A CLOCKWORK ORANGE Is Not The Film I Thought It'd Be (Reaction)

[@CahirMG]

The Bodybuilder that lives with the writer is played by David Prowse who played Darth Vader in the Original Star Wars Trilogy.

[@GigsNotPigs]

That’s mad

[@benisblunt7]

My stepmums, mum is freinds with him. It's scary how small of a world it Is

[@JP-jb5di]

@@benisblunt7 he's dead

[@marcospman9396]

and he was also Christopher Reeve's personal trainer for the first Superman movie!

[@andynixon2820]

And in the UK he was famous as the 'green cross code' man teaching kids about road safety in the 70s .

[@barneymetcalfe8896]

25:00 what I love in this shot is that his old mates' police numbers are 665 and 667, carrying Alex between them, making Alex...

[@Yngvarfo]

Wow! I never got that! 🤣

[@kingamoeboid3887]

In the book it Alex’s prison number was 6655321.

[@gabrielc6252]

@@kingamoeboid3887 and in the movies 655321. He was referring the scene where they tried to drown him

[@krautgazer]

This film should be more known for being a philosophical science fiction than a brutal crime film. People always get the wrong expectations about this film nowadays. It might have been brutal in its original release but we've come a long way in the portrayal of violence in media. Don't get me wrong, it is still brutal, but people think it's some kind of torture porn like Saw or something, and they don't pay enough attention about its philosophical and sociopolitical themes about free will and human nature, the use of crime as a pawn by the left and the right, the religious vs. scientific ways of resolving the problem of crime, the consequences of an ultra-behaviorist psychatric method, the dystopian society portrayed in the film etc. There are so many layers in this movie.

[@fynnthefox9078]

Oh yeah, compared to Saw, this is tame.

[@JnEricsonx]

Kind of like how when they did a shot for shot remake of Psycho in 1998, expecting a movie that shocked in 1960 to have the same reaction on horror fans of the 80s and 90s-uh...no...

[@stiofanmac3376]

this is the correct take on the masterpiece.

[@ryanclark6402]

Well said, droog-of-mine. There is ultra-violence and absolute disregard for humanity from Alex and his cohorts, but there may be an equal amount of violence from “The State,” or whatever you want to call it. In the end, I give the same advice to everyone who might have seen a Kubrick adaptation film: READ THE DAMN BOOK!!! Kubrick’s films are great in their own right, but they’re not the same as (or don’t bring through the same themes as) the Clarke/King/Burgess/etc source material.

[@gregmattson2238]

i don't find Saw particularly brutal. Nor any of the jump scare movies. The protagonists of those worlds aren't real, whereas the Alexes of the world are very real. Plus the fact that you see the world through his eyes in ACO makes the experience particularly demented. I also see the points the film is trying to make wrt personal freedom but I don't find them very convincing. Yes they took away the right of Alex to choose right and wrong, but he very much took away the right of the writer's wife to choose as well - by raping and ultimately her dying. Or the cat lady's right by smashing in her skull. And by imprisoning him, they are taking away his right to choose as well - you could argue that the only goal the ludovico technique had was to make a more sure, confining, and cheaper prision. The one place where I find this film gets it right however is it its themes of government. The true problem with the ludovico technique is that it would be TOO efficient, which means that the government would have the means to become totalitarian. There I think there is more merit - if you embrace torture as a pragmatic means, there is no low that you will sink to, and a republic based on higher ideals will disappear replaced by an authortarian regime. BTW - I don't find ACO the most gut wrenching movie that Kubrick ever made. I give that honor to Dr. Strangelove, whose intricate logic and subject matter was very real, so real that the people in the know said - when they watched it - that they didn't see a fiction film but a documentary. (ps - if brandon does actually react to it I'd prefer no spoilers here in the discussion)

[@sergiogudino1763]

That “singin in the rain” scene has always stuck with me for how brutal it is

[@enkilqc]

Have you never seen a man sitting in a bath....?

[@SonOfMuta]

McDowell improvised that

[@onclebob2178]

Gene Kelly was mad at him for that and refused to shake his hand when they were introduced at a party

[@douglascampbell9809]

@@onclebob2178 Mostly because Kubrick had promised to buy the rights to the song from Kelly for $10,000 and never ponied up the money. McDowell just got some of Kelly's anger at Kubrick. Apparently Kubrick is famous for being cheap. Kelly's widow, gave a talk about this to the Academy when it was the 40th anniversary. McDowell said in an interview. "She was very sweet and she came up to me afterwards, and said, (Malcolm, just to let you know, Gene was not pissed off with you. He was pissed off with Stanley… because he never paid him.)"

[@onclebob2178]

@@douglascampbell9809 I didn’t know that. 👍🏻

[@steve.mcbride]

I remember reading this book when I was a teenager. It's completely written with narration from his perspective using the slang the author invented. In the first few pages, you're so confused, it might as well be a foreign language. But you slowly figure it out through context and repetitive use. By the end of the book you are so fluent that it becomes a chore to refrain from using it in normal conversation with people.

[@nicepunk00]

I hear Russian words. Droog, moloko, horosho

[@stvk99]

reading it as a Russian is so much fun😁

[@steve.mcbride]

@@nicepunk00 it is "horror show." The author's slang word for cool or awesome. He studied black American slang and how bad turned into good/cool over time. Mirrored it by using another negative phrase to mean something positive. But it also means good in Russian, so it is double layered slang. Brilliant writer. Edit: To clarify. There is a lot of Russian, but with some double meaning and English combinations. I read that Burgess spent longer developing nadsat (their teenage slang) than actually writing the book.

