A Clockwork Orange. Stanley Kubrick, 1971.USA

Reviewed by Nathan Chinchilla at the Metro Theater, Santa Barbara

A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick shows the story of the young Narrator, Alex who is played by Malcolm McDowell, and displays notorious antics that him and his crew of friends do throughout the film. It is a twisted flick on the  masqueraded characters, the fantasy to oppose the police and the mind control but rather you are cheering on the protagonist, Alex. Stanley Kubrick surely made a character so evil and maniacal that you had to love him even when he was performing acts against society or in jail. When I saw the movie at the Metro Theater at the film festival and the movie had been restored digitally which made the even more special to watch because now you can see and feel each scene. The director, Stanley Kubrick, and main actor, Malcolm McDowell, combined so well throughout the movie to portray a brilliant performance of violence and rebellion.

The movie begins with a voice-over from the main character, Alex, who starts by introducing himself and droons to the audience and their location in a Korova milk bar in which they are consuming drugs to start off their night. The narrator, Alex, the proceeds with telling the audience of their next plan to go out and perform nothing but some good ol’ violence by attacking a homeless man. Stanley Kubrick did an excellent job with the cinematography and highlighting on the long shadows of the characters giving it that fantasy feel to it still. Next,  the editing with the music that Kubrick has included in this film is great with the classical music such as Ludwig Van Beethoven to “Singing in the Rain” he has touched on some diverse music giving the film again another twisted feel to it.

There is no justification on how great this movie may be because of the wonderful performance from Malcolm McDowell and its director Stanley Kubrick, whom he finds a great interest in the character Alex, creates a film that many can not help to look away from because sadistic, gut-wrenching scenes and the hero that is inside Alex. Giving it the same feel to the movie “Bronson” by David Winding Refn, that when both characters perform violent acts in twisted scenes you still want them to win. That same feeling will carry on to the end capturing the audience from beginning to end.