A Clockwork Orange

Summary

“The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence.”

As film viewers and collectors we live in an amazing time. Despite the fact that digital film viewing has become the most adopted form of viewing films, independent distributors have shown there was actually a sustainable market of film collectors that are willing to pay a premium to own the best possible release of a film. Warner Bros. has continuously proven that they understand this market through their Warner Archive line and their continued support of the 4K UHD format. None of their properties excite a film collector as much as their recent 4K UHD releases of Stanley Kubrick films.

Since I was a teenage boy, Stanley Kubrick has held a place in my highest regard. I remember watching Dr. Strangelove on Turner Classic Movies and being blown away. Then there was Lolita and 2001 and The Shining, which equally impressed me. When I was in my twenties, I watched Paths of Glory and The Killing and was amazed that even Kubrick’s early films had such a unique and precise vision. For some reason, I held off on watching Barry Lyndon until Criterion released it. Of course, I loved it. I had also always considered Full Metal Jacket a lesser work based on my viewing of it as a teenager, but on reappraisal, I thoroughly enjoyed it. For some unknown reason, until the other evening, I had never seen A Clockwork Orange in its entirety. I had watched portions of A Clockwork Orange over the years and had read the actual novel by Anthony Burgess, but I had never watched the film from beginning to end. I can not for the life of me explain why I never got around to viewing this film until last night, but I could not have been more excited to finally dig into the film in 4K!

The film takes place in an alternate futuristic version of London. Teenager Alex Delarge (Malcolm McDowell) leads a gang of his droogs – Pete (Michael Tarn,) and Georgie (James Marcus,) and dim witted Dim (Warren Clarke.) They spend their time in a milk bar where they consume a drug laced milk concotion before they take to the streets to perform ultra violence. They beat homeless people, fight rival gangs, and rape when possible. Alex is also a huge fan of the classical music of “Ludwig Van” Beethoven. On one evening, their gang arrives at the country home of writer Frank Alexander. They fool his wife into opening the door wearing horrific masks with elongated noses. They beat Frank to the point of paralysis and then rape his wife before fleeing the scene, all while singing “Singing in the Rain.” The next day, they are truant from school. Alex receives a warning from PR Deltoid, his probation officer. When Alex is approached by his droogs about more equality and higher yield thefts, Alex responds by viciously attacking them. That night they approach the home of a wealthy “cat lady.” The droogs stay outside and Alex enters the home alone. He beats her with a phallic sculpture until he hears sirens coming his way. When he steps outside, Dim smashes a bottle on Alex’s face. Alex is left behind and arrested. The “cat woman” has died, so Alex is sent to prison for a fourteen year term. He is a model prisoner for a couple years and spends his time memorizing the Bible in hopes of an early exit from prison. He is not reformed, only putting on another face so that he might get back to his ways just as before. When Alex hears of an experimental procedure that is meant to cure prisoners of the desire to do harm to others, Alex volunteers to pilot the program with the expectation of being released from prison and being considered reformed. The results of the program will have consequences for Alex that he can not foresee.

A Clockwork Orange is a brilliant piece of cinema. The novel certainly does not read as something that would be easily adapted to the screen, but Kubrick managed the nearly impossible and made the the dialogue of the book sing onscreen. A Clockwork Orange is a unique novel in that it has the characters speak in prose that steals from Russian, Scottish slang, and Olde English to create its own vernacular. Kubrick doesn’t shy away from this and goes headlong into the dialogue in the same way in which it was written. The effect – similar to the way the book reads – is at first bewildering, but that initial confusion is overcome through the course of actions taken by the characters. The lexicon of the film helps the film to stand apart. 

Like other Kubrick films, the picture is meticulously realized with its own unique style. Working with cinematographer John Alcott (who had worked as a cameraman on 2001 and would also serve as cinematographer on The Shining and Barry Lyndon) Kubrick created a unique visual style for A Clockwork Orange. It was shot in 1.66:1 aspect ratio – which is not as wide an aspect ratio as his other films – using a variety of lenses that accentuate motion such as the Arriflex 35 and Kinoptik 9.8. The Kinoptik was the same lens he used for the steadicam shot in the maze sequence in The Shining. The effect is that much of the film’s outer areas for portions of the film are in softer focus with focused detail in the center of the screen, which adds to the somewhat exaggerated feeling of the picture. The only film in Kubrick’s repertoire that looks softer than A Clockwork Orange would be in portions of Barry Lyndon, due to that film’s focus on natural lighting. This is not at all a bad thing – it is a deliberate choice- but it does mean that UHD enthusiasts who are used to seeing extremely sharp images in his films like 2001 or The Shining will probably find themselves adjusting the sharpness on their television slightly to accentuate the textures in the film. Once I did this, the movie looked fantastic on my 70” screen. Kubrick started his career as a photographer for Life magazine, and his films have the effect of each sequence being framed as if to be hung in a museum. Even with material as ugly as A Clockwork Orange, the cinematography is striking. 