[@sjokomelk]

@@nicepunk00 It is Russian words.

[@nicepunk00]

@@sjokomelk I know

[@joealine77]

When Alex's eyes were propped open and he was screaming to be released, that was the actor Malcolm McDowell basically breaking character and screaming in real life agony, because in typical Kubrick fashion, Stanley was actually torturing him for hours on end. And when his former droogs, now police officers, were holding his head in the water, Malcolm almost died. It was a freezing cold British winter and they were directed to hold his head under the water for WAY too long

[@Sl0wry]

McDowell was supposed to have a breathing apparatus for that scene, but it failed in the middle of the shooting. His struggles on the latter part are genuine as he almost drowned.

[@MrRezRising]

I remember seeing that scene when I was a kid and wondering how he was under for so long.

[@mullaoslo]

​@@ElizqTheDroogKubrick is such an enigma for me.. Like sure in no way is it right to treat actors like he did and sometimes risk their lives for a good shot.. But you can't argue that his methods didn't create some of the best performances and images in cinema history

[@jackal59]

You're exaggerating. The scream was acting, but McDowell's corneas were scratched. That wasn't "Kubrick torturing him," though; it was the person who was doing the tech portion fucking up.

[@artemiszeus9735]

@@jackal59 SK did have form though. Shelley Duvall hated him when she did The Shining.

[@davidmeir9348]

After his fall, the doctors did a brain surgery to 'decondition' him. That is why in the slides question he was so aggressive and cocky as well as the daydream he had in the very last scene. That is also why he said: "I was cured" because he now was back in his old ways, which may be a cure for him, but storywise it means he's back to the begining, a violent and uncaring hooligan. Interestingly, the novel has one more chapter after that where Alex grows out of his violent phase and decide to form a familly but this chapter was omitted in American editions and it was based on these editions that Kubrick made the movie. There definitely is a political message in the film. The government wants to empty prisons of common criminals so they have more place for 'political' prisonners (those criticising the government). Not shown in the movie but in the book, when Alex and his gang invade the writter's house and gang rape his wife, Alex reads an insert of the writter's manuscript, A Clockwork Orange, where he decries governments attempts to condition citizens and turn them into a clockwork orange, meaning looking organic from the outside, but turned like machines on the inside as they now obey the powers at the helm without question. Free will is a big part of the story and like the priest explains, the treatment which works on conditioning, having the subject being given medecine that makes his body ill and watch movies of violence and rape so he associates these acts with physical discomfort, takes away free will. Alex doesn't BECOME good, he just acts good by fear of physical illness. The big problem with that as shown in the movie is that you then can easily become the target of society's revenge. About the language, it was created by Burgess (the writter of the novel) and it's a mix of english slang mixed with russian. If ever you by the novel there is an apendix at the end of it for a translation of various terms. All in all great movie. Not nearly as brutal as portrayed, but the term Clockwork Orange type of violence is used when you want to describe gangs of teenagers commiting violent crimes just for the thrill of it. Following a wave of copycat acts in the months following its release, Kubrick himself asked to have the movie pulled out of theatres, so it wasn't banned as widely thought by many because Kubrick acted before it would have been. As all Kubrick movies, the images stay with you. Please react to my favorite Kubrick movie: Paths of Glory.

[@arthurd6495]

great info.

[@kobeanderson6718]

Great breakdown and fully support Paths of Glory. Brilliant and supremely underrated masterpiece

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I'm surprised that he didn't get that the dream Alex refers to at the end was a hint that they had worked on his brain and undone the Ludiviko treatment, "curing" him back to his old self.

[@korybeavers6528]

Very well said, people really need to read the book, And the language Anthony Burgess created in the book is absolutely amazing

[@Ailsworth]

A scene not in the book. Just as with The Shining, Kubrick made the character more human. Man is NOT a clockwork orange - the novel says he is.

[@quoting101]

Malcolm McDowell, the actor who plays Alex, did sit through having his eyes clipped open for the filming. The doctor administering the eye drops in those scenes was a real doctor. The clips actually scratched his cornea and there was a very real threat of him suffering permanent eye damage from the injury.

[@EdDunkle]

I recently had a scratched cornea and it's very painful. Poor Malcolm.

[@isaiahromero9861]

Stanley put his actors through hell, he was undeniably brilliant but he went way too far for his art sometimes

[@thirdhandlv4231]

Very nice.

[@Unqualifiedmedicalperson]

@@isaiahromero9861 I think Kirk Douglas said it best: “He was a bastard. But also really really talented guy.”

[@twdclementine11]

Fun fact: the "singing in the rain" is improvised by the actor!

[@Sl0wry]

The rape scene took four days to shoot, with Kubrick experimenting different ideas as he found it too conventional. Eventually, he asked Malcolm McDowell to sing and dance while performing it and that song was the only one he could remember all the lyrics on the top of his head. Immediately after they shot it, Kubrick phoned MGM to secure the rights of the song. Also, after the release of the film, Malcolm McDowell met Gene Kelly at a party but the older actor brushed him off. Forty years later, Kelly's widow told McDowell his husband wasn't actually mad at him, but upset over having never been paid.

[@shainewhite2781]

This was the most controversial movie ever made. This movie was banned in over 20 countries due to its violent and strong sexual content, but made $100 million dollars at the box office and was nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Picture, but lost to The French Connection.

