A Clockwork Orange Cultural Responsibility

Introduction The great works of Stanley Kubrick was one of the main reasons why I have become so interested in film over the past years. Something I have always admired about them was the amount of depth they held. So, when faced with having to choose a film to write this journal on there was no other option for me than my favorite Kubrick film, A Clockwork Orange, a film that shocked a nation with its explicit visuals and storytelling. In this paper I will touch on what I see as the film’s cultural invisibility, narrative, and lastly genre conventions.
Cultural Invisibility A Clockwork Orange is a film that I feel is very open to interpretation when it comes to its cultural invisibility. The film depicts a young delinquent, Alex, who in
It has many conventions of many genres. It is said to be a science fiction film. I can see it as this because it is set in the future in some dystopian society. The visual style also falls under science fiction. The way the milk-bar is set up, the way the characters are dressed and even the practices used in the film are something of a science fiction variety. The film is also described as a crime or drama film. Crime film usually involves some sort of criminal act, which this film isn’t shy of. There’s plenty of rape, beating up of the homeless, and even murder in this film. The drama side falls into the drama that ensues after Alex faces the consequences for his actions, and still faces them after he is reformed. And even the drama during the scenes where Alex and the droogs perform these vile acts. The film is also said to be a Satire. Alex’s friends who committed all those acts with him ended up being in the police force and the men that wanted him to go through the reformation later regretted it. I feel like this is a satire that shows that not a lot of people can deal with their consequences in life. They can just go back on what they say or do. And they shame Alex into feeling a way about his actions when they don’t look at his own. The film is also widely a satire to society, to make it feel like it is making people into drones who cannot think for themselves. Lastly, A Clockwork Orange is said to be a thriller. Thriller is a vast genre but one of the conventions it holds is making the viewer feel a certain way. The thriller aspect of the film to some is the intense sexual nature combined with the violence. Along with the scenes of Alex’s eyes being forced to be held open so he cannot close his eyes while watching the footage while being reformed. Another thrill aspect is the eerie feeling you get when watching the life be sucked out of Alex. You see him turn from this happy