A Clockwork Orange (1971)

In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Anthony Burgess (novel)

Stars:

Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates

Top Rated Movies #90 | Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 19 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 programmed 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:

gang | sexual assault | female full frontal nudity | dystopia | forced to watch rape | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

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 (United Kingdom), 19 March 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$26,589,355, 31 December 1973

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Max L. Raab Productions

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 first line of the novel is "What's it going to be then, eh?" and this line is repeated frequently throughout the book. Another recurring phrase is "dressed in the heighth [sic] of [insert adjective here] fashion," which is how Alex describes every single set of clothes that he or anyone else is wearing. The movie omits all but one occurrence of each phrase. Prison Chaplain Godfrey Quigley is introduced with the line "What's it going to be, eh?" In the next scene Alex imagines himself as a first-century executioner "dressed in the height of Roman fashion."

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Goofs

When Mrs. Alexander is stripped down, her shoes are taken off and are only inches away. The next shot she is in, her shoes are a foot or two away from her feet.

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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

The opening and closing credits are slides with the random colors in the background and the text are only white, instead of the black background.

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Alternate Versions

In 1986, the full uncensored "X" rated version of the film was released on home video, and later on DVD, despite the fact that the video/DVD sleeve bears the "R" rating (which leads people to believe it's the censored version). The MPAA never re-rated the uncut version as an "R", but the uncensored version does bear the "R" certification on the DVD/video box.

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Connections

Referenced in Evil (2003)

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Soundtracks

Molly Malone
(1883) (uncredited)
aka "Cockles and Mussels"
Traditional Irish folk song
Performed by Paul Farrell

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