Violence makes violence

A Clockwork Orange (1971) – A Review

Director ~ Stanley Kubrick

Producer ~ Stanley Kubrick

Writer ~ Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Anthony Burgess (novel)

Starring ~ Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin

Stanley Kubrick is considered by many to be one of the greatest directing talents in the film industry. ‘A Clockwork Orange’ was one of his most controversial films, so much so that it was withdrawn from the British market shortly after its release. It was equally acclaimed and bashed by critics and has become a cult favourite. Set in a future dystopian London; it is a gruesomely violent and graphic film and also an incredibly provocative social commentary on government control, psychotherapy, youth violence and the contradictions of morality in society.   Kubrick creates a chillingly convincing adaption of Anthony Burgess’ novel that stays with you long after you finish watching it.

The protagonist, Alex, is the leader of his gang of ‘droogs’ who spend their evenings drinking and indulging in ‘ultra – violence’ by assaulting their chosen victims physically, psychologically and sexually. He is sociopathic criminal who eventually gets arrested for murder and subjected to aversion therapy to ‘cure’ him of his violent behaviour by using conditional psychology. He then returns to society as a reformed man, but this goodness is involuntary and he becomes the ‘clockwork orange’ – natural on the outside, mechanical on the inside.

It is a disturbing watch at times, but moreover intensely fascinating and captivating. The soundtrack comprises of classical music (mostly Beethoven) and electronic synthetic music adding to the eerie atmosphere of the film and the visuals are sharp and bold. Some consider ‘A Clockwork Orange’ an offensive mess but I think that it is a thought-provoking masterpiece and a rightful cult cinema classic.

Favourite Quotes ~

Alex: We were all feeling a bit shagged and fagged and fashed, it being a night of no small expenditure.

Alex: No time for the old in-out, love, I've just come to read the meter.

Alex: I was cured, all right!

Prison Chaplain: Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.

Alex: It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.

Minister: Public opinion has a way of changing.

Chief Guard Barnes: Violence makes violence.

Lebowski: not a man, a way of life

The Big Lebowski (1998) – A Review

Directors ~ Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Producers ~ Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Writers ~ Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Starring ~ Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, John Turturro

A modern cult phenomenon, ‘The Big Lebowski’ is a hilarious pastiche of film genres, namely film noir, 70s stoner films and the great Hollywood western. Said to be loosely based on the 1946 noir classic, ‘The Big Sleep’, it is a visually stunning comedy with memorable dialogue. It disappointed at the box office, which was a surprising result for the film making duo that brought us ‘Raising Arizona’, ‘Barton Fink’ and ‘Fargo’. It also received mixed reviews when initially released but has steadily grown into a cult classic. The entire cast do an excellent job and Jeff Bridges’ performance as the flawed hero, ‘The Dude’, has become iconic.

The Dude, whose real name is Lebowski, gets mistaken for a local millionaire by a group of German nihilists who beat him up in demand for money owed by (The Big) Lebowski’s wife. After this event The Dude seeks compensation for his spoilt rug, which he is denied but then is later contacted by Big Lebowski and asked to act as a courier for a ransom held for Big Lebowski’s kidnapped wife. As the movie continues, the plot becomes increasingly complicated and ultimately meaningless to the film’s purpose. It is absurd most of the time, cutting the storyline up with intersecting dream sequences and conversations held in The Dude’s local bowling alley with his buddies, Walter and Donny.

‘The Big Lebowski’ is a classic Coen Brothers film, and is one of the most funniest films I have ever seen. The soundtrack is brilliant giving the film a retro Sixties and Seventies vibe, and the script is endlessly quotable. It is a winning combination of originality and homage to cinema, appealing to both an older and younger audience.

Favourite Quotes ~

Maude Lebowski: What do you do for recreation?

The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.

Walter Sobchak: You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me.

The Dude: Yeah, but Walter...

Walter Sobchak: Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon... with nail polish. These fucking amateurs...

Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.

The Dude: Where's the fucking money Lebowski?

The Dude: That rug really tied the room together.

Walter Sobchak: Shut the fuck up, Donny.

The Dude: And, you know, he's got emotional problems, man.

Walter Sobchak: You mean... beyond pacifism?

The Stranger: I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself.