As a reaction to these scientific advancements, Stanley Kubrick directed a movie based on Anthony Burgess’ novel, A Clockwork Orange.  The 1971 movie reacts against these scientific efforts to psychologically tame subjects, by exposing the psyche of a psychopath.  It takes place in a futuristic Britain, within the dystopia of a mad teenager named Alex DeLarge, played by Malcolm McDowell. The movie is strategically composed into three sections.  The first section is an exposition of Alex’s reality in relation to the rest of the world.  It places Alex performing reckless acts of violence and negligence within a conventional society.  The second section penetrates Alex’s psyche and allows the audience to experience his recklessness first hand.  By the movie’s climax Alex is taken in by government forces and then attempted to be reconditioned by psychological behaviorists and is a guinea pig for a ground-breaking technique.

We’re introduced to Alex through a reckless act of breaking & entering and a rude attack an innocent couple.  We watch these acts through the eyes of the gentleman who witnesses his wife being raped. Following this scene, we see Alex and his friends in a bar, again through the eyes of baffled observers, who seem slightly peeved by the group.   The opening sequence locates us in the reckless world of a madman.   Kubrick’s intent, much like Wiene’s approach to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, is to provide an experience of the world, through the eyes of a deluded individual such as Alex DeLarge.

next
back