow means good
That's what I was going to say. If I hadn't read it first with the dictionary I would never have understood this film.
@@TJinMO I saw the film first time at the theater in 1973 when I was 17, and I did understood the nadsat language in the film before reading the novel. After seeing the film a few times I did read the novel, but in the novel there were some of the nadsat language that I did not understand because it was not used in the film. It's my all time favorite film by Stanley Kubrick.
So glad I found this one! 💥
Dude, I saw this film at the age of 12 lol. I stayed up after my parent went to sleep, snuck downstairs and watched it on HBO at like midnight. To this day it one of my absolute favorite films. I've also read the book, which, by the way, has a completely different ending than the film. Oddly, the final chapter, in which Alex truly changes for the good (or at least begins the process), was omitted from the U.S. publication. Thank goodness too, because the final chapter comes across as wishful and disingenuous. It's simply not believable.
I have a very sharp memory of how icky and weird the "Singing in the Rain" scene made be feel when I first saw the movie.
By the way, two of the actors in this film appear in the wonderful but hilariously bad "Hawk the Slayer" 👍
The most dangerous person in this film is the minister of the interior.
Just consider that this film is enormously disturbing--even 50 years after it was produced. The question about what should be done with people like Alex is just as relevant now as it was a half century ago.
You mentioned that you have seen Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and The Shining (1980). Other films directed by Stanley Kubrick that I have seen and recommend include The Killing (1956), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
I too was very disturbed by this movie when I first saw it (I was too young to appreciate it). When I got to college and began to study primary, secondary and tertiary conditioning, I gained a new-found respect for the themes of this movie.
This is one of those movies that you watch and you can’t believe what you’re seeing. I only saw it once when I was 14, and it was so freaky that I never wanted to see it again.
Orange = Orangutan = Ape
Clockwork = Mechanical = Robot
Back when directors made challenging content and not entertainment dribble. The language that Alex uses is called "Nadsat", and was invented by the author of the novel that this film was adapted from. By the way, the speculation on the title "A Clockwork Orange' a natural object that is transformed by technology - Alex is the Orange and the treatment the tech for transformation.
The Nadsat lingo is actually a mixture of Russian and East End Cockney slang.
Nice! Although the novel IS an absolute must-read, we can see that Kubrick's correction makes it better, precisely as it does with The Shining.
The language they use is supposed to be a result of Russian influence on a Dystopian England, with Russian words and rhyming slang. Called Nadsat, it was an invention by the author Anthony Burgess.
Malcolm really got hurt while he was making this movie. His corneas got scratched, he was injured after that actress did the needle abd he got a,broken rib when that guy kicked him.
One of the best movies ever made. Right, right ?
Right, right droogie. Me? I am going to take an afternoon spatchka so I can get ready for this noche to go to the Old Moloko Milk Plus Mesto and drink the old moloko milk plus to sharpen my gulliver for the evening.
I wouldn’t say the movie is really, exactly, outside of the norm for '70s movies. Movies with cool rough and iconoclast characters was the norm in the '70s; the ball basically gets going with Bonnie And Clyde in '67, and it keeps rolling throughout the '70s. The '70s is one of the wilder times for movies, like, pornos for a bit were mainstream in the '70s; (and kind of at the end of the '60s) they didn’t stay that way, but for a moment they were.
A Clockwork Orange was also a big mainstream hit. Was up for Oscars...lost to The French Connection. It’s wide release is the same year Deliverance comes out. As far as I know it’s always been extremely well regarded. When I was a kid in the '90s this movie used to play at night all the time on HBO.
I only saw this for the first time two years ago. I never felt I was "ready" for it before. I'm not sure I actually was.
He actually refused. That whole eye locks scene, but Kubrick, being the jerk that he was, MADE him do that. Malcolm really git hurt after that scene, his corneas actually got scratched. Avd along with that injury he also got a broken rib when that guy was kicking him and he also got some kind of injury when that actress used that needle on him.
I think of 1970s cinema as peak disturbing. I always related it to Vietnam War, still happening at this moment and young people strongly interested in art and society delved deep into questions on the nature of violence (like Taxi Driver, lead character was Vietnam vet.) I also found Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut disturbing, yet interesting. Paths of Glory is one of my favorites.
Oh my. I would never have suggested this movie. I saw just a few minutes of it once, I think on HBO or something, and I had to change the channel. I could not watch it. I regret the little bit I saw, and yet I am glad I did not expose myself to the rest. I believe this is a good example of...just because it's on film, doesn't mean it has to be watched.
The guy sitting on the bed is his probation officer.
This movie was banned in England for years bc there were a series of copycat crimes after it's release.
Now for the Human Centipede 😱
Clockwork is a masterpiece...human centipede was just grim and nauseousness for shock.
I've found most people that don't like it because the villan gets away with it so to speak. People don't like that, but they miss the point of the film.
The trick is to realize this is a comedy.
Glad you watched this. Stanley Kubrick is a genius, my second favorite director of all time and his A Clockwork Orange and The Shining are two of my all time favorite films ever (Full Metal Jacket is high on my list too). This movie makes you very uncomfortable, its ultra weird and I've always loved it. The Nadsat language they use in the film is one of the main things that interested me when I first caught this on cable late one night when I was 16. Its a mix of Russian and Slavic I believe. I'm glad I am back, ive been away for awhile helping with my dad who passed recently an haven't really been able to watch videos. I got a lot of catching up to do with your videos, ive always really enjoyed your reactions. I hope you're having a good week.
There is one sympathetic "character" in the film...Beethoven's music. It is actually a character in the overall plot as much as the disturbing flesh and blood human actors...
Read the book by Anthony Burgess. The ending is much more satisfying in the book.
Well you already did this . This was by far the most controversial movie from an A list Director in the 1970s . The most controversial of the 80s ? David Lynch’s Blue Velvet . I recommend it . You after all are a Reactor .
There are no dream sequences in this movie, don't know why you're tripping on his bedroom...Glad you survived the experience. And yes, it was very shocking in 1971 (rated X at the time). Keep on rockin
Oh yes... kubricks's framing is very "Wes Anderson" ... 😂. I just can't stop laughing everytime I waste money on patreon thinking they might appreciate the piece
The slang is based on Russian. "Horrorshow" is from Russian "khorosho", which means good. "Droogies" is from Russian "droog", which means friend. "spachka" is sleep, from Russian "spat'". "Moloko" is milk. "Gulliver" is from "golova", head.
The novel this is based on is on practically every list of the best 100 novels of the 20th century.
There's an extra chapter in the book where he actually gets cured, but they preferred the dark ending.