cult film freak: DEFENDING THE CONTROVERSIAL LEGEND OF 'A CLOCKWORK ORANGE'

Written by James M. Tate / 4/07/2010 / 1 Comment / action , classic , dark comedy , drama , exploitation , malcolm mcdowell , prison , science-fiction , seventies , stanley kubrick

DEFENDING THE CONTROVERSIAL LEGEND OF 'A CLOCKWORK ORANGE'

4/07/2010 | 1 Comment

Year: 1971 Rating: *****

TAKE ONE: This movie caters to the cold-hlooded. Shows rape and murder as a fun and frolicking game and, adding insult to injury, the gloriously rapturous music of Beethoven, and the dapper old ditty "Singin' in the Rain," are used to drive nefarious young Alex DeLarge, played by Malcolm McDowell, leader of a blood-thirsty futuristic gang of clown-like thugs, to commit horrendous acts of "ultra-violence" against society. TAKE TWO: This movie shows cold-blooded killers having a great time killing and raping to classical music because that's what they do. It's merely a joke... for them, not director Stanley Kubrick who, in creating a futuristic society of recklessly-determined, guiltless youth, shows it without a buffer or remorse i.e. shit happens 'cause it happens. McDowell brilliantly displays viciousness, childishness, stubbornness, insanity, sympathy, and even humor. Yes, humor: an important aspect haters seem to miss. The parody is the pandemonium and vice versa. "Viddy Well, little brother, Viddy Well!" TAKE THREE: So remember: that to believe pure evil exists on screen you must visually experience it, and for this to happen it must be genuinely, and shamelessly, represented. And that's just the first half. The rest, concerning the government's experimental "cure" for violence and mayhem, and the ramifications thereafter, is where the true story lies.

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Tags : action , classic , dark comedy , drama , exploitation , malcolm mcdowell , prison , science-fiction , seventies , stanley kubrick

James M. Tate

1 comment:

AnonymousApril 28, 2010 at 12:46 PM
I remember a certain someone with the initials J.T. came over to my house one night and popped this tape into my VCR and told me I had to watch it. I loved it the first time we watched it Jim and I love it even more now. Thank you for turning me onto this movie and to turning me on to Kubrick.
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