Stanley Kubrick's Controversial Film, A Clockwork Orange

1576 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A clockwork orange film essay

Stanley Kubrick’s controversial film, A Clockwork Orange, profoundly deplored the idea of establishment of government. The film denounced government authority in relation to an individual’s free will and human nature. Psychologically or socially based, it is in question whether a system of government interrupts an individual’s free will or not. Alex Burgess, the protagonist of this film is a corrupted and violent individual who acts against his community in opposition to government control.
In the first 15 minutes of A Clockwork Orange, a series of sexual and violent crimes take place, shocking the audience. Kubrick portrayed violence through tactics that were primarily meant to disturb the audience, rather than just temporarily frighten them. …show more content…

The film’s conception of visual style is distinctive and gaudy, yet at the same time it seems to exude an aesthetically pleasing cinematic appearance. The narration and particular point of view of Alex is merely subjective and presented in a distanced manner. We develop a so to speak sympathetic relationship with Alex through this narration and Alex is well aware of this. Alex refers to himself in third-person in many instances throughout the film. He is an individual aware of his self-consciousness. Alex’s narrative can be interpreted as ironic. The voice over is a crucial element in creating the film’s overall tone and interpretation of Alex. Something to note is that Alex’s commentary is substantially different from what we see presented on screen. The commentary is pervasive and direct. Alex’s subjective view of the world is distorted. The distorted perspective we experience present the sensory overload and heightened experience Alex undergoes due to his constant use of drugs. The viewer’s relationship with Alex is complicated by the immoral nature of him compared to our already established sympathetic relationship. The intensified subjective presentation is created through the visual distortion and extensive use of point of view

Show More
Related

  • A Clockwork Orange

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion it is seen that Alex has effectively changed into a man and has become a morally sensitive individual.  He, for himself has chosen good

    Read More

  • The Literary Merit of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and Exploring Reasons Why it Was Banned

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many books that have been banned or challenged, but the one that is being presented in this paper is Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. The topic of this paper is to inform you of many things and when you have finished it will have you leaving asking yourself one question. First, a summary of A Clockwork Orange will be shared with you, so that you can have an insight as to how the rest of the paper relates to the book. Second, you will find out where, why and when the book was banned and/or challenged and you will discover what the book contains that would “offend” people. Finally, you will discover the literary merit of this book, which means you will discover if is a work of quality.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Stanley Kubrick In A Clockwork Orange

    88 Words  | 1 Pages

    Stanley Kubrick was one of the first people to make great use of the extreme wide-angle lenses so tremendous that the lenses cause some sort of barrel distortion. For Example, in the A Clockwork Orange, is a great example of how Kubrick uses the wide-angle lenses. The lenses were used in both dolly handheld shots. The wide-angle lenses were very consistent and steady with the tone of the movie all together. His camerawork was something people should really resemble off of. The camerawork really makes a big

    Read More

  • Clockwork Orange: A Comparative Analysis

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. As I was reading the book Clockwork Orange, I felt like it deserved a 8 out of 10. I enjoyed the book because while I was reading it, I did not have such a clear image of all the rape, sex, and violence. Talking from personal experiences, I did not want to picture those images in my head. Finding out there was a movie of Clockwork Orange kind of scared me but also gave me excitement because I wanted to see how different the the book was from the movie. After viewing Clockwork Orange, I would rate it a 7 out of 10. I rated it a 7 out of 10 because the rape and violence was overused. In the beginning of the movie, there were non-stop sex and rape scenes. For example, when Alex and his goons fake their way into an emergency just so they could attack a older man and rape his wife, who later dies because of this accident. Toward the end of the movie, there was a lot of

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Clockwork Orange

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alex seemed to find the love he didn’t get from his parents in his friends. Alex and his friends did a lot of damage to others, but of course they did it as a group. They beat up an old man who asked for change, they fought another group of people, they broke into a house and beat up the old man who lived there, then beat up his wife, killing her, but only after they raped her.

    Read More

  • How Does A Clockwork Orange Relate To Sociology

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Are we human if we don’t have a choice to choose between acting good or acting evil? A Clockwork Orange directed by Stanley Kubrick is a brutal film that entails many sociological meanings. Alex DeLarge and his “droogs” (gang) live in a derange society of “ultra-violence” and rape. Alex and his gang cause havoc around the town that leads to the “droogs” turning on Alex during a mischievous act on an innocent women and Alex getting arrested. While in prison he is chosen for “treatment” that is suppose to purify Alex and turn him into the “perfect citizen”. We’ve gone over many sociological concepts in class, but the three that I believe apply the most to this film are socialization, deviance, and resocialization.

