Making A Clockwork Orange: Documentary explores Kubrick classic

As we near the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, a 2007 documentary reminds us of the unique elements that make the film timeless.

In my teen years, I was obsessed with the likes of Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers and Fight Club. To my green cinematic mind, these were films that pushed the medium into something transcendent, exciting, and altogether new. Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange was another big influence on my perception of film.

That said, there are distinctions to be made about violent films, and films that are about violence. It’s a delicate subject that tends to be depicted in extremes. Even when a film bristles with intellect and myriad paths of interpretation that can change as the viewer changes (like Fight Club), there are just as many viewers who will take literal cues to emulate what they see on-screen.

As the film approaches its 50th anniversary, the 2007 documentary, Making A Clockwork Orange, recounts the trials of production, critical reception, and the real-life crimes inspired in its wake (with copycat “droogs” terrorizing the streets).

Compiling interviews with Kubrick scholars, production personnel, and a roster of popular filmmakers (William Friedkin, George Lucas and the late Sydney Pollack, among many others), the documentary hits the major beats of the process. Running just over 30 minutes in total, it provides a worthwhile summary of A Clockwork Orange and related trivia.

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For instance, Kubrick thought the unique slang Anthony Burgess created for his source novel would go over viewers’ heads, so he rejected the project initially. But he came back around when he saw the experimental paths being taken by up-and-coming filmmakers like Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) and George Lucas (THX 1138).

I also liked the tidbit about how, instead of writing an actual screenplay, Kubrick merely had the book on set at all times. He’d refer to specific passages and discuss with the cast and crew how to bring them to life from a cinematic perspective. Years later, Robert Rodriguez took a similar approach to Sin City, using Frank Miller’s graphic novels as literal storyboards for the live-action film.

Interestingly enough, the documentary doesn’t interview any of the cast, and the only actor singled out for mention is Malcolm McDowell, whose performance as the sadistic Alex remains iconic to this day. Learning that he scraped a cornea after 30 takes during the theater sequence (with his eyelids pinned open), and spent 27 takes face-down in a pig trough in the freezing English countryside only increased my respect for the guy. As one commentator states, “McDowell played that role forever and ever, because it fit him so well.”

Despite how acclaimed A Clockwork Orange is today, Kubrick was allegedly unsettled by audiences who either misunderstood the violence or enjoyed watching it.

I recently checked out Shudder’s Random Acts of Violence, which asks some of the same questions A Clockwork Orange did in 1971, thereby underlining the conundrum contained within. Perhaps that’s why it still fascinates to this day.

Next. THE SHINING. dark

You can view the documentary (divided into two parts) at Far Out Magazine.

What is your favorite Kubrick film? Let us know in the comments.

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