Dis To The System
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Aubrey Morris
Director: Stanley Kubrick
A bit off. Really off, actually. This bizarre tale set in the future sends so many messages that, paradoxically, there is none. Perhaps that is the point. Or is there a point? These and many other questions go through your mind as the action unfolds before your eyes in A Clockwork Orange.
Narrated by a thug named Alex (McDowell), the film details how he and his “boys” have a little bit of fun during the evening after school. Things such as beating up an old drunk, beating up rival gang members, breaking in, raping and beating up some homeowners- well, you get the point. His “boys” eventually rebel under his stern rule and betray him, and Alex ends up arrested, tried, and put into prison.
Figuring that being a nice guy will get him out quick, he studies religion. Hearing of a new “process” that will accelerate his freedom even more, he begs entry. Well, be careful for what you wish for, Alex.
I won’t give away more than that. A Clockwork Orange is a dark and cynical tale, taking the worst of human nature and holding it up for all to see. The sets are unique, colorful and jarring, and the costumes/dress equally “futuristic”. Acting is sturdy, oversized, and exaggerated, holding a tone and sticking with it.
A Clockwork Orange is shocking and brutal for its time, and now for that matter. While the lead is unsympathetic (a thug is a thug, even if he is semi-cultured), you at least appreciate how and why he got the way he is. Maybe.
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