- There are movies that glorify gangsters and those that idolize serial killers, but rarely has there been a protagonist as paradoxically likable and abhorrent as A Clockwork Orange's Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell). Make no mistake, Alex is an awful, awful person. He is manipulative and amoral, and, worst of all, has a propensity for committing acts of "ultraviolence." Other people would call it assault, murder, and/or rape. Along with his equally depraved "droogs" (Warren Clarke, Michael Tarn, James Marcus), young Alex spends his nights terrorizing the land, beating up bums, brawling with other gangs, and executing "the old surprise visit." For those still working through the terminology, it is sufficient to know that this last item is considerably worse than the previous two.
- And what better way for Alex to cap off such a perfect evening than with "a little of the Ludwig Van." To Alex, the music of Beethoven is "gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh." Here's where director Stanley Kubrick really has some fun with the audience. Modifying a trick he used to great effect in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick again applies some of the world's most moving and beautiful classical music to events for which it was never intended. The difference, of course, is that he has now chosen the most comically inappropriate matchups of song and scene. In case you're not a Beethoven fan, Kubrick also sets a menage a trois to the "William Tell Overture," Alex's ruminations on his imprisonment to "Scheherazade," and the film's most brutal depiction of violence to "Singin' in the Rain." With such endearing music and direction, you'll find yourself enjoying the film, despite yourself.
- But the film's audience aren't the only ones being conditioned here. After their last "surprise visit" to the Catlady's (Miriam Karlin) isolated health farm, the droogs decided they'd had enough of Alex's bullying. It was thus that Alex ended up in jail, where he gets an overdose of the law and order that we gather his lax parents (Philip Stone and Sheila Raynor) presumably never enforced. Unfortunately, Alex is not naturally inclined toward rehabilitation. In the film's wittiest gag, Alex imagines Jesus carrying his cross only to have the camera pan over and reveal that he really identifies with the centurion holding the whip. But now there's a new aversion therapy treatment that can reform prisoners in a matter of weeks. All they have to do is watch a few films. Does this approach mean that Alex "ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice" as the chaplain (Godfrey Quigley) fears, or is the point that "it works" as the government minister (Anthony Sharp) claims?
- The truth is, everyone has their own motives for concerning themselves over Alex, none of which have to do with either the young man's or society's well-being. His parents have no use for him until they read about him in the papers. His guidance counselor (Aubrey Morris) just wants to punish Alex for being a naughty boy. The chaplain only wants to save Alex's soul. The scientists and psychologists are interested primarily in justifying their bizarre treatment, which generates the film's most iconic and literally eye-opening imagery. The worst set of ulterior motives, however, certainly belong to Mr. Alexander (Patrick Magee), who is torn between wielding Alex for political gain and exacting revenge upon him for the brutal rape of Alexander's wife (Adrienne Corri). Surrounded by opportunists like these, you almost get to feeling sorry for poor Alex.
- With all this talk of ultra-violence, conditioning, and exploitation, I have neglected to say much about the film itself. As is always the case for Kubrick's work, the set designs are amazing, depicting a London in which the hooligans have taken over, trashing the city and driving the elites out into gated communities. The script, adapted from the novel by Anthony Burgess, contains some of the most unique dialogue you're ever likely to hear, consisting of some strange amalgam of Russian, baby talk, and cockney slang that Alex happily employs in his constant narration. And that brings us to Alex himself. It is impossible to imagine A Clockwork Orange without Malcolm McDowell, who proves with this role and others that he is truly one of the most unafraid actors ever to have lived. He can do psychotic, he can do pitiful, and most importantly of all, he can do both at once. The result, O my brothers, is Kubrick's strangest, most controversial, and most colorful film. You can't help but love it and hate it, just as you might find yourself loving and hating young Alex himself.
- It is claimed on the imdb that this film contains the first ever use of a vocoder.
- David Prowse, famous for his role as Darth Vader, plays the bodybuilder in Alexander's home.
