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16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kubrick's forbidden fruit... a cinematic gem., 29 Feb 2008
Trapped somewhere between the rigid, socio-political, part allegorical anti-violence parable that forms the core of Anthony Burgess's original, watershed tome and the screaming pop-art exuberance, come visceral bleakness of Kubrick's vision, we find A Clockwork Orange; grimacing away behind a false eyelash whilst calmly sipping at a glass of milky moloko plus. Whilst this works primarily as an exercise in the continuation of Kubrick's "2001" (sci-fi) stylisations; with large chunks of the author's innovatively defined arguments augmented by the inclusion of eclectic visual iconography - traversing the decades to give us the antique, the kitsch, the camp and the graphically futuristic - the core humanitarian debate that initially inspired the author can still be seen as a reflection in the eyes of those wildly caricatured performances.
The film, and of course to a greater extent, the book, can be seen as an interpretation of the ultimate 60's social dilemma (spared on by World War II, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, etc), being that 'if man cannot choose freely between animalistic violence and the power of rational thought, does he in effect, cease to be a man?' Kubrick and Burgess choose as the focal point of their story a youthful and remorseless street punk, who seems incapable of possessing any feeling divorced from his own self-serving point of view and yet, somehow, through the insightful (and all too relevant) depth of the film's moral debate (and, of course, the central performance from the great Malcolm McDowell), manages to become a tragic and deeply sympathetic creature; able to present both the pros and cons of a central treatise that is, after all, so essential to the film's success.
This would be the main bone-of-contention when the film was initially released, with many critics claiming that Kubrick was somehow glorifying violence, rape and anti-social activity, by presenting this portrait of a dystopian, teenage rebellion, through the eyes of a goose-stepping, twelve-stepping, totalitarian, who not only shows wit, intelligence and charm throughout his escapades, but also narrates said exploits to the audience in a way that somehow makes us his droog-like co-conspirators. There's also the point of Kubrick's direction, which is here giddy, exciting, unhinged and certainly not what you would expect from a seasoned filmmaker in his early 40's. The whole visual and ideological aesthetic of the film makes the action seem like the ultimate rush of adrenalin, with the film cutting between operatic slow motion, high-speed camp, lethargic zooms, hand-held confusion, fish-eye-lenses, severely anachronistic stock-footage, rear-projection and musical montage; all of which is referenced directly from Toshio Matsumoto's classic pop-art masterpiece, Funeral Parade of Roses (1968).
Understandably, the film - as with the book - unfolds in an alien landscape that is a reflection of the present day, but also something much more prophetic; with the director allowing the drama to play out against a backdrop of dilapidated 70's production design juxtaposed alongside surreal interiors that are here adorned with plastic flowers, gaudy coloured wall-paper, naked milk-dispensing mannequins and groovy coloured lighting. This jars against the stylistic realisation of Kubrick's previous films - the cold and stark space stations of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), or the black and white majesty of Strangelove's war-room - with the film, instead, attempting to visualise the absurdity of Burgess's polemic and the stark, stylised, theatrical nature of its text. Certain aspect of Kubrick's realisation of the film could perhaps seem a little dated; with the high-speed sex scene and the costume design in particular, making the whole thing look like something more akin to "Carry on Kubrick" than the regal flair familiar from something like Barry Lyndon (1975) or The Shining (1980). However, for me, the film's power lies in its boundless energy, dangerous charisma and unpredictable atmosphere, which sees it shift uncontrollably from moments of dark comedy to punishing brutality.
Of course, it's not particularly violent in a gory sense, but more foreboding, menacing and threatening in a lingering sort of way; much like the fact that The Shining, as a horror film, isn't all that terrifying, but more suggestive. Like the majority of Kubrick's work, A Clockwork Orange is incredibly bleak and crushingly austere, with the examination of these characters and situations presented in a highly clinical fashion like insects beneath a microscope. For me, it's one of the masterpiece works of the 1970's, fusing Kubrick's jaw-dropping stylisations with Burgess's landmark look at man's capacity for violence (which sadly, seems more relevant now than it ever did before), whilst also offering great cinematography, editing, production design, iconography, music, and the performances from everyone involved (including a number of now highly recognisable British TV veterans).
If you are thinking of seeing this film without having read the book, then I urge you to seek out Burgess's original text beforehand. The images that the book creates within our mind are far more staggering and psychologically lingering than anything Kubrick could create, despite the fact that the two disparate texts still manage to complement each other perfectly. A Clockwork Orange remains a bold and imaginative film that presents an interesting and all too pertinent social dilemma in a way that makes for great and entirely thought-provoking entertainment.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good as it's likely to get, 3 Feb 2009
I love this movie. I practically grew up with this movie, having started watching it sometime in my mid-teens (I'm 40 this year). This makes the third time I've bought a copy of my own (the first being an old video of it -- coincidentally the very one I'd originally rented from the video store!). The last one I got was a 2-disc collector's type thing in a fancy box with a film frame and a CD of the soundtrack...but little else.
So, it was with considerable excitement when I saw this newest version. Really, the Malcolm McDowell commentary alone would've been enough to hook me; since the advent of DVD I've been wanting that to happen. As it turned out, that would've been worth the price of admission. Normally, I'm a bit wary of actor commentaries, as they tend to drag without some form of moderator. Fortunately that role is taken here by 'Historian Nick Redman,' about whom I know nothing, but clearly knows what he's doing. He keeps McDowell going at a steady clip through the entire film, and we're rewarded for those efforts with countless tidbits about our favourite head droog, the enigmatic director, and a number of the cast.
As I said, the commentary would've been enough to make me buy this again. However, this edition comes with a fairly satisfying 2nd DVD of documentary featurettes. There's a Channel Four doc called 'Still Tickin': The Return of A Clockwork Orange,' which seems to have been produced to coincide with the re-release of the film in Britain. It's good and interesting, but feels a little thrown together and features some 'names' from when the featurette was made who are a little less potent in their presence now. Then there is one just for the disc that really runs over every aspect of the film, from conception of the project (and the book, for that matter) to release and re-release. This one, called 'Great Bolshy Yarblockos: Making A Clockwork Orange,' is the one to watch, and should answer practically any question the less-than-obsessed viewer might have. Lastly, there is a McDowell career retrospective called 'O Lucky Malcolm,' which is interesting for what it is, but kind of smacks of contract-deal ('I'll do your bloody commentary, but you're going to have to do something for me...'). Still, any fan of this movie is, I suspect, a fan of McDowell as well and so will receive this tribute openly.
Overall, I don't imagine we'll ever get a better edition of 'A Clockwork Orange,' save if they reunite the four droogs for a cast commentary. I won't hold my breath...but I'll probably buy that one too should it happen! In the meantime, this is a great set for a wonderfully twisted film. If you like it and don't own this version, be a bit ashamed.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
and subtitles ?, 4 Jun 2008
Could anyone help pwith subtitles? Postuguese?
amazon must know subtitles are important for people outside UK and US
thanks for help.
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