Clockwork orange classic film review!

The film clockwork orange is based on the novel of the same name by British writer Anthony Burgess. After reading this novel, director stanley kubrick strongly persuaded Warner Film Company to buy its copyright for $200,000 at 1969. After the filming, clockwork orange was rated as an X-rated film by the American Film Review Committee for its violent and pornographic content, which made it the second X-rated film nominated for an Oscar after Midnight Cowboy. One year after the film was released, Kubrick cut out some scenes in the film and changed the rating of clockwork orange to R. It was more difficult for clockwork orange to be released in Britain than in the United States, and it was even listed as the culprit of several murders and violent incidents, so that Kubrick had to ask Warner to stop the release of clockwork orange in Britain. Film screening is also banned in Britain. Before the lifting of the ban in 2000, movies could only appear in some art theaters and private transactions.

Kubrick tried his best to pursue perfection, which is undoubtedly a blessing for the audience, but it can be called "misfortune" for the actors. The film has been remake many times and even changed actors, which took a year and a half to complete. Many actors who tried to work with him in filming declared that they would never work with him again after filming because his demands were too high.

The film won 197 1 NYPD Best Film and Director Award, 1972 Academy of Motion Picture Arts Oscar Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing, 1973 hollywood foreign press association Golden Globe Award for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Director, 1973. Because the film is controversial, the awards won are not convincing enough, but this does not damage the Excellence of the film.

theme

Kubrick said: "The theme of this film questions people's sense of freedom. Everyone must live according to fixed ways and principles. When the rights of being a good person or a bad person are deprived, do people really enjoy human rights? " The film mercilessly points the finger at social ideology and shows both free will and social ideology to the extreme. Alex's naked pursuit of violence and pornography is really disgusting and even hateful, but the government's negative brainwashing method of dehumanizing humanity is also extremely uncomfortable. In fact, both personal violence and social violence should be abandoned by a mature and civilized society.

As for the meaning of clockwork orange, the novelist Anthony Burgess said in the preface of the original reprint: "clockwork orange doesn't exist, but old Londoners use it as a metaphor. It has a strange meaning and is always used to describe strange things. "He is as eccentric as a clock" means that he is very eccentric. My original intention is that it marks the application of mechanical morality in a sweet and juicy life. "Intuitively, this title implies an injured person (mechanical and artificial) (the English word" orange "is similar to the word" orangutan ").

The main content of the last chapter of the novel is that Alex finally gave up violence when he grew up, got married and had children. When it was first shown in America, the publisher insisted on deleting the last chapter. Burgess has always been worried about this, thinking that without this chapter, his thoughts could not be fully expressed. Therefore, he expressed dissatisfaction with the novels and movies of the American version of clockwork orange. But then again, Burgess' novels are not first-class novels, but Kubrick's movies are definitely first-class movies.

narrate

The narrative of the film is extremely rigorous, which is developed through three parts: the evil deeds of Alex and his associates; Alex went to prison for punishment and treatment; The revenge suffered by the released Alex and his "recovery". Stunned, Alex, the former villain, completely lost the ability to do evil after the treatment was lifted, so that all the people he had done evil gave him the same evil, but he had no resistance. In this way, linear narrative has strangely become circular narrative, and the observation and criticism of individual evil has naturally become the observation and criticism of universal evil. In the face of evil facts, any seemingly reasonable excuse (such as revenge, such as justice) is ridiculous, and the natural contest between justice and evil has become a contest between evil and worse. In the suffocating narrative, we see Kubrick's strength as a director, without any emotional fluctuations in the face of desperate secular stability. Kubrick seems to be a cold-blooded killer, aiming at the ugliness of reality, making it difficult to watch the movie again. Perhaps only when the film arouses people's extreme anger and rational reflection on evil can the film be truly completed, and people seem to be able to gently pull the corners of their mouths and say Kubrick, "This killer is not too cold."

