Ultraviolence? Real horrorshow.

Class reactions to the first 35 minutes of watching A Clockwork Orange (and what a 35 minutes it is):




This movie is weird. It makes all of these horrible things seem as easy as walking a dog. I'm curious to see if the movie turns more serious.


Why is this film so perverted?


The movie has been very odd from the start. It is rather difficult to follow, between what seems like random scenes, and their accents.


Ok, so #1 this movie is frickin WEIRD! And #2, did they really think there was gonan be this much violence in the future? Some of the things they do would not be acceptable in any day and age. Some things just should always be illegal. And why did they stop Billy from raping that girl, but break into a house and rape someone themselves?


Were the army-camo-dressed guys a rival gang? Because if not, it seemed the milk gang was doing a good thing?


Why is he obsessed with Beethoven?


It shocks me how Alex and his friends manage to get away with all the things they do. It's crazy to think that these boys are still young and in school. They way they handle violence also freaks me out because they are always happy. None of the boys are displeased with what they have done.


I thought it was weird, especially the violence going hand-in-hand with a light-hearted mood.


At the beginning I was a bit confused about the whole story, although when I found out Alex was 15 years old and living with his parents, I was in complete shock and disgust. I am confused about the time this is taking place in - the future? Also, when was this movie filmed, because if this is the depiction of the future, I'm in awe.


Overall, I jut think the movie was strange. I really have not seen anything like it. The way the violence is presented is just different from what I am accustomed to.


I'm really confused about what is going on. I don't get what the point of the movie is. It's really weird, but it's keeping my attention. I just wish I knew what the plot of the movie was.


The violence depicted is very shocking and what surprised me most was his age. When the mom said he had to go to school and you clarified that he was only 15, I couldn't believe the things he was doing. Rape, robbery, assault, all while he is still in high school.


What the heck?! This movie is unlike any movie I've ever seen before, to say the least. When I discovered these boys are only 15 years old, I was flabbergasted. What makes anyone, let alone a 15-year-old, behave like this? Why is torturing people an art for them? Why do they feel no remorse for the victims?


The classical music during the violent scenes takes away from the negative view of it and almost makes it seem like a joke.


So far this movie seems very odd. The violence doesn't really seem to faze anyone; it just seem to be a part of their everyday life. This movie also includes many different types of violence, which was a bit shocking to me.


My initial reaction to the movie is that it is very strange, and unlike any other film I've seen. There are clearly a lot of serious parts in the film, but I don't think they are presented in the most serious ways.


I do not understand the logic behind this movie. Why was it made and who created it? Whose idea was it? You were right that it is graphic. Why is it shedding light on the things we don't want to happen or don't want to talk about? I just don't get it.


This movie is easily the strangest one I've ever seen. I also can't believe how provocative this is for an older movie. I wish it would stop being so weird just long enough so I could actually understand what's happened so far and discover a possible storyline or purpose.


A Clockwork Orange is a rather disturbing film, and sometimes difficult to watch.


I'm not even sure what to say about this movie. I was disturbed in many ways and can't figure out why Alex is doing the things he's doing. The entire movie is so out there in terms of what's happening that you don't focus on the violence anymore. Why is nudity such a big thing in this movie? Women are buck naked but the men are allowed to be covered? Are women being exploited because they are the ones being punished? Why are all of the colors so out there and in everything except the human body?


And now, I attempt to answer!


The novel A Clockwork Orange was written by English author Anthony Burgess in 1962. (The title refers to something that looks natural, but inside is mechanical. In the book, the writer whose wife is raped is working on a book called "A Clockwork Orange" at the moment Alex and his droogs break in.) It was adapted into a film by legendary director Stanley Kubrick in 1971. The film was banned in Britain from 1972 to 1999 (the film was even thought to have caused some teenage boys to actually commit murders), and the book was removed from several U.S. high schools - one bookseller was even arrested for selling copies of the book in 1973.


The story is set in an unnamed time in the future, when presumably Britain has been conquered by Soviet Russia - look at how grey and industrial everything looks outside, and contrast that with the shockingly bright interior colors. Alex and his droogs use many Russian/English slang terms that make up their own language. They spend their time skipping school (although Alex is their leader, he is the youngest, only 15) and committing horrific acts of violence, simply because they enjoy it and think it's fun. Notice how Alex has lots of watches, jewelry, cash, etc. in his bedroom drawer - he's not doing it for profit, but for pleasure. By the standards of this culture. Alex doesn't have a bad life - he has a home, 2 parents who love him (but who seem afraid of him), and the opportunity for education. Early on, Alex and his gang stop a rival gang from raping a young woman, which might lead us to think Alex isn't really so bad.......but then Kubrick shows us just how wrong we are. Each scene is more shocking than that next, and we see this violence through Alex's eyes - it looks and sounds lighthearted, because that's how HE sees it. We know Alex has gotten into trouble with the law before, because his probation officer visits his home the night after the fight with Billy Boy's gang the attack on the writer and his wife. But he's also very intelligent - in addition to being clever enough to lead the gang and avoid arrest, he enjoys classical music. So there IS a little but of humanity in him, somewhere deep down, because he recognizes the beauty and importance of music, especially Beethoven's Ode to Joy. He associates music with pleasure, and pleasure with violence; on Wednesday, watch how hearing music actually causes Alex to act violently.


That's all I'm going to tell you for now (if you REALLY want spoilers, Google them). Here are some questions to consider for tomorrow:


1) If Alex's upbringing is not what makes him violent, the only other explanation is either that he is innately evil, or that this dystopic society has made him that way. (Look, for instance, at the way this culture treats women's bodies literally as objects.) Which do you think it is?


2) Do you think anything could ever make you feel any sympathy for Alex?