[@davidanderson1639]

Despite his robust written defence of A Clockwork Orange, it was Kubrick himself who instructed that the film be withdrawn from circulation in the UK in 1973 (it could still be seen anywhere else in the world) and continued to refuse any screenings of the movie up until his death in 1999. I got to see it in the cinema, when it was reissued following his death & it was an incredible experience.

[@stiofanmac3376]

@@davidanderson1639 i lived in the uk when it was made as a youth but never got to see it until years later, it had a mystical buzz about it and man did it live up to the hype when we got to finally see it.....on VHS : /

[@joshuayeager3686]

Also, Barbra Streisand and multiple other actresses refused to present the Oscar for Best Picture because they didn’t want to give it to A Clockwork Orange if it won.

[@davidanderson1639]

@@stiofanmac3376 I think in many respects it gained the same sort of notoriety as The Exorcist; a film of mythical status, not only shocking but an incredibly well crafted piece of cinema. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like when it was first released? When I saw it, I was in my first year of a film design degree; myself & three friends went to an early screening. There was about 15-20 other people in the screening; which was no bad thing, as it was people who clearly wanted to see it for all the right reasons.

[@stevemccullagh36]

David Anderson is correct in saying it was never banned in the UK, Kubrick just withdrew it after some "copycat" crimes (or what were perceived to be anyway).

[@mclovin457]

Aaaa yes. The movie that is a fight between hating and feeling for a character. Also one of the best written stories about choice

[@stiofanmac3376]

saw it on vhs when i was 17, hated alex still do but man what a trip of a film,, lived up to all the hype and more.

[@thundergodgamer118]

This movie is trash 🗑️👎🏼 straight up garbage 👎🏼🗑️👎🏼

[@007wars6]

Kubrick is just phenomenal. What an insane film

[@stiofanmac3376]

light years before his time...he composed symphonies on celluloid.

[@cwdkidman2266]

Kubrick was a middle-brow director who served as the casual viewer's genius. Roman Polanski is by far the superior director and even Tarantino has a better understanding of human behavior and cinematic technique. Kubrick and Hitchcock and Mel Brooks are the go-to directors for people who've never seen Polanski or Lynch or Antonioni and Woody Allen. Kubrick and Hitchcock and Mel Brooks made pompous pretentious movies that wear their "Art" on their sleeve. But... A Clockwork Orange has Malcolm McDowell who gave a career defining performance and one for the ages. He explodes off the screen like Jimmy Cagney in Public Enemy. I mean, he cannot be ig order. He was so typecast that he made Time After Time portraying HG Wells. And does everyone get the reason his character was called Alex DeLarge??

[@marianne5055]

The original end from the book has Alex decide to give up a life of crime and settle down as he seemingly has grown bored of it. Theres something kind of haunting about that ending. Making you wonder how many "normal people" you encounter are capable of.

[@Scallycowell]

This movie was a staple in the street punk scene back in the day. All of us are grown and ‘normal’ now, but the shit we used to get up to would you sick. Everyone has the potential to be evil, but that’s not the whole of a person.

[@СерафимТоманов]

I think both variants are interesting in sort of ways. Actually, because of the two endings these stories are different. They have an opposite meaning.

[@Dexiray]

To that I would say that EVERYONE is CAPABLE of doing such things, given the right circumstances or buttons to push. Then again, I'm a very cynical person so idk...

[@Dexiray]

"No one bad is ever truly bad. No one good is ever truly good" - LOKI That's our human nature.

[@RamóhanMercader97]

As bad as it sounds I prefer the ending in the film due to the ambiguity of it

[@goosebumpsemiliano9104]

"A bit of the old Ultraviolence" Don't know why that's stuck in my head but I love it

[@ciaranconlon84]

Ultraviolence is their "nadsat" slang word for rape.

[@nnn4376]

Not rape necessarily, they really do mean ultraviolent acts, which rape falls under. It’s slang but it is t really a change in the meaning of the words they’re using.

[@goosebumpsemiliano9104]

@@nnn4376 yes that how I interpret it. They beat, murder and rape

[@gj8683]

The "ultra" lends towards teenage hyperbole, yet the "old" acknowledges history.

[@masterzombie161]

“FOOD ALRIGHT?!………TRY THE WINE!!”

[@patty1h]

The actors extreme emphasis of these lines is hilarious.

[@Aeneiden]

"Your wife, She away, sir?" "NO SHE'S DEAD!"

[@gammaanteria]

Patrick Magee…a fine actor. He worked with Samuel Beckett, won a Tony, and appeared in some terrific horror movies in the ‘60s and ‘70s (he was unforgettable as the leader of a group of blind residents in a home taking particularly brutal revenge on their abusive caretaker in “Tales from the Crypt”)

[@masterzombie161]

@@gammaanteria you definitely know your stuff, he was also on Masque of the red death, Starring Vincent price. Life’s trippy I tell ya.

[@gammaanteria]

@@masterzombie161 Haha, yes I remember him in "Masque of the Red Death" (another great movie, one of Roger Corman's best)--I always remember his line "I am not without power!" spoken indignantly to Vincent Price.

[@FelizJesusbirth]

Fun fact: the actor who plays Mr. Deltoid is the same actor who played the psychiatrist that tried to catch Frank with a net in Always Sunny!

[@mr.moviemafia]

HOLY CRAP, REALLY?! I never would have guessed

[@FelizJesusbirth]

@@mr.moviemafia I know right? It's a strange connection. I remember when the episode came out I read somewhere it was the same guy. I don't even remember seeing him in anything else!

[@benuticone3079]

Yes. In fact it's his final screen credit, filmed not long before his death.

[@squishmallowfan025]

@@FelizJesusbirth He was the "captain in the bath" in the BBC production of Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.......

[@artemiszeus9735]

He was the graveyeard attendant in The Wicker Man also.

[@davescurry69]

Alex saying "I was cured alright" was his way of letting us know that the treatment that he underwent was reversed and he was back to his old vicious self.

[@zackzaharko89]

One of the most memorable, bizarre & interesting films. Kubrick was such a genius. Malcom McDowell did an incredible job at portraying Alex

[@pip5188]

9:10 My favorite scene. I love how Georgie and Dim’s footsteps are synchronized while Alex and Pete’s footsteps are synchronized

[@thoso1973]

Kubrick was a master of dark satire. Hell, he was a master, period.

[@fynnthefox9078]

A master of his craft.

[@murph69yum]

The book is full of those half cockney/Russian phrases. By the end you understand it perfectly, having been conditioned just like the main character. I still use the phrase gorge and gorgiosity. 😃

[@murph69yum]

@Gerald H Not when I read it. That would have been cheating.

[@bustacap3791]

I had to read it twice... I'm pretty sure some of the slang is also just made up. It wasnt for quite a few years later they released a version of the book with a dictionary in the back xD

[@ghostwolf1435]

Yeah the mash of Russian and Cockney slang is referred to as The Nadsat

[@jamielandis4308]

Gutty-wuts, Eggy-weggs, droogs and appyoployloggies. I drive my employees nuts sometimes! Lol

[@philljenner4045]

The big strong guy who carried Alex when he returned to the writer's house, was played by Dave Prowse. Better known as Darth Vader.

[@billygoat1547]

Sweet.

[@Mister33JC]

It's humorous that you sarcastically referred to this disturbing piece of classic cinema as a comedy because on multiple rewatches - once you get over the shock of what you are seeing - you find it is actually an *extremely* funny dark comedy.

[@filmfreak7682]

I describe this movie in two ways to ppl “When you first watch this movie it’s a psychological thriller, when you watch this movie a second time you realize it’s a dark comedy”

[@gunman462]

@@filmfreak7682 With serious social undertones.

[@AjaxTotaalnl]

"Clockwork Orange not a drama but a comedy" Joker: "Two thumbs up"

[@tremorsfan]

I picked up on the satire on my first viewing.

[@gunman462]

@@tremorsfan you want a cookie?

[@slowerthinker]

"The most confusing Kubrick film I've seen" - So _2001: A Space Odyssey_ is still on your to watch list then.

[@davewhitmore1958]

My God, it's full of ultra-violence"

[@tigeriussvarne177]

And Dr. Strangelove

[@shainewhite2781]

16:38, they spoofed this in The Simpsons, where Burns tortured Santa's Little Helper, trying turn him into a vicious killer!

[@ergoat]

Also, Bart with the cupcakes.

[@fanitram]

and another episode, Homer, Carl, Lenny and Barney played the four guys, Homer as Alex

[@shainewhite2781]

@@fanitram Simpsons Halloween Special: A Clockwork Yellow.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

@@fanitram Yeah, they were all dressed up as Droogs

[@tornadochaser2457]

@@fanitram You're all just going round in circles! More references are bound to come up, so let me give all of them to you - kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5uXmZugepmGaa8&ab_channel=TvReferences

[@blackflyingfox3365]

20:38 The prison guard is acting like he's never seen a boob before. Also the first time I saw this movie I rented it on VHS back in 2003. I was stoned out of my mind.

[@johnglue1744]

To this day I am still amazed we were allowed to watch this film in high school psychology back in 87. My friend and I had already seen it multiple times so we took great joy in watching others reactions lol.

[@spiderfingers86]

They really did clamp Malcolm McDowell's eyes so he literally couldn't blink throughout the entire duration of the film

[@icekekiri]

I watched the first 10mins. Took a break (about 5 years) and continued watching the movie until the end.

[@gj8683]

Someone I knew got into a conversation about movies once. I mentioned this film and started to talk about it. He immediately got me to change the subject entirely. That's how deeply it affected him.

[@hankbarcelona7314]

Thoughts: * You talk more and offer more insights than a lot of other reactors. I like that. * I like reaction channels because they give you the feeling of watching a movie with a friend, which is nice for people who (like me) don't have any friends.

[@kdizzle901]

Yea him and James v Cinema give the best insights and the most enjoyable

[@razrxo]

I don't have any friends who are into these kinda films either

[@ghostwolf1435]

Kubrick is a brilliant director The language they are speaking is a mash of Russian and Gutter English it’s called Nadsat slang The great twist is you actually have some sympathy for Alex towards in the end

[@isaiah5820]

I appreciate your point and it is a testament to the filmmaker for making us feel any type of sympathy for him, but the little sh*t hasn't changed a bit by the end. He's suffered some, sure, but rightly so lol. Nothing remotely close to what he's done to others.

[@mr.moviemafia]

“A Clockwork Orange” is of my favorite films of all time, and I think it has my favorite incorporation of music as a fundamental aspect in any film ever

[@GKinslayer]

Wow - I have NEVER heard anyone use the term "comedy" for this film.

