Clockwork Orange (1971)

Set in London in an alternative future (future at least to 1971) when society is terrorized by vicious gangs of thugs, Clockwork Orange tells the story of Alex, the leader of a typically belligerent gang and his desire to be cured. The film really deals with how the government and society fail younger people, and the ineffective and sometimes drastic measures that are used to try and tackle the issue.

Clockwork Orange has always had a bit of a reputation as being a very violent and unsavory film; actually I would say that there is minimal violence. OK, so kicking someone in the legs and stomach while they're on the ground and then raping their wife isn't very nice, but none of it is graphic. I don't think that The Hunger Games is any less violent, and either version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is far more graphic and grim. Clearly there is perspective to this, and to 1971 sensibilities, Clockwork Orange was obviously more than a lot of people could handle.

So why should you watch this? Mostly for Malcolm McDowell; he is just brilliant. His portrayal of Alex is such that you cannot imagine anyone else playing that role. He is unpredictable, gleeful, strangely polite, repentant, but has the ability to always be slightly intimidating. Of course it helps that Kubrick’s screenplay based on Anthony Burgess’ novel is equally brilliant; if Alex didn't speak in his mock Shakespearean way (Nadsat apparently), then the film probably wouldn't have worked so well.

While clearly not in the same league as 2001 (few films are), Clockwork Orange nevertheless still has moments of beauty. Whatever the subject matter, Kubrick really knows how to set up a shot, and some of the sets (designed by Star Wars set designer John Barry - no, not that one) are oddly cinematic.

Similar to 2001, Kubrick decided to use a classical music score, but here it is often incongruous to what is happening on screen: Alex singing "Singing in the rain" as he is beating and raping, Rossini’s “The Thieving Magpie” while fighting Billy Boy and his gang in the old casino, or of course the use of “Ludwig Van’s 9th” which eventually drives Alex mad! Again this music elevates Clockwork Orange to a level where it is more than just a film. I think that with any other director at the helm it would have been a fairly ordinary film, but Kubrick crafted something more than that; an experience whose atmosphere really permeates the viewer and stays with them for long after the credits roll.

If anyone ever had doubts about seeing this because of its notoriety and potential content, I would recommend them to take the time to see it, I’m sure it is not what they would expect. Bold, iconic music, a compelling performance from McDowell, and occasionally sumptuous visuals, is definitely worthy of praise.

Make it So

Last weekend (16th October) Film4 showed all 10 Star Trek films. Yeeesh that's a lot of Star Trek! Now I must point out at the outset that I am not a Trekkie! I'm firmly in the Star Wars camp. I know there have been many arguments over which series is better over the years, but to make a singular point here's mine as to why Star Wars is better: Lightsabers! There, said it!

Of course I didn't watch all ten films, that would be nuts. I saw some of the first film (The Motion Picture), but as we had friends over, it was muted. Which probably made it better as we could imagine what was being said, which was probably more interesting. Also great when subtitles say "ROAAR!"! I watched about half of Undiscovered Country (that's the one where they try to make peace with the Klingons and Kirk ends up in a gulag right?) That was fairly painful, with the usual wooden acting from Shatner et al. And Scotty is just terrible, as is his script: Bridge (could have been Spock at this point, I can't remember): "Try going to backup (reserve/auxiliary I can't remember) power!" Scot: "Shit yeah, good idea, why didn't I think of that, I mean, I'm only the fucking engineer!". Or something like that! Oh yeah, and Samantha (Kim Catrall) from Sex and the City is in it!

So the only two films I watched in their entirety were Generations and First Contact. Generations, yeesh. Shatner, bad; Patrick Stewart, alright I suppose, even Malcolm McDowell was bad. The plot was so obvious you could see it coming a mile off. Picard finds out relatives have died, and the plot revolves around the bad guy trying to get back to a different "reality" where everything is perfect, where you will never be so content. Mmmm, do you suppose Picard will end up there for a short while and his dead relatives will be there? Oh look, he wants to be in a Victorian Christmas day where his dead nephew speaks with the worst plummy English accent ever "Hello Uncle. I love you Uncle" (vomits quietly into a bucket). I think that this is another thing that routinely annoys me about Star Trek; there are often sections where the characters are not in the universe they live in. Well I guess they are, but they're not, they could be on a old sailing ship, or riding horses across a field, something that is totally incongruous to the film. I'm not denying it makes sense to use the holodeck, or that there are worlds in their universe where grassy fields and horses exist, that is fine, but it just looks dumb as part of the film. But that's just like my opinion man, perhaps I'm the only one!

Oh and as for the light comedy relief provided by Data and his emotion chip; well it's as bad as Jar Jar Binks.

On that cringeworthy note, on to First Contact, which I actually quite enjoyed. Probably mainly because Shatner isn't in it. Ah yes, now I remember, the Desperate Housewives episode! Hawk played by weird neighbour Dave Williams, and James Cromwell's sidekick played by weird neighbour Betty Applewhite. Still, this is the first film where the next generation crew made it their own, and a breath of fresh air it was. Directed by Riker (Jonathan Frakes) the script was far better than some of the old guard films, and the Borg make an interesting new enemy (to my mind; in the films; remember I'm not a Trekkie) as we were getting bored of Klingons and Romulans with dodgy make-up. Though some of the Borg outfits did remind me of an assassin cyborg escaped from a prison world in a Red Dwarf episode! Mercifully no light comedy from Data this time.
Well I've probably stirred up enough shit for a review of Star Trek, I couldn't face any more films that night, and besides, the new series of Desperate Housewives was starting on E4!

Still, I guess no blog on Star Trek would be complete without this: