A Clockwork Orange (1971)

In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society's crime problem... but not all goes to plan.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Anthony Burgess (novel)

Stars:

Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates

Top 250 #65 | Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Malcolm McDowell	...	Alex
Patrick Magee	...	Mr Alexander
Michael Bates	...	Chief Guard
Warren Clarke	...	Dim
John Clive	...	Stage Actor
Adrienne Corri	...	Mrs. Alexander
Carl Duering	...	Dr. Brodsky
Paul Farrell	...	Tramp
Clive Francis	...	Lodger
Michael Gover	...	Prison Governor
Miriam Karlin	...	Catlady
James Marcus	...	Georgie
Aubrey Morris	...	Deltoid
Godfrey Quigley	...	Prison Chaplain
Sheila Raynor	...	Mum

Storyline

Protagonist Alex is an "ultraviolent" youth in futuristic Britain. As with all luck, his eventually runs out and he's arrested and convicted of murder and rape. While in prison, Alex learns of an experimental program in which convicts are programed to detest violence. If he goes through the program his sentence will be reduced and he will be back on the streets sooner than expected. But Alex's ordeals are far from over once he hits the mean streets of Britain that he had a hand in creating.

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Plot Keywords:

Britain | Gang | Aversion Therapy | Violence | Prison | 

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Taglines:

The Breakthrough Presentation Of Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange For The Millions Who Were Not Allowed To See It Until Now!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£618,615 (UK) (17 March 2000)

Gross:

£1,675,124 (UK) (31 March 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Hawk Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (re-issue) Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Warnercolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book's writer, Anthony Burgess, lived for a time in Malaysia during WWII. After returning to London his wife was assaulted by four American GIs during the black-out, inspiring this story. Burgess claimed that "clockwork orange" was a Cockney phrase, but most philologists agree that he made it up. The Malay word for man is "orang", as in "orangutan" (man of the jungle), and a clockwork orang would be a clockwork man. However, a UK slang expression for a gambling device is a "clockwork fruit" or "fruit machine," due to the depictions on its dials. The anthropomorphic look of a "fruit machine" (thus, its name "one-armed bandit" in the USA for its roughly man-sized shape and "arm" giving it a humanoid appearance) may well have given rise to the term "clockwork orange" in Burgess' fertile mind as Alex, through conditioning, is turned into a robotic clockwork man, which a fruit machine resembles. Gambling also is a game of chance, and Alex literally is gambling with his soul. Dr. Brodsky tells Alex to take his chance and be free in a fortnight, as long as a vacation in Blackpool, the most popular slot machine resort in Britain.

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Goofs

Many of the continuity errors are not in fact errors. Stanley Kubrick purposely included many continuity errors as a way of creating a feeling of disorientation for the audience. That is why people's positions change, props are reorganized, and hats (and other articles of clothing) appear and disappear.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alex: 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.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits after the title, which is followed by the opening shot of Alex the Droog. Although it is now commonplace for major films to not have opening credits, in 1971 it was considered rather unusual and was considered a trademark of director Stanley Kubrick.

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Connections

Spoofed in Pretty Dead Girl (2004)
Mortie is forced to watch films of living girls while strapped down and his eyes held open. The same way Alex received treatment in a clockwork orange

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Soundtracks

"March from 'Funeral Music for Queen Mary'"
(uncredited)
Written by Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Arranged and Performed by Wendy Carlos on synthesizer

User Reviews

amazing, the greatest villain ever, nothing has scared me more

i just saw this movie about a day ago, and it completely blew me away, namely the main character, protagonist, hero? Alex. we love, hate, and or just plain utterly confused about how we feel of Alex. Alex is the greatest villain ever because he is ourselves, he is the worst of ourselves. hes the deep dark place inside you that rises to the surface eventually, and then pushed down just as fast because it terrifies you. the way Alex stares into the camera in the first scene just freaks me out, he has a little smirk on his face that seems to say you may hate me, but you'll never be rid of me, because there can never be good without the bad, and i am the bad.