[@crusherballz]

It is really Funny though! I laughed a lot!

[@parzibalamblin1890]

there's a lot of comedy on this film friend

[@BlueShadow777]

That’s what I thought but he actually didn’t apply the term “comedy” to the film. Go back and check… it was an element of sarcasm combined with him referencing what he *thought* it was going to be a comedy like the previous movie he saw.

[@GKinslayer]

@@BlueShadow777 I know he corrected himself, but still as I said no one has ever used the term with this film.

[@plasticweapon]

it is a comedy.

[@Dr3amtime]

Malcolm McDowell, who played Alex, is still around and still a very busy actor. He played Caligula in the 1979 movie of the same name -- arguably more disturbing than Clockwork Orange. I enjoyed him in the Heroes series a few years back.

[@stanmann356]

He was also the villain trying to get back to the Nexus in Star Trek Generations

[@gamleskalle1]

Home alone 5 his most disturbing film and Halloween2.

[@Yngvarfo]

Another rather grotesque movie with him is Britannia Hospital.

[@thimbur3543]

Also in if...., O Lucky Man! and (as mentioned) Britannia Hospital. A trio of films by Lindsay Anderson. if.... is well worth a watch.

[@cindygrape]

I don't know how many have pointed this out but the piano melody in 1:34 sounds exactly like the The Shining's theme. I haven't seen The Shining in forever but I instantly picked that out! I don't know more about the Kubrik CU but loved that little connection as well as the 2001 record on the kiosk

[@lucabuccella6365]

Both themes are based on the Dies Irae, a Gregorian chant from the Middle Ages about the final judgment

[@gammaanteria]

Yes, it’s the Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”) theme, the motif is also referenced in many classical music pieces. Wendy Carlos did the synthesizer adaptations in this movie, and also the opening piece with the Dies Irae in “The Shining”

[@taz454]

This film took me a second viewing to fully appreciate it. Like nothing I'd seen before but it's an absolute classic.

[@yes-fq6jd]

I spilt my coffe when you thought it was a "Classic Comedy" haha!

[@OneDarkMartian]

This movie is a masterpiece. Kubrick was such a genius and that score by Wendy Carlos is iconic an so perfect. The language/slang used is madeup by the author, Anthony Burgess, and is called Nadsat. Again, making this movie all the more unique.

[@Kityn]

This is my all time favorite movie. I love how the opening shot in the milk bar matches that shot near the end when he is trapped. Also, eggywegs!

[@195511SM]

That actor at the 21:35 mark is the same guy who plated 'Grady' in 'The Shining'. The original caretaker who told Jack Nicholson that his family needed....correcting. I saw another video on Kubrick that said THAT actor.....( along with the one who was the bartender in 'The Shining' ) were a couple of actors who appeared in several Kubrick films. These included 'Paths of Glory' & 'Barry Lyndon'.

[@shainewhite2781]

5:00 there are so many scenes in this movie that are strong, you can't help but look away.

[@jancw]

They made us watch this in my high school psychology class. I found it so disturbing that I had to walk out before it was halfway through. The sociology class got to watch the brilliant film "Sybil" which to me would have been a more sensible choice for our class.

[@katwebbxo]

Weird. We were allowed to read the book for English but we watched Sybil in Psychology.

[@jancw]

@@katwebbxo Maybe they got the tapes mixed up! Perhaps it's my years talking, but it seems like kids viewing "A Clockwork Orange" should have been something parents had to sign off on.

[@tornadochaser2457]

Considering the topic of psychology and the treatment used in the film... you're lucky you weren't subjected to the eyes forced open, brainwashing treatment, to watch the movie! Yeah, yeah, human rights and whatnot, but still... a scary, albeit impossible, notion!

[@desertrose0027]

I read the book in high school English and frankly it made me never want to watch the movie. The book messed me up enough as it was.

[@tornadochaser2457]

@@desertrose0027 Completely agree. You were never the same (I also read the book, and yes, was messed up by it, becoming your stalker, only for three years though - Don't worry, this was ages ago).

[@whiteybulger4395]

Now you should definitely react to “The Shining.”

[@pierfrancescopeperoni]

He had already seen it before starting this channel.

[@andreeascr4279]

