He should be made to watch it!
Posted on 09/21/2021 10:59:26 AM PDT by Cronos
In a recent interview, veteran actor Malcolm McDowell has revealed he cannot stomach rewatching his 1971 dystopian crime film, A Clockwork Orange. The film was adapted from Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel about a disturbingly violent gang of youths in an alternate near-future Britain. McDowell played the violent delinquent Alex DeLarge in the infamous and controversial film directed by Stanley Kubrick.
It follows Alex, leader of his gang known as the Droogs. Following a series of drug-induced fights with another gang and various disturbing and brutal assaults, Alex is arrested and imprisoned for his crimes, before being subjected to an experimental form of therapy to make him averse to his former violence. A Clockwork Orange celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a 4K rerelease, but originally, the film was met with bans upon its release due to the levels of violence and brutality on screen, an aspect which its star still struggles with.
McDowell revealed that he still finds it difficult to rewatch, stating that he cannot stomach sitting through the film despite the time that has passed. McDowell elaborated that despite any updates in quality the film might have received, it still holds the same violent content that made the film infamous upon its release, though he is proud of the impact it has made since last time he watched the film was during a screening at the Cannes Film Festival to celebrate its 40th Anniversary alongside Warner Bro's executives, before saying how glad he was that he could avoid similar screenings for the latest milestone.
...Despite becoming a film of historical significance , A Clockwork Orange had a complex and controversial history. Upon release, the film was met by polarizing reviews for its depictions of graphic violence and sexual assault, as well as condemnation from different groups,
(Excerpt) Read more at screenrant.com ...
I prefer the book ending, however the movie is compelling. It is horrifying, a "brave new world" dystopia, yet compelling to watch.
What do you think of this film?
I could not watch it the first time when it originally came out -
but he doesn’t mind Caligula s/
How is the book ending different from the movie ending?
Me glazzies!
As with better science fiction, it extrapolates and then makes us deal with the resultant situation.
If there *were* an effective and efficient extreme form of such ‘aversion therapy’, wouldn’t there be a strong impetus for society to use it to reform criminals and other useless people into something ‘better’. But then *if* we were able to ‘reprogram’ gang-bangers (or Democrats) into productive, law-abiding citizens, what does that say about free will, and what are the real costs to society (vastly expanded totalitarian mind control, the destruction of the creative elements of society, etc).
As a good work should, it raises questions; the violence was in some ways necessary to justify what was subsequently done to Alex, at least in the fictional universe.
“Thought Provoking” is very rarely comfortable or happy-making.
I remember seeing that movie when I was a young kid. Looking back, it didn’t make much sense to me. If I recall it was something to do about a heist.
This film had a huge impact on me when I saw it as a young man. I took several friends to see it. “You have to see this movie! It’s amazing!” When it came out on dvd some years ago, I purchased a copy and tried to watch it, but I couldn’t handle it. It was the old “ultra-violence,” you see.
Even as a young teenager reading this book (and seeing the film), I generally grasped it was depicting a declining, immoral, politically hypocritical, sexually perverse leftist society.
Its more true than ever.
Lately, he looks like Sting.
It is like so much trash from that era. There is no nostalgia in it for me.
And what’s so stinking about it, then?
It was a documentary.....................
It Changed my Life,
Droogie.
No he HATES that one. The biggest problem is apparently nobody told the “straight” actors about the porn. That was filmed separately, and they were given vague directions for the “reaction” shots.
I prefer the book ending too. In fact, McDowell’s present reaction sort of resembles it, doesn’t it?
Personally, Clockwork Orange is a personal favorite of mine — all of Stanely Kubricks films are with the exception of Eyes Wide Shut (which I thought was absolute sh*t).
Great soundtrack, and utterly prescient.
The source novel is phenomenal.
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