    Read More

  • Shared Themes in A Clockwork Orange and Never Let Me Go

    1708 Words  | 4 Pages

    Simions, Minodora O. "FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND MORAL CONSEQUENCES IN ANTHONY BURGESS’ A CLOCKWORK ORANGE." (2013): 65-68. Web. 21 May 2013.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytical Criticism of A Clockwork Orange

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    "John (Anthony) Burgess Wilson." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between 1984 And A Clockwork Orange

    2002 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this essay I will focus on the effect of varying oppressive governments and the way in which it causes its people to lose their freedom and individuality by using the literature ‘1984’ by George Orwell and ‘A Clockwork Orange’ by Anthony Burgess. 1984, by George Orwell, is a novel about Winston Smith- a 39 year old man residing in the dystopian, totalitarian society of Oceania. The people in Oceania are constantly monitered, controlled and tyrannized by ‘The Party’; a group led by an ubiquitous figurative ‘Big Brother’. Free speech and thought are deemed rebellious and are strongly forbidden from the people, Thought Police are everywhere and constantly monitoring the people for such crimes which are punishable by death for disobeying the Party. Winston, a somewhat lowly member of ‘The Party’ who has the tedious- yet crucial to the party’s scheme- job of rewriting historical media for the ironically named ministry of truth or minitruth.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Self-awareness in Frankenstein, Flowers for Algernon, and A Clockwork Orange

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, Alex is one out of the four characters that reveals self-awareness broadly. Alex begins by stating, “What’s it going to be then, eh” (Burgess 1). The use of this quote explains to the reader that Alex is not only self-aware of himself, but he is careless, and he is an outlaw. Another quote that Alex states throughout the novel is, “O my brothers” (Burgess 5). “O my brothers” reve...

    Read More

  • Social Issues In The Clockwork Orange

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anthony Burgess integrates many social issues today between the Government and People into Clockwork Orange. Many of the issues that Alex faces along with the government are relatable in today’s society. Within the story Anthony Burgess teaches us how people act and how the government works in a more brutal way, The Clockwork Orange expresses this through free-will, maturity and karma, and treatment of people.

    Read More

  • Stanley Kubrick's The Shining

    2480 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) initially received quite a bit of negative criticism. The film irritated many Stephen King fans (and King himself) because it differed so greatly from the novel. The Shining also disappointed many filmgoers who expected a conventional slasher film. After all, Kubrick said it would be "the scariest horror movie of all time."1 Kubrick's films, however, never fully conform to their respective genres; they transcend generic expectations. In the same way that 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is not just another outer-space sci-fi flick, The Shining is not a typical horror movie. The monsters in The Shining originate not from dark wooded areas, but from the recesses of the mysterious human mind-in broad daylight, at that. Perhaps Kubrick said The Shining is "the scariest horror movie of all time" not because it offers a bit of suspense, blood, and gore, but because it shines a light on the inherently evil nature of humankind on psychological and sociological levels.

    Read More

  • alexclo Psychological Analysis of Alex in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Psychological Analysis of Alex in A Clockwork Orange & nbsp;       In A Clockwork Orange, Alex is portrayed as two different people living within the same body of mind. As a mischievous child raping the world, he was as seen as filth. His actions and blatant disrespect towards society are categorized under that of the common street bum. However, when he is away from his evening attire. he is that of suave.

    Read More

  • David Fincher Analysis

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.

    Read More

  • Freedom of Choice in A Clockwork Orange

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel A Clockwork Orange, the author Anthony Burgess tells a story about a young man name Alex and his friends, every night they go around and start committing violent acts. In the novel Alex expresses his freedom of choice between good and evil. The freedom of choice is a decision that every person must make throughout his life in order to guide his actions and to take control of his own future. This Freedom of Choice, no matter what the outcome is, displays person power as an individual, and any efforts to control or influence this choice between good and evil will take way the person free will and enslave him. In this novel the author uses this symbolism through imagery. He shows that through the character of Alex, and the first person narrative point of view to prove that without the ability to choose between good and evil person becomes a slave.

    Read More

More about Stanley Kubrick's Controversial Film, A Clockwork Orange

Open Document