I remember the first time I came across your channel, it was during your reaction to Mulholland Drive, which, by the way, is my favorite movie. It was so funny and satisfying to see your genuine shock and gradual increase in confusion. Your reactions were so genuine and innocent. I love that. And now, coming across this video, your reaction to my second favorite movie, I am pleasantly surprised and once again amused by the shock and confusion this film has caused you, as it did to all of us. It's so satisfying to see live reactions from someone, especially someone who may not be familiar with Kubrick's style. Anyway, you pointed out some very interesting things: in the scene where Alex is arrested and prepared for imprisonment, that's exactly the idea - to make you feel like you're there, seeing things from his perspective. The entire movie is actually narrated and filmed through Alex's eyes, which is why there are unusual angles and POV shots. Your observation about the prison chaplain and the governor holding their hands on Alex's shoulders, making it look like he had an angel and a devil on his shoulders, is spot on. Ironically, the chaplain, whom Alex describes as a fool, is one of the remaining moral characters. The language used in both the novella and the film is actually a slang called Nadsat, a blend of old British English, Russian, slang expressions, and even invented words. The book provides a dictionary for this dialect. The title "A Clockwork Orange" represents something essentially natural (an orange) that has been forcibly mechanized (clockwork), making it neither fully natural nor mechanical, but a sort of robotic hybrid or brainwashed entity (MK Ultra for those in the know). Alex, in all his madness and chaos, was driven only by his impulses, spontaneity, and abuse of free will. The treatment made him incapable of committing violent acts, not of desiring to do so. They essentially changed his brain chemistry, not his principles and desires, thus stripping him of the free will he once abused. After being released from the clinic, he encounters all the people he had hurt, and now they hurt or reject him in return-a perfect example of 'what goes around comes around.' In the end, the greatest irony is that even after his long hospitalization following the jump from the window, we see that the effects of the Ludovico treatment have worn off. This is evident in his chaotic and violent responses to the psychologist's slides, reflecting his true nature. But the irony is that even cured, as we see at the end of the film, Alex surrenders his free will to the governor and his political interests. Thus, he will always be subjugated by a greater power. In conclusion, I want to say that you correctly pointed out that Alex represents or mirrors present society, where the environment, political measures, religious influences or lack thereof, and the absence of a healthy family or mentor in a young person's life transform him into a victim of the system-a victim who becomes an abuser. And no one really wants to help him in a meaningful way. Instead, all the major institutions-the police, the government, and the healthcare system-want to use him for their own purposes, ultimately depicting a dystopian, evil, deceitful, hypocritical world. In short, a world more dangerous than a young man corrupted by that cancerous society.

[@jimtatro6550]

The first time I saw this movie was on cable TV when I was about 12. I thought it was weird and I did not get it. Years later I watched it and I thought it was OK. Now as a man in my mid-50s I look at this film in a completely different way and I love it. This is probably my favorite Kubrick film.

[@stirgy4312]

There was a translation of the terms in the book. The author, Anthony Burgess was also a linguist.

[@Tomhyde098]

I’ve always thought of the strange language as being a disconnect from the youth and adults. In my day we said phrases like “that’s tight” or “so sick!” And I grew out of it. But now kids say, to me, some crazy stuff I don’t understand like “fam” or “that’s lit” and other things. They’ll eventually grow out of it too and the next generation will invent new phrases. When Alex is with his droogs he speaks one way, but with adults he knows to speak in a normal way

[@mullaoslo]

One thing I love about this movie Is the story forms a perfect circle, you follow the segments to when he's in prison and then from post treatment all the sins from the first half comes back to haunt alex

[@isaiah5820]

Yeah it's always reminded me of a classic fable in that way, but much harder to sit through

[@mullaoslo]

@@isaiah5820 or like an episode of tales from the crypt 🤣

[@docsnake]

Really looking forward to your reaction on this one!😀

[@djgamer5546]

The actor Malcom McDowell (who's been in a number of other films, usually playing the villain-including Star Trek: Generations) actually scratched his cornea during the conditioning scene. I've gotten eyelashes stuck in my eye that can be pretty painful, I can't imagine how much more painful it is when it's caused by something metal like that.

[@egadgo]

I just want to tell you Brandon. Good luck. We're all counting on you.

[@cdakskid]

Actor at 6:30 played Mr. Grady in The Shining.

[@PhantomShadow224]

I remember my dad telling me never to watch clockwork orange, it will ruin “singing in the rain” for me for life.

[@anthonymiele4320]

The "surprise" talked about at the end was referring to the massive speakers that were brought into the room during the photo op. They were there to make sure Alex was happy for the photos.

[@fynnthefox9078]

Funny that you mention one of their laughs sounding like the Joker, since Heath Ledger's Joker was partially inspired by Alex from this movie.

[@andreaschmall5560]

Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" is excellent.

[@papalaz4444244]

This film is a masterpiece. OK here we go this will be fun, my droogs :)

[@Psilocybin77]

Watching this reaction I can't but help but feel that Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick were inspired by what would have been rumours of the CIA's MK Ultra and Montauk mind control experiments, using LSD. A terrible chapter in human history, that destroyed the lives of many people.

[@Henrik_Holst]

AFAIK there where no rumours of Mk Ultra until the leaks some 10 years after the novel was written. Burgess himself say that B.F Skinner was the inspiration.

[@amandadougherty6615]

This movie (and book) and Requiem for a Dream terrify me because of the real, messed-up psychology behind them. Putting any thought into the events portrayed is truly horrific.

[@michelerusso9745]

I think the interpretation of the finale is pretty simple. I've always interpreted it that his sense of sickness stopped because he has now the protection of the government, who does not want a scandal during the launching of the Ludovico Cure. All the movie is a parallel between individual violence and society violence (like the two druges becoming cops or the government depriving people of free will), so it makes sense that Alex fells safe now returning his old self, because he has the protection of the law

[@peteriuliano5846]

THE OPENING SHOT PULLBACK IS AWESOME AND OUTRAGEOUS ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

[@desperateambrose5373]

Bear in mind, this was released in 1971. The violence depicted was horrific by the standards of the time. Few actors can look as menacing as Malcolm McDowell. In the book, there is actually a glossary of "Nadsat", the slang used by Alex and the Droogs. McDowell endured considerable pain during the "treatment" scenes, actually getting a scratched cornea in the process.

[@shainewhite2781]

8:03, "2001: A Space Odyssey- The original Soundtrack." Lol!

