#059 A Clockwork Orange

Watching this Movie immediately after having just given a talk about it at university is an interesting experience. We were learning about Beethoven's ninth Symphony. I, in particular, focused on its use in popular culture. It was used quite cleverly in "Die Hard" to characterise Hans Gruber, the villain (played by Alan Rickman). The most obvious usage of the "Ode to Joy" theme in Die Hard is when Hans has finally managed to open the vault containing $640,000 although the theme is hinted at throughout the scoring of the movie. In this instance, the theme is used as a kind of triumphant fanfare.

Having studied its usage in many mediums the overall theme appears to be an association with masculinity. In the case of Alex DeLarge, the main character from A Clockwork Orange, it is used to fuel his violent and sexually devious behaviour.

I hadn't, at first, realised how important this piece was to the whole film. Excerpts from the symphony, often bizarrely played by synthesised instruments, fill the scoring of the whole film and are also very important to the plot. It's worth noting also that this particular piece was selected explicitly by Stanley Kubrick, the film director. Perhaps it was chosen for its association with masculinity and often violent times in history (naziism); the original book by Anthony Burgess included many different pieces of music including works by Mozart and Bach.

The movie of course deals with rape and murder and so is very much not for the faint hearted. The movie also deals with the idea of free will. The priest at the Prison argues that Alex's Correction therapy forces him to feel ill in the face of violence, without him having free will. The scientists, however, argue that they are correcting the violent behaviour and so the issue of morality is irrelevant as long as the outcome is the same.

So enough of what appears to be a strangely educational movie review, what did I think? Well, I did enjoy watching it. Clearly it is a clever piece of filmography if not a fun film to sit down and watch after a long hard day. It certainly makes you think and very often makes you feel sad. One particular bizarre thing I kept noticing was that Alex appeared to be shouting most of the time, even when other characters were right next to him. This did get rather annoying at times, but perhaps it is signifying some kind of bravado that he is hiding behind. I daresay it was very likely a conscious decision on either the actor or director's part.