Clockwork Orange [DVD] [1971] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This review is for the bluray.

This film could so easily fall victim to its own hype because of its history, the reaction to its unveiling, the oscars, the was it banned or just withdrawn? - but it manages to rise above that and stand as a monument to its era, with a message on crime and punishment, that still has something to say to us today. Despite coming out in 1971 it somehow screams 'sixties' to me.

I've never seen this film before. As a teenager I read the book, at least twice. Even then I was part enthralled, part repelled; by the casual violence, the state intervention and the end result. So I recently bought the bluray and my reaction was pretty much the same. The film has a mesmeric quality about it. The 'ultraviolence,' the exclusive language, the use of music and the strange clothes. It was very carefully choreographed, particularly in the fighting and rape scenes, which for me at least gave a detached view, almost like watching a musical. The scenes in the milk bar were very much stranger than anything I managed to imagine from the book. If you haven't seen it you are definitely missing an experience you wont forget quickly.

Picture Quality was pretty good for a film of this age. Colours were good, particularly flesh tones, and the contrast was very good with the white clothes and strong coloured interiors. Some of the household interiors were quite psychedelic. Grain is evident much of the time, but for me at least it didn't detract from enjoyment of the film. It seemed to lend it an authentic feel.

Audio quality was good - there is an uncompressed pcm 5.1 track as well as a dolby digital 5.1 one. Sound is biased towards the front and dialogue is clear and distinct throughout. The music is also quite mesmerising. I don't think 'singing in the rain' will ever sound quite the same again.

So overall well worth watching if you have a strong enough stomach. It is strange, violent and stylised - but as a key milestone in the history of film viewing it was well overdue for me.

"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence". Strange beginning for a movie, don't you think?. Disregarding that, that's the way in which this movie starts, and more or less what you can expect from the rest of "A Clockwork Orange".

This film tells the story of Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell), a teenager that has his own gang, and that does all kind of despicable things, from robbery and battery to rape, all without remorse of any kind. This band of outlaws has its own slang ("nadsat", a mixture of English and Russian) and dress code, and only one law: violence. Due to a fall out with the rest of the gang, Alex is caught by the police after commiting murder, and condemned to spend 14 years in jail.

Looking for a way to get out of jail early, Alex volunteers for a ground-breaking experiment, that supposedly transforms criminals into law-abiding citizens. He is chosen, and "conditioned" against violence, the end result being that he feels nauseous merely by the idea of committing a violent or sexual act. A secondary effect is that he now hates the music he had always loved, Beethoven's 9th symphony.

As a consequence of all this, Alex gets an early release from jail, and is thrown into the world without any kind of defense mechanism. The truth is, he has to be a model citizen because he doesn't have any other option. In a way, Alex is like a machine (a "clockwork orange"), because his actions are preordained. But how will the world treat this new Alex?. And do his actions have any kind of merit, if they aren't inspired on free will?. You can answer one of those two questions quite easily if you watch "A Clockwork Orange". The other involves a conclusion you will have to reach for yourself after watching the movie and reflecting on it for a while.

A word of caution is in order, though. "A Clockwork Orange" includes many explicit sex scenes, lots of violence, and parts that will make you recoil in disgust. If you think I'm exaggerating, take into account that even nowadays this movie is not for sale to persons under age 18, and that when it was first released in 1971 it received an "X" rating.

Finally, I want to point out that this movie is based on a book of the same name written by Anthony Burgess, that significantly differs from the film, especially in what regards to the ending. Furthermore, I think it is worthwhile to highlight the fact that Burgess didn't like his own book too much, and absolutely hated Stanley Kubrick's filmic version of it. Unfortunately for him, the movie helped to promote the book, and "A Clockwork Orange" has becomed Burgess' most well-known work.

All in all, and as a conclusion, I think this film is worth watching, and I recommend you to do so if you believe you can stomach the violent parts in order to eventually understand the message beneath them. I prefer to watch other kind of films, but I understand that this is a classic, and that as such it should be watched at least once.

Belen Alcat

It only occurred to me very recently that I should watch A Clockwork Orange and after watching it I can only say that I am sorry that I waited so long to see it. I have always been very curious about the film as the fact that it was withdrawn from the UK built up so much mystery around it.

It is quite a difficult film to watch as the expectation you have leaves you with a feeling that you are going to be let down. However, thankfully this wasn't the case for me as I was quite mesmerised by what I can only call a true work of art. Unfortunately I have not read the book so I can't compare it to the film. This is a film that operates on many levels and explores a lot of ideas. I think the film is primarily concerned with ideas surrounding volition, control, violence (sexual and non sexual), fantasy and psychopathy.

The plot follows Alex a sociopath who ends up being a kind of antihero by the latter stages of the film. Alex is a character who as the famous tagline for the film states has made rape, Beethoven and violence his hobbies. I can't help wondering if this isn't reference to Adolf Hitler who was well known for his love of classical music (Wagner). The opening scene is nothing short of stunning. There then follows equally impressive scenes of ultra stylish yet very disturbing violence. The plot moves from a point where Alex is in complete control to one where he is vulnerable and he finally becomes a victim not a perpetrator of violence. I think that the thing that is most worrying about the film is that the moral order is not restored by the end. Although Alex suffers a bit this is not because he is genuinely guilty for his offences it is only due to the behavioural psychology treatment he receives which causes him to feel pain. The story offers much to the viewer to consider, my attention certainly didn't wander and you may be surprised to find quite a few humorous scenes.

I can't fault the performances of any of the cast members. The performances are totally convincing and affecting even if the droogs (Alex's gang) look a little old to be teenagers and the presence of Warren Clarke is slightly amusing as I couldn't help picturing him in the BBC TV police drama he stars in, Dalziel and Pascoe.

As mentioned before the film opens brilliantly. There really isn't to my mind a single unmemorable scene in the film. The production is wonderful, the colour lavish and every scene makes you feel as though you are there, a guilty spectator.

The script is very powerful. This is because of the use of what I believe is a sort of secret language that the writer of A Clockwork Orange, Burgess, devised called Nadsat.

The soundtrack is key in the movie as it ties into the plot and ironically it does get you interested in classical music, something which in the film Alex tells two minor characters is extremely important as it is so gorgeous.

This film has much to say about British society and it is sad that it had to be withdrawn for so long. It is a haunting and brave film that preys on the mind of the viewer. This is a necessary addition to any movie lover's film collection.