A Clockwork Orange
“It had been a wonderful evening and what I needed now, to give it the perfect ending, was a little of the Ludwig Van”
A Clockwork Orange should certainly be within the conversation among Stanley Kubrick‘s best works.
The film being framed around Alex as an unreliable narrator, is a fantastic choice, especially for the story being told. The film makes it clear that Alex is unreliable, but this is used with a definite narrative purpose. The way his cronies and women are portrayed in the film highlight this the best, but him telling the story as a story also makes this abundantly clear.
Kubrick‘s greatest strength, aside from his obvious mastery of filmmaking, is his ability to pack a large idea into a feature-length film, and this film very much succeeded in that. The themes of criminality, morality, and free will are all deeply interesting.
Regarding the cinematography, it is excellent, which is to be expected, but one specific aspect is particularly fascinating. The chromatic aberration, whether intentional or not, added a surreal, nightmarish quality that very much enhanced the film’s tone.
On the topic of the film’s look, the set design was absolutely incredible. Everything in this film was so true to its vision that even dissenters must acknowledge it.
As a personal note, I did not find this film as disturbing as I might have expected. While there were some disturbing scenes, they come across more as detached, absurdist black comedy than anything else.
Kubrick was different.
(4.7/5)