I like that Kubrick was not interested in having the film feel completely realistic. There are a lot of stylistic choices made by Kubrick. One famous sequence uses an obvious rear projection technique behind Alex and his droogies as they drive in their car. A sequence in which a girl is sexually assaulted by a rival gang plays out as if it is a taken directly from a ballet. It is obviously choreographed and turns something heinous into something striking. The attack by Alex of his fellow droogs features classical music and slow motion. This scene has become so famous that it no longer feels surprising when viewed. The amount of ideas that Kubrick had for the film that then became appropriated by other directors is staggering. 

The acting by Malcolm McDowell is some of his finest. McDowell had proven himself to have an excellent talent for playing maladjusted youths in the film If…. by Lindsay Anderson, but his acting in A Clockwork Orange is his definitive best performance. He is wildly entertaining as Alex – imbuing the character with the proper amount of childish aplomb and menace. When the film reaches its satirical peak in its finale, it is impossible to think of a better actor to deliver the shiteating grin of the protagonist. It remains an iconic performance. There are several good turns by the cast of character actors as well, but Alex is the focus of the film.

A Clockwork Orange is an exhilarating foray into science fiction and satire from master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. It is his ugliest vision and also one of his greatest achievements. Fifty years later, the film has lost none of its bite or power.

Video

Warner Bros. have provided A Clockwork Orange with a fantastic new HEVC H.265 2160p transfer in native 4K in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. As I mentioned above, this film was deliberately shot in a style that features a good amount of soft focus, so I highly recommend turning your television towards amplifying sharpness in the image. When I did this, I was fairly blown away by how well Warner have done at presenting the film. This is a big leap from the 2007 Blu-ray released by Warner and presents the film as close to Kubrick’s original vision as one can expect. Clarity is exceptional and the film material seems to have been in immaculate shape. The new 4K presentation is the very best that this film can look until a new format arrives. The fine detail improvements are vast and the HDR helps to bring out the little patches of color as they appear.

Audio

Warner Bros. have provided both DTS-HD MA Mono and DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks for the film. One review I read mentioned that the newly done DTS-HD MA 5.1 track accentuated the dialogue in a way that comes off overly sharp. I heard some instances in the track where I felt like that was a fair analysis, but I am not sure I would have noticed this issue if it had not been pointed out to me. Overall, I thought the sound design was well preserved, even considering that slight issue.

Supplements:

• Featured on the UHD Disc:
• Audio Commentary – this commentary track features actor Malcolm McDowell talking with the wonderful Nick Redman. Nick is probably best known for his excellent work to preserve Sam Peckinpah’s legacy and for starting the Blu-ray label Twilight Time. I was lucky enough to interview Nick twice and he was an incredibly courteous person who I considered a friend after those two interviews. I have been a fan of his commentary tracks for years and his presence is sorely missed. Like his other tracks, this an extremely informative and enjoyable conversation. R.I.P. Nick
• Featured on the included Blu-ray:

• Still Tickin’: The Return of A Clockwork Orange 

• Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Making A Clockwork Orange

• Turning Like Clockwork

• Malcolm McDowell Looks Back

• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5 

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 5/5

A Clockwork Orange is one of Stanley Kubrick’s best films. It would be hard to dispute that the film is a masterpiece, even if it is not at all an easy viewing experience. The film is an extremely faithful adaptation of a daunting novel that seemed like it could not possibly be adapted. Kubrick created a film that is as repulsive as it is effective and visually striking. It is a stylistic triumph and continues to influence filmmakers fifty years after its release. The performance by Malcolm McDowell is iconic and his best performance from his storied career. Warner Bros. have provided the best video presentation possible of the film. The audio at times is a little harsh, but I did not think this was as big an issue as some other reviewers. I was also pleased to listen to Nick Redman on the commentary track with Malcolm McDowell. Nick is sorely missed. Fans of the film will definitely want to purchase this edition which earns our highest recommendation.