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 according to plan.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Anthony Burgess (novel)

Stars:

Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates

Top 250 #76 | Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 12 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 DeLarge 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

rape | forced to strip | gang | sexual assault | dystopia | 

---

Taglines:

Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

Orange mécanique

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The two copycat crimes that prompted Stanley Kubrick to have the film withdrawn in the United Kingdom were the rape of a Dutch girl in Lancashire in 1973 at the hands of men singing "Singin' in the Rain" and the beating of a 16 year old boy who had beaten a younger child whilst wearing Alex's uniform of white overalls, a black bowler hat and combat boots.

---

Goofs

When riding in the sports car at very high speed, Georgie is not holding his hat, so it should fly off.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Connections

Spoofed in Big Wolf on Campus: The Manchurian Werewolf (2000)

---

Soundtracks

Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Opus 125
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Recorded by Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft

User Reviews

One of the most beautiful films I've seen...

It's funny, after you watch a film many times you begin to fall in love with it. This is true with a lot of films but for Clockwork Orange, I only had to watch it 2 subsequent times to fall in love with it. There are so many elements of this film that bring it together and make you totally enjoy the story. The music in the film is one such example, at times it's beautiful and at times dark and disturbing, setting the right tone for the scene. Technically this is a sci-fi film because it does take place in the future and there is the plot which involves brainwashing. When many people think of Stanley Kubrick, they think of 2001 and this film. It's because this film stands out as possibly the scariest image of the near future