Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1970s
    Movies - 1970s Movies - C 6 Mins Read

    Clockwork Orange, A (1971)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Set in Britain in the near future, A Clockwork Orange relates the adventures of a working-class teenage delinquent whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Ludwig Van (Beethoven). Horrorshow fun for all the family, oh my brothers!

    It was the one unmissable (but unseeable in the UK – director Stanley Kubrick withdrew the film in 1974 and refused permission to screen the film in Britain until his death) and Glammest of seventies movies, which managed to combine music, sex and horror. On its release in 1971, there were legions of baggy-trousered teens queuing at Odeon’s around the country for a chance to view this film.

    When you consider some of the atrocities that have been committed on screen in the name of art, it makes sense that a great number of people were scared to see A Clockwork Orange. The film was a post-skinhead orgy of ultra-violence and sex, set bizarrely to a classical score.

    clockworkorange_749

    Many of the scenes that were considered too risqué at the time of its release would hardly cause viewers to blink an eyelid these days, and it is nowhere as disturbing in nature as films such as Salo or Le Grande Bouffe.

    The leading role, Beethoven-loving teen thug Alex, was played by Malcolm McDowell – the criminally under-celebrated king of seventies film – who managed somehow to remain vulnerable, even likeable, while at the same time clearly a monster.

    McDowell’s Alex immediately affected British street fashion – Black bowler and bovver boots, white shirt and trousers, tastefully topped off with an eye-catching, fortified codpiece – even at one point causing skinhead gangs to wear comic false noses as disguises when engaging in ‘unlawful activity’

    Alex and his gang of ‘droogies’ begin a night out with a few drinks at the Korova Milkbar – “trying to make up our razudoks what to do with the evening” – before going on to ‘tolchock’ a drunken tramp (kick him to a pulp), indulge in a spot of ultra-violence with a rival gang and play “road hogs” in a stolen car.

    Having warmed up, they break into the country house of a successful author and take turns raping his wife, making very sure that the elderly writer – bound and gagged – gets a birds-eye view of her lengthy ordeal. “Viddy well,” Alex says, “Take a good look”.

    Back at the bar, “feeling a bit shagged and fagged and fashed” they chill out with a “Moloko Plus” (milk with something psychogenic added) before heading “bedways”.

    In contrast to his droogs, (Pete, Georgie and Dim) – who expect to pick up some booty on their raids – Alex has little interest in money. To show them who is “Master and Leader” he beats them up, which turns out to be a fateful difference of opinion.

    Later, when Alex inadvertently kills a woman with an objet d’art (a giant phallus), his disgruntled and mutinous droogies smash a bottle in his face and leave him to be captured by the police.

    He is sentenced to 14 years in prison and submits to an experimental new socialisation program and a revolutionary therapeutic technique – a form of aversion therapy that is almost as sadistic as the acts he has himself committed.

    clockworkorange31

    Rendered to a state whereby violence makes him physically and violently sick (ie: “cured”) he is granted early release and sent back into society – where he becomes himself a victim of his friends, as well as his previous enemies and those he has wronged.

    The only solution seems to be to reverse the aversion therapy so that he may relapse into his old ways.

    Widely hailed as Stanley Kubrick’s most daring film, it is indeed a brave venture.

    As much a political statement as it is a prediction of the future, it was based on Anthony Burgess’s controversial 1962 novel about a morally bankrupt teenager who is “reprogrammed” by government officials after his rampage of ultra-violence brings him to their attention.

    The ‘language’ (“Nadsat”) fabricated by Burgess in the novel  – a mixture of Russian, near-Elizabethan eloquence and baby talk – is more or less faithfully followed and does much to give the film its edge.

    Shot in a circus-like style, it is still an unnerving film to look at. The violence is disturbing more for the manner in which it is served – without any judgment. Indeed, the real scandal of the film is the way in which viewers catch themselves looking forward with excitement to whatever is going to come next.

    clockworkorange6

    Alex lives in Municipal Flat Block, Linear North, in the film. The striking brutalist architecture on screen is actually Thamesmead South, an imposing housing estate on the fringes of south-east London, while the scene in which the droogs attack the homeless man is set in a tunnel in Wandsworth.

    A Clockwork Orange‘s bizarre soundtrack album, featuring a good deal of synthesized Beethoven, took its place alongside Alice Cooper‘s Killer and David Bowie‘s Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust in the record racks for a while.

    McDowell earned himself a healthy (or perhaps that’s unhealthy) cult following as Clockwork Orange fans flocked to his later release O Lucky Man! (1973) – which was a sequel to Lindsay Anderson’s satirical If… (1968).

    TRIVIA
    Walter Carlos who scored the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange, later became a woman known as Wendy and underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1972.

    Contrary to popular belief, the scene where Alex beats the Cat Lady to death with a large plaster penis (pictured below) was never in the book.

    clockworkorange_003

    050Alex DeLarge
    Malcolm McDowell
    Dim/Officer Corby

    Warren Clarke
    Frank Alexander

    Patrick Magee
    Mrs Alexander

    Adrienne Corri
    Georgie

    James Marcus
    clockwork29Minister

    Anthony Sharp
    Pete

    Michael Tarn
    Mr DeLarge (“P”)

    Philip Stone
    Mrs DeLarge (“M”)

    Sheila Raynor
    P R Deltoid

    Aubrey Morris
    Cat Lady (Mrs Weatherly)

    Miriam Karlin
    Tramp

    Paul Farrell
    Julian

    David Prowse
    Dr Brodsky

    Carl Duering
    Joe The Lodger

    Clive Francis
    Prison Governor

    Michael Gover
    Prison Chaplain

    Godfrey Quigley
    Dr Branum

    Madge Ryan
    Conspirator Dolin

    John Savident
    Dr Taylor

    Pauline Taylor
    Rubinstein

    Margaret Tyzack
    Constable

    Steven Berkoff
    Detective

    Lindsay Campbell
    Chief Guard Barnes

    Michael Bates
    Billy-Boy

    Richard Connaught
    Sister Feeley

    Carol Drinkwater
    Sonietta

    Gillian Hills
    Rape victim

    Cheryl Grunwald

    Director
    Stanley Kubrick

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Wattstax (1973)
      Wattstax (1973)
      Wattstax was a benefit concert put together by Stax Records to commemorate the community of Watts, Los Angeles after its…
    • Tomorrow Never Comes (1977)
      Tomorrow Never Comes (1977)
      Peter Collinson (The Italian Job) directs this tense, violent hostage drama starring Oliver Reed as negotiator Jim Wilson who is…
    • Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
      Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
      The versatile HB "Toby" Halicki not only wrote, directed and starred in this grandaddy of the car-chase movie, he also…
    • Point, The (1971)
      Point, The (1971)
      This animated fantasy movie for grown-ups and children was conceived by singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson at probably the most prolific period…
    • Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, The (1974)
      Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, The (1974)
      Directed by Roy Ward Baker, this 1974 film is a fusion of vampire horror and kung fu capers designed to…
    • I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
      I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
      This still-notorious film now seems tame in the gore and nudity departments, but its violence against women is still outrageous.…
    • Sweet Sweetback's BaadAssss Song (1971)
      Sweet Sweetback's BaadAssss Song (1971)
      Almost certainly the most important feature in the history of black filmmaking in the US, this is an angry riposte…
    • Vampyres (1974)
      Vampyres (1974)
      Although shot in just three weeks on a shoestring budget, this Spanish/British production is an incredibly stylish and erotic horror…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleAces High (1976)
    Next Article Across 110th Street (1972)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Three Kings (1999)
      This superb – though very violent – mix of comedy, […]
    • Supervixens (1975)
      Cult sexploiter Russ Meyer cranked up his giddy formula of fast […]
    • Get Christie Love
      1 9 7 4 – 1 9 7 5 (USA) 1 x 90 minute episode 22 x 60 […]
    • Silent Playground (1963)
      Mentally ill young Simon Lacey (Roland Curram in the performance […]
    • Brook Brothers, The
      Ricky and Geoff Brook hailed from Winchester, Hampshire, […]
    • Born Innocent (1974)
      This made-for-TV movie from NBC starred Linda Blair as Chris […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    1 day ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.