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8.A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
As a clown once said,...i'm a man of my word. This will be my 1000th post on this site, and I must say that I am more than happy to still be apart of it. So what better way to kick off my 1000th post than to update my Top 100 list. For those of you who have been waiting patiently for me to complete this god forsaken list, I apologise and promise to that you guys won't have to wait too long between updates. For those of you who are new to my list, well, all hail The Ayatolla of MoFo Roller!!! Chris JerichoTM baby.
Anyways, yes, this is my favourite and only Kubrick film on the list, and no, i'm not that big a fan of the Kubrickmeister. He is an awesome technical director and all that, but almost all of his films leave me feeling cold, with this one being the exception.
I watched the film thinking I was being treated to another Kubrick seminar, but found myself emotionally invested in Mr DeLarge. I felt somewhat guilty when I rooted for even enjoyed some of Alex's escapades throughout the film, particular the scene where he shows his fellow Droogs who is boss.
Adapted from the Anthony Burgess novel of the same name, the film was met with a lot of controversy during it's release in the 1970s. Kubrick reportedly banned his own film in the UK from being seen after a short release because there were copycat killings and rapings in which the film was being scapegoated for, which of course is stupid as any gangster film brought out in that period could have easily have been blamed for influencing such behaviour.
I think that this is the film that best symbolises Kubrick's extreme hatred for authority figures as it's discovered during the course of the film that the real villain of the piece is the government state. I believe this is the main reason Kubrick adapted the novel, he shared with Burgess, the disgust of governments trying to dictate and control the way we live, essentially robbing us of our freedom, which, in Kubricks perspective, is as bad as anything Alex and his cronies do in the film.
And what of the innovative and colourful language that was invented? Very bold of Kubrick to incorporate almost incomprehensible (to me) urban slang that make contemporary phrases like 'innit blud' sound very gentlemanly English. I don't always understand what Alex and his pals are saying, but the point is it works. You always get the feeling that you're in some sort of futuristic environment and that time has passed you by. I think that the production design should garner praise in that sense. It's a futuristic film that's only feels slightly so because of subtle set pieces and clothing design.
Besides totally dissecting a totalitarian state and producing wonderful new language, Clockwork is arguably Malcom McDowell's biggest contributer and the best single piece of work he has ever done to this day. You can't imagine any other actor taking on Alex and making this monsteras likable as an ice cream man. Kubrick himself should be more than applauded for not only making a film with heart and soul, but for producing a genuine cinematic masterpiece that has few rivals within it's genre.
8.A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
As a clown once said,...i'm a man of my word. This will be my 1000th post on this site, and I must say that I am more than happy to still be apart of it. So what better way to kick off my 1000th post than to update my Top 100 list. For those of you who have been waiting patiently for me to complete this god forsaken list, I apologise and promise to that you guys won't have to wait too long between updates. For those of you who are new to my list, well, all hail The Ayatolla of MoFo Roller!!! Chris JerichoTM baby.
Anyways, yes, this is my favourite and only Kubrick film on the list, and no, i'm not that big a fan of the Kubrickmeister. He is an awesome technical director and all that, but almost all of his films leave me feeling cold, with this one being the exception.
I watched the film thinking I was being treated to another Kubrick seminar, but found myself emotionally invested in Mr DeLarge. I felt somewhat guilty when I rooted for even enjoyed some of Alex's escapades throughout the film, particular the scene where he shows his fellow Droogs who is boss.
Adapted from the Anthony Burgess novel of the same name, the film was met with a lot of controversy during it's release in the 1970s. Kubrick reportedly banned his own film in the UK from being seen after a short release because there were copycat killings and rapings in which the film was being scapegoated for, which of course is stupid as any gangster film brought out in that period could have easily have been blamed for influencing such behaviour.
I think that this is the film that best symbolises Kubrick's extreme hatred for authority figures as it's discovered during the course of the film that the real villain of the piece is the government state. I believe this is the main reason Kubrick adapted the novel, he shared with Burgess, the disgust of governments trying to dictate and control the way we live, essentially robbing us of our freedom, which, in Kubricks perspective, is as bad as anything Alex and his cronies do in the film.
And what of the innovative and colourful language that was invented? Very bold of Kubrick to incorporate almost incomprehensible (to me) urban slang that make contemporary phrases like 'innit blud' sound very gentlemanly English. I don't always understand what Alex and his pals are saying, but the point is it works. You always get the feeling that you're in some sort of futuristic environment and that time has passed you by. I think that the production design should garner praise in that sense. It's a futuristic film that's only feels slightly so because of subtle set pieces and clothing design.
Besides totally dissecting a totalitarian state and producing wonderful new language, Clockwork is arguably Malcom McDowell's biggest contributer and the best single piece of work he has ever done to this day. You can't imagine any other actor taking on Alex and making this monsteras likable as an ice cream man. Kubrick himself should be more than applauded for not only making a film with heart and soul, but for producing a genuine cinematic masterpiece that has few rivals within it's genre.