[@nichellesworld1360]

MAYBE A clockwork orange, 2001, & the shining take place in the same universe! 😱😱😃😃

[@TTM9691]

24:00 Best reaction to Alex discovering the cops are his former droogs!!! As far as interpertation, you've got it, he's reverted back, .....and this time, he's part of the system! If you notice they wheel in speakers at the end and blast the end of Beethoven's 9th, and he's not getting sick. And he has a vision of him being his old scoundrel self....while high society claps and cheers him on. Great reaction and edit of this wild movie, Brandon!!! Congratulations for having this major movie in cinema history under your belt! A true masterpiece!

[@ll7868]

You probably read that David Prowse/Darth Vader was the bodyguard of the writer but what a lot of people don't know is that he was Christopher Reeves' personal trainer when he was getting in shape for Superman. That said, how about a classic Superman reaction?

[@jaq_vg]

Surprised to see that nobody mentioned the game Conkers Bad Fur Day. That how I found out about this movie.

[@justinratcliffe947]

Me too and that's my favorite video game

[@tomaszgardzinski1838]

Who in the right mind told you 'Clockwork Orange' is 'a classic comedy'? It's anything but that.

[@samsmabbington1237]

He said 'obviously not though' right after lol

[@sammalla5238]

My favorite opening sequence of all times. Alex staring into my soul is the best thing ever...

[@RustyDog41]

The scene in which Mrs. Alexander is raped and beaten in front of her husband who can’t help her is one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen of film. It’s hard for me to watch.

[@TTM9691]

8:08 Yes, that's the "2001" soundtrack up front! Also: at the very top of the frame, in the center, is The Beatles album "Magical Mystery Tour". Kubrick had actually met the Beatles about doing a version of "Lord Of The Rings"! Ringo was going to play Frodo, John was going to play Gandalf. "A Clockwork Orange" had also been discussed as a movie project with the Rolling Stones playing the droogs (in the mid-60s, before Kubrick had optioned the rights).

[@jelly3374]

Just watched this movie for the first time about a week ago, and the title is a total mood

[@rogerfurlong1535]

Malcolm Mcdowell scratched his retina filming the Ludo Vico treatment scene. Also I believe this is the only movie I've seen with David Prowse when he's NOT in the Vader suit.

[@NeutronDance]

Kubrick is the best

[@MetalHeadReacts]

When they filmed the Ludovico treatment scene, they really did that to the actor (Malcolm MaDowell) and apparently it scratched his eyeballs quite badly apparently. When this film originally was released, it was rated X and banned in many theatres. My father was a projectionist in movie theatres when this film was eventually allowed to be shown and would see this film numerous times per day. When I got this film on DVD several years ago, I put it on and he shuddered pretty noticeably when that intro music and red screen popped up.

[@nathancollins1715]

While you're in a Kubrick bend, PLEASE watch Barry Lyndon. It's (in my opinion) his finest work. And his most aesthetically pleasing by a longshot. And that's saying something for the director of 2001, Eyes Wide Shut, etc.

[@ziggyandrews7753]

This is my favorite movie of all time and I love your reactions, I can't even tell you how happy I am for this.

[@tornadochaser2457]

I'm gonna estimate that your happiness level is incredibly high. 🙂 Am I onto something?

[@comeawaywithme]

I like how Brandon muted most of the classical music even though it's public domain

[@reservoirdude92]

I wouldn't want a copyright strike from beyond the grave either hahaha

[@Paiste2002Fan]

A specific performance can be owned by whichever orchestra and record label produced it though. It’s tricky.

[@dustinmiller7026]

The eyedrops were prescribed as Malcolm McDowell tore a cornea during the filming of the Ludovico Technique

[@corvus4350]

The actor for Alex Malcolm McDowell probably was not acting during the eye-clamp scenes because he scratched a cornea and Kubrick basically said to suck it up and continued filming. Even though Kubrick was a great director, let's never forget how much of a piece of shit he was behind the scenes.

[@KabukiKid]

"I think I need a translation for this." lol Yeah, if you read the book, it has a glossary in the back explaining all of the crazy slang used.

[@sntxrrr]

Since you didn't recognize the song I would suggest you watch 'Singin' in the Rain' (1954 I think) I don't like musicals at all but that movie is a classic for a reason. It also makes you appreciate why Gene Kelly was such a big star back in the day.

[@proxkei2266]

It's a legit one of the best movie ever made

[@TTM9691]

Dude, I just have to say, your thumbnail for this is hilarious, I was just scrolling and saw it pop up in my feed and it cracked me up, lol.

[@mbbb169]

You should definitely do a Kubrick playlist

[@maxis5650]

He had already seen The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey before he started this channel. Still needs to get to Dr. Strangelove of course.

[@mbbb169]

@@maxis5650 I just meant a playlist like he has other directors. Eyes wide shut too. And not sure if he’s done Full Metal Jacket

[@maxis5650]

@@mbbb169 yes, Brandon has reacted to FMJ on this channel actually

[@mbbb169]

@@maxis5650 I thought so lol recently too right?

[@maxis5650]

@@mbbb169 Nope, almost exactly a year ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmbVXqKAeKqme7c

[@garganrose]

Fun fact, though when Malcolm McDowell originally signed on for this movie, he was under the impression that it was a teen comedy.

[@jimtatro6550]

Malcolm McDowell is an incredible actor, check out Time After Time or Blue Thunder, both are classic movies.👍🔥

[@Clairembify]

Wendy Carlos, who did the soundtrack for this movie and The Shining, is a fascinating person to learn about. She’s a major pioneer of electronic music, helped develop the first commercial keyboard, she’s also an artist and photographer whose work on solar eclipses has been published by NASA, and she publicly came out as a trans woman way back in the 70s. Also fun trivia : the tall man at the writer’s house is David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original trilogy.

