5. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - An Open Window - The Individual
The Film: Set in a near dystopian future that looks suspiciously like the 1970's, we follow our humble narrator and timeless anti-hero Alex DeLarge as he goes from violent, rape loving Beethoven fan to government guinea pig - muted in his freedom of thinking or committing his previous crimes, back again to complete psycho. It is a tale that begs a question of society; can a man truly ever be free to do what he likes? Or even; should a man be stopped in his self-expression if said expression contains being a right old bastard towards society in general? Forget the message for now, that's another article, we are here for the craft, and Kubrick once again delivers when it comes to this insanely odd tale. Much like The Shining, audiences of today can immediately identify with the way that this film has aged and the general strange undertone that surrounds a film supposedly set in the future. This is thanks in part to the décor of Alex's Mum and Dad's house, which to be honest is completely ghastly. It also doesn't help when you recognise actors but can't quite put your finger on who they are. Fast forward to a quick IMDb search later and you have figured out that that guy is actually Fred the butcher from Coronation Street. That aside, again like The Shining, the age of the film is kind of irrelevant. Its overarching message and stark individuality as a piece of art is what makes it stand above any film you will see in the modern era. Where else can you see a sped up threesome to the William Tell overture? Or a man sparring with a gymnast in her own house, with only a giant cock as a weapon. Honestly, this film is so individual that it shines (pun intended) above The Shining, 2001 or any other Kubrick film. The Shining has been parodied millions of times, 2001 has been replicated a few hundred but with A Clockwork Orange, I am not sure I have ever seen anything quite like it in my lifetime. I have watched it hundreds of times and still cannot pin it down to a genre or style, I find it hard to work out whether it is mocking itself or not and have found myself much like Alex; desensitised to its over the top violence. How do you parody something that almost mocks itself with wit and the use of a made up language? How do you replicate something so extreme and esoteric without making the same film again? You can't and shouldn't. Kubrick, for me, is at his peak here.
The Scene: During the opening half hour of the film as Alex's 'Droogs' begin to disobey him, our humble narrator tells us that somewhere along the river bed an open window was playing Beethoven which in turn leads him to beat the ever loving sh*t out of his companions in order to teach them a lesson in manners. As you look back at Kubrick's career, with the possible exception of the sniper scene from Full Metal Jacket, the use of slow motion is very much underused. The way in which the light tantalisingly ripples on the water beside Alex and his Droogs, the slow bob of all of them as they walk and the sudden break in stride as Alex strikes Georgie in the stomach it is pure poetry in motion and possible cause to want more slow motion from Stanley. The crescendo of Beethoven serves to remind us that Alex is nothing but a psycho, willing to genuinely harm anyone who gets in his path. As poor old Dim finds out when he holds out a hand from the water he has just been pushed into, Alex pulls out a knife and slices it across his open palm as a sinister look flashes across his face. We have had 'ultra-violence' before this point in A Clockwork Orange, but never have such heinous actions looked as beautiful as they do in this scene.