conversation

The dialogue in the film is very dramatic. The tone of the actors' dialogue is like recitation in a stage play, and some lines are quite poetic, which makes people feel that this is not a movie, but an opera being staged on the stage. Exaggerated dialogue enhances the unreality of the film. If you only feel the tone of the dialogue, people will think that the characters in the film are civilized enough, but the fact is that they are doing the most barbaric things in an elegant way. The sharp contrast undoubtedly deepened the irony and criticism of the film.

picture

The image of clockwork orange is gorgeous, as if it were a feast for the senses. The description of sex in the film is extremely straightforward, but it is not the core of the film. It is just a manifestation of violence, and it is endowed with a very beautiful form. For example, Violence by the River is Alex's "perfect work", which makes people involuntarily think of a word: "flower of evil". Kubrick made people forget morality at once, but froze in the face of the combination of evil and beauty. It is precisely because of this "beauty" that evil is even more evil, and people have to open their eyes and face the bleak life and humanity. In addition, Kubrick used the documentary shooting techniques for reference in some scenes, including live broadcast on the radio, only using natural light to illuminate, and using a wheelchair to create bumps when shooting the tracking lens, which deepened the sense of the scene of the film.

music

Kubrick's excellent ideas often flash in movies, and it is Kubrick's stunt to express evil with music symbolizing truth, goodness and beauty. Classical music such as Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Rossini's William Tell, The Magpie Thief and elgar's Grand March are all famous, but they become background music in the film to cooperate with the violent activities of Alex and others. Kubrick expressed his despair of evil humanity through the most brilliant and joyful movement, and made a big joke with classical music. Perhaps the most unbearable thing is that when Alex beat the host and raped the hostess at the screenwriter's house, he danced happily while singing "Singing in the Rain" and cruelly abused the couple with the rhythm of the dance. The lyricism and joy of music are intertwined with heinous violence, which is unforgettable. When violence becomes a kind of entertainment, fear can be regarded as the most complete evil.

Trivia:

The copyright of this film was bought for several hundred dollars, but it sold for a large sum. When director stanley kubrick first came into contact with this film, many people wanted to win the roles of Alex and his accomplices: a girl in a miniskirt, an elderly prisoner and a member of the Rolling Stones.

During the filming of Ludwig, Malcolm mcdowell, the leading actor, scratched his eyes and was temporarily blind. During filming the shameful stage performance, his ribs were unfortunately broken. In the sinking scene, he almost drowned when he was underwater because of the failure of his breathing equipment.

When stanley kubrick discovered that Malcolm mcdowell was afraid of reptiles, he decided to add a snake to the film.

Kubrick insisted that the milk in the bottle be emptied every hour, cleaned and refilled (the milk solidified under the light of the studio).

After the author created Alex, stanley kubrick deliberately made some mistakes in the film. Between different shots, the plate on the table is always moving, and the capacity of the wine in the cup is always changing, in order to confuse the audience when watching the movie.

While flogging and binding the screenwriter and his wife, Alex danced and sang Singin' in the Rain, which was not in the script. Stanley kubrick spent four days investigating this scene, and always felt that it was too regular. Later, he contacted Malcolm mcdowell and asked him if he could dance. They tried to shoot again, and this time mcdowell improved. He sings and dances. Kubrick was completely fascinated. He and mcdowell drove home, and he quickly bought the copyright of the song "Singing in the Rain" for 1 10,000 dollars.

According to an interview with malcolm mcdowell, as an actor, he often brings a lot of inspiration to director stanley kubrick during his filming. In their spare time, they often play table tennis to kill time (this sport can be found in Kubrick's early film Lolita 1962). Later, mcdowell was very annoyed because he lost a lot of money while playing these games.

Stanley kubrick asked Pink Floyd if he would like to use their "Atomic Heart Mother Suite" in movie music. Because Kubrick wants unlimited permission, it is up to him to decide which part of the song to use or edit. The band refused. When Alex walked into the video store, the cover on the shelf was "Atom Heart Mothe".

Director's guest appearance: (stanley kubrick) When Alex walked into the video store, the person reading the magazine on the right side of the picture turned his back to the camera.