[@gammaanteria]

I am a big fan of Carlos' work. In addition to her classical pieces adapted to Moog synthesizer ("Switch-on Bach," etc.) and her work with Kubrick, she did one the first (maybe even THE first) modern ambient music albums ("Sonic Seasonings"), an album experimenting with alternative scales and tuning ("Beauty in the Beast"), and of course the wonderful soundtrack for "Tron."

[@Hal-ef1je]

Thank you so much for doing this, I’ve asked so many times.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

If you are underwhelmed by the "brutality" and wanted it to be more uncomfortable, I recommend you watch "Requiem For A Dream" or "Come And See" they're more likely than this to live up to such a reputation.

[@MrAtaguas]

27:25 "is it the same on..." I'm surprised Brandon doesn't know the iconic Gene Kelly "Singing in the Rain" the juxtaposition of the break in scene with what the Original Singing in the Rain signified replaced the feeling I got from the song after seeing this movie ... You won't appreciate that scene unless you knew / saw the original video for Singing in the Rain lol

[@missyotsuba8508]

The scene in the house where he's trashing the place and singing "singing in the rain" was partially improvised. Kubrick asked Malcolm to sing a song while doing the scene. Malcolm only knew one song, 'Singing in The rain', What you see on camera is nearly all one take and improvised... It's explained on the BluRay more better than what i can. I'm very very drunk and kinda pilled up.

[@kennyoconnor6564]

Saw this in my college film class. Speechless was an understatement.

[@onthecoastproductions2509]

Please review the show The Sopranos. I just finished it and I never thought there was a show that can take over Breaking Bad, but this show just did.

[@My-Name-Isnt-Important]

5:54 Malcolm McDowell was terrified of snakes. So Stanley Kubrick did multiple takes with the snake, to troll McDowell. He wasn't scared of snakes after though, and McDowell and Kubrick both joked around on set a lot. So it wasn't done maliciously, but more of teasing and joking.

[@brandondyche236]

I think this is Kubrick’s best movie really. The Shining is great, 2001: a space odyssey is very good as well BUT A Clockwork Orange has to be his crowning achievement. It was poorly received from critics and audiences at the time but that is what makes it an all time cult classic.

[@stiofanmac3376]

indeed,, but i would put barry lyndon first by a nose.....just my opinion, as a youth we heard tales of ''a clock work orange'' as if it was some forbidden fruit and with no way to watch it, it's mystic grew then one night on an old vhs we finally got to see it and man did it live up to the hype...we were 17 ....

[@paulpauoffoson6124]

Beautiful but slow. Eyes wide shut is the most revealing

[@craigmactak1839]

Barry Lyndon enters the chat

[@muppeteer]

That David Prowse, 'Darth Vader' bloke gets everywhere...

[@filegrabber1]

If you want to watch more Kubrick movies, you really should watch Barry Lyndon. People tend to overlook this incredible masterpiece. Kubrick's most perfect piece of film if you ask me.

[@gammaanteria]

It is astonishing that a director could make “A Clockwork Orange” and then follow it with “Barry Lyndon”…now *that* is range! 😀

[@filegrabber1]

@@gammaanteria What about following up 2001: A Space Odyssey with A Clockwork Orange? :D Shows how unique his movies really are.

[@gammaanteria]

@@filegrabber1 Haha, true! Yes, Kubrick really is a director who didn't repeat himself...

[@Sl0wry]

@@gammaanteria And then follow that one with "The Shining", _then_ "Full Metal Jacket", before concluding with "Eyes Wide Shut".

[@Nsinger998]

The book originally ended with a cut to a later time when Alex is eighteen and working in his nation's musical recording archives. Despite planning another bout of the ol' ultra-violence with a new gang, Alex finds himself losing intetest in senseless violence and wanting the life of his former droog Pete. Pete had reformed and started a family although Alex fears that his own kids (if he had them) might be like his old self.

[@CineRam]

This is one of those films that raises serious questions about putting actors through traumatic experiences for the sake of art. It's a well-made film that I admire, but I admired it a lot more when I was much younger and didn't spare many thoughts for what the actors had to go through. Malcolm McDowell sustained an eye injury during the Ludevico treatment scenes, that would have been completely unacceptable to me had I been asked to perform in a similar scene. That said, I really enjoyed seeing you react to this film...especially when your eyes bug out at some of the surprises in the post-prison scenes. BTW Brandon, you may not want to react to it for a video, but I think you would enjoy the documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures". It was made a few years after Kubrick died, and covers basically his whole life and career. There were band-new interviews shot for the doc with Malcolm McDowell, Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Matthew Modine from "Full Metal Jacket".

[@horysmokes3339]

Man, if only actors had the choice of participation. In memoriam for all the brave actors forced into labour for our entertainment.

[@bastioncory6740]

@@horysmokes3339 When you sign a contract then you sign away a lot of rights kid.

[@horysmokes3339]

@@bastioncory6740 You're implying that McDowell was duped and forced into that scene because he didn't read the small print? These actors willingly participated and were paid, they also earned their place in cinema history as a result, boy.

[@MainlyYeezy]

Opening up the mind with art like this

[@katwebbxo]

That title. 😅 It tends to have that reaction. The book is actually really good and helps explain a lot of things. Somehow we were allowed to read it in school lol.