A Clockwork Orange

One of the most philosophical films ever made, and I’d love to hear other peoples’ take on it on a philosophy forum.

Where do I even start; the film gives off such a grand vibe of power and tyranny; the first few minutes of the film with the keyboard rendition of the Funeral Music of Queen Mary might be the most potent opening sequence of a film ever. The manic sarcasm and irony which Kubrick so often employs touches levels of your subconscious that you couldn’t even begin to put into words.

The films is very distinctly separated into two halves: the first half introduces us to a character who is the very embodiment of injustice, exploitation, and evil – yet the viewer finds himself strangely seduced by this figure, and somehow feels that they can relate to him. In the second half of the film, the character descends into his own Hell, and is punished in equal proportions for every wrong-doing he did in the first half. And then, through this, the viewer atually feels sorry and empathetic for this character, despite the fact that his punishment was well earned. The film closes with his recovery; brain surgeons have reversed the Ludivico technique and have returned him to his state of ecstatic and maniacal passion for sex and violence.