A Clockwork Orange - Emotional Response.

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Beginning

  • In Stanely Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), a movie that originally got took off the shelves in the UK due to such controversy, the audience is challenged throughout the entire sequence.
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CU Shot of Alex.

  • Straight away , the film opens with a CU  shot of the protagonist of the Alex - staring slighty up at the camera lens.
  • The first shot of Alex is a cloe-up, which draws immediate attention to the make-up on his face.
  • On the right eye is a set of dark, fake eyelashes that grotesuely frames his blue eyes.
  • Due to his stare and his odd costume - I didn't get recognition of Alex because I have never watched the movie before therefore creating a uneasy response at this point in the movie.
  • I felt that this was intentional to "throw the audience off" as the dramatic effect of the eyelashes splits the frame into two, showing that Alex has immediate two-facedness.
  • From the left side of his face it can be seen to appear to be a young and attractive male, however, the disturbing appearnce of his right eye overpowers his other features and immediately instils fear into the viewers.
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Opening Scene - Mise En Scene

  • When the CU shot is over the spectator feels a slight relief after the twenty-seven staring competition ends (which he won).
  • As the camera tracks backwards and more of Alex is revealed it is seen that both Alex and his "droogs" as he calls them are all wearing pure white outfits, accented by black hats and boots.
  • On Alex's costume we notice that there is two blood-shot eyeballs attach to the cuffs of his sleeves, which gives a chilling feel to the spectator as that contrasts against the netural attire.
  • Not only that Alex wears suspenders that delibrately accentuates his sexual organs. From a film student perspective I think that this use of mise-en-scene foreshadows later events.
  • Suspenders - Sexual Assault Scene(s) Blood-Shot eyeballs - Ludovico Technique.
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Opening Scene continued.

  • Due to the unusal dress wear and dystopian setting, the spectator doesn't have Recognition with the characters, due to the surroundings - unless having watched the the movie before.
  • Leading the spectator in further discomfort.
  • This scene is unusal as the camera zooms out and pans out, rather than the opposite of an establishing shot.
  • Even from a film student perspective the unusual cinematic technique is disorientating to the spectators as we have no connection or recognition to the movie.
  • Despite having no recognition Alex raises his glass once again breaking the fourth wall allowing them to follow his story and informs that he knows that the spectator is watching his story.
  • This makes the spectator intrigued but also disturbed due to the mixture of emotions they have already experienced.
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Korova Milk Bar

  • Further discomfort is created when the surrounding reveal the rest of the location - which we later learn is called the Korova Milk Bar.
  • It is decorated with white naked women in compromising posttions - which as a female spectator who believes in Feminism I felt digusted in the use of Mise-en-scene due to the represtation of women already within the film. Therefore, when thinking in a film student perspectvie realises that this represtation one of the key themes early in the movie - the misreprestation of women.
  •  This décor is directly representative of the film's problematic treatment of woman within the movie.
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Reoucurring theme of male genitalia

  • Next in my exploration of mise-en-scene in A Clockwork Orange are the props used in the film. There is a reoccurring theme of male genitalia within all the props in the film.
  • In the first three sequences of the film there is a “display of phallic noses, dildos and large not-so-delicately-concealed codpieces (DeRosia, 68).
  • In her essay DeRosa argues that the amount of penis like props used in the film are liked directly to male anxiety about about penis size and masculinity. On different note, DeRosa also call attention to Alex's full name “Alex DeLarge”
  • Finally I will call your attention to the scene in which Alex murders the cat woman
  • . Beethoven's music occurs several times throughout the film as a way to advance the plot, it is no accident that when defending herself from Alex that the cat lady uses a Beethoven statue as a bludgeon.
  • Perhaps the most literal penis prop in this movie is the penis statue Alex uses to murder the cat woman.
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Sexual Assault Scene.

  • During the attack on the couple, we see it all happening from the male point of view, primarily Alex. We follow him as he trashes the place, keeping the focus on the predator and distracting us from feeling empathetic for the victim, which would destroy alignment with Alex.
  • We constantly view Alex from low angle shots to give him dominance and we get very little alignment with the woman. The woman in the scene, the writers wife is just an object. She is hesitant to open the door at the start, and only does so because the man tells her to, and meets her fate, because of his actions.
  • She is passive in all she does, and when she is in the hallway, the mirrors allow the spectator to see literally every angle of the woman, further sexualising her. It is worth noting in this scene that we actually get a POV from someone else, the writer. Kubrick done this to position us both separate from Alex, and to test us.
  • When we have the POV, Alex says ''Biddy Well Brother,'' telling us it is too much for us to watch. And subliminally allowed the spectator to realise we are separate, but we share his view, and his alignment, but we are not him.
  • The test is also shown as we are positioned with someone who is tied up and held to watch a sexual attack, yet we still align with Alex, as we don't get to see the act, or him because of his mask.
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Ludovico Technique and Sympathy

  • Even though we are conflicted on whether to align with Alex the spectator is forced to watch Alex and the actor Macdowell, get his eyes clamped open in a close up then have to watch as he starts to feel sick and cries for help. Leaving the spectator to feel uncomfotable and sympathy for Alex. 
  • This is intentional by Kurbrick