A Clockwork Orange

I have seen this film labelled as gratuitous a few times, but I believe it is one of the rare examples where the inclusion of graphic and violent imagery is essential, rather than exploitative. The discomfort we feel as the audience is not there to simply provoke us; it is a deliberate contrast to Alex’s forced repulsion. Our natural reactions highlight what is lost: free will. Therefore, these scenes are essential to the commentary of the film (and, by proxy, the original book).  It’s not an easy watch, but it was never meant to be. It is intended to make us reflect on our natural reactions, and what happens when free will is tampered with by authoritarian control.  He was cured, all right…