Film Comment: A Clockwork Orange

I have to admit that A Clockwork Orange (1971) is one of my favorite films.  I believe it is one of the films, like Citizen Kane and Casablanca, which is nearly perfectly made.  Every element, every sound, every piece of scenery, every piece of clothing, every facial expression; it is all essential to the totality of the film.  This is not a pretty film and the "hero" is a monster of the worst sort.  The film grabs your emotions and evokes revulsion and horror at the creature, Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell).  What happens to Alex pulls the viewer into feeling sympathy, even pity, for him.  At Alex's triumph, the viewer may well feel that justice has been done.  The reason that this film is so important, and is studied in every film school, is that it forces the viewer to think.

Based on the same-named science-fiction novel by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange was long thought to be unfilmable.  The film retains the odd slang and nihilist, crumbling culture of the novel.  The legal authorities are useless and ineffectual, so much so that Alex's gang, his three Droogies, can be deputized.  This is like hiring cannibals to babysit your children for a week.  

In a near-future dystopian England, Alex DeLarge leads his droogies on nightly rages of rape, bloody violence, and murder.  Alex and the boys respect no one and nothing  and fuel their rages with "milk plus" (milk spiked with mind-altering drugs).  The mindless sprees are set to classical music because the only thing Alex loves, besides himself, is the music of "Ludwig van" (good old Beethoven).

On a particularly violent night, Alex is betrayed by his droogies and is captured by the police.  In prison, Alex becomes the subject of a horrifying mind-altering experiment which causes him to become nauseous at the mere passing thought of committing violence.  And to Alex's horror, nausea upon hearing any music by his beloved Ludwig van.

Released as a totally reformed gentle man, Alex soon finds he has a very big problem.  His former victims remember him very well and he vomits at the thought of defending himself against them.  A true lose-lose situation.

The horrified authorities hadn't intended this outcome and feel that they have little choice but to change Alex bag to his old evil self.  Alex, of course, is delighted.

This film raises many questions: personal responsibility, free will, determinism, the nature of evil, and society's legitimate response to violence.  As surgical and pharmaceutical advances make transformations such as this entirely possible, should they be used in violation of the free will of the transgressor?  Would  a transformed criminal really be a reformed man?

Does society have the right to incarcerate or even to kill to maintain the public good?  Does society have the right to force individuals to submit to procedures which may "correct" their behavior?  Who decides what is "correct" behavior?  Does "correct" behavior include "correct" thought?  Does society have the right to screen and "treat" persons because their genetic profile says they may commit crimes in the future?

Realize if you decide to view A Clockwork Orange that it portrays extreme violence, rape, human medical experimentation, sexual situations, nudity, and phallic images.  Two excellent films with similar subject matter are Minority Report and GATTACA.

Film Comment: It's the End of the World

     We're not talking here about easy stuff like an alien invasion, or rampaging hordes of flesh-eating zombies, or dystopian post-civilization films like Last Man on Earth (1964), No Blade of Grass (1970), Glen and Randa (1971), Idaho Transfer (1973), A Boy and His Dog (1975), Death Race 2000 (1975), Mad Max (1979),  Rollerblade (1986), The Time of the Wolf (2003), and I Am Legend (2007).  Those are just inconveniences.

     We're talking about end of the world, nothing left, world gone bye-bye films. There are many more than you might imagine.

     1931: La fin du monde. As a giant comet hurtles toward Earth, two brothers think the event may end all war as mankind unites against the threat. Some pray, some have orgies.

     1951: When Worlds Collide.  A wandering planet is on a collision course with the Earth.  A group of scientists/survivalists must pick who to save, fight off the rest, and make sure the survivors safely leave.

     1964: Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Considered by many to be the ultimate American film, or at least the ultimate American comedy.  A rogue military commander flips out and sends his planes to deliver nuclear warheads in an attack against Russia.  Comic mayhem ensues.  

     1988: Miracle Mile.  A young man answers a ringing pay phone.  It's a wrong number, but he learns that all-out nuclear war has begun and the missiles will arrive in little more than an hour.

     1998: Last Night.  It's the last night before the Earth is destroyed, with six hours left.  The reason is never explained but everyone is aware of it.  Some are trying to get home, some are having wild parties, some are reaching out for God, and others are just reaching out for someone.

This is described as a comedy/drama, but the comedy is of the classical tragedy type.

     2008: The Happening: Director M. Night Shyamalan's misfire starts with the disappearance of all the world's bees.  The mass suicides begin.  Earth has begun rejecting an irritant, us.

     2009: 2012.  The last day of the world according to the ancient Mayan calendar is 21 Dec. 2012.

This is a big-budget special effects spectacular.  One man may hold the key to stopping it.

     2009: Knowing.  A teacher comes to believe that a number-filled sheet from a time capsule unearthed at his son's school contains codes pointing to disasters with accurate dates and death totals.  As he checks, everything lines up, 100%.  Then he finds dates for three disasters which have haven't happened yet, including one extraordinarily special event.

     John Cusack, talking about his role in 2012, said "the movie is a big action film , but it's also about emotions.  It made me think that, if you just had this finite time left on earth, then what would you do with it?"

     The truth is that we all already have "just this finite time left on Earth" and we don't know how long that finite time period is.  Right now is the only time we have for sure.  We ...you might be dead tomorrow, or later tonight, or two minutes from now.  The end of the world comes for each of us.

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.²But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.  [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.  Mark 13: 31-36.