And now for this week's movie:
Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultraviolence, and Beethoven.
A Clockwork Orange, a film many considered too disgusting and shocking to be shown in theaters, prompting Stanley Kubrick to remove from the UK until after his death.
A Clockwork Orange is about what the tagline says, the adventures of Alex De Large/Burgess, and his droogs (friends) throughout future London and the surrounding area, causing trouble wherever they go. This is all good and fun for Alex, until he gets betrayed by his droogs, after a robbery goes wrong, and sent to jail. There, he is 'reconditioned' to only be capable of 'good', hence the name A Clockwork Orange, something that seems alive or organic on the outside, but inside is nothing but clockwork, a machine. After getting kicked out of his parents' place when he found out his room had been boarded out, encountering some of his droogs, now police officers, and some victims of his, Alex finally winds up in the hands of the government, where they cure him of his rehabilitation, and he now has the ability to choose for himself again.
A Clockwork Orange demonstrated reasons why it's bad if we take away the human ability to make moral decisions. It warns us of a possible future that, at least I hope we would, want to aviod. Generally, the movie is true to the book of the same name, the biggest difference being the exclusion of the 21st chapter of the book from the movie, which tells us what happens to Pete, and gives us hope that Alex might change. Besides a few other minor changes, the book and movie are pretty much the same. This is a good thing in my opinion. The message of the author still gets through fairly well. The movie is as good as the book, though I suggest you read the book as well, for that 21st chapter.
The scenery is amazing as well. You get the feel that the entire country of England has gone to waste, crime is commonplace, the police are brutal, the citizens uncaring. Nothing is really done to make it better, or is there nothing that really can be done at this point? That question isn't the main purpose of the film, but it is an important question. The major characters are great, the actors playing them fit the roles perfectly. Great choices all around I say.
The music deserves a paragraph of its own. Classical music was the perfect choice for this film, it brings out the scenery, the horror of this particular future, and what Alex and his victims went through. If any other form of music had been picked, the effect just wouldn't have been the same. The effect would have been less, if there at all.
Overall, I give the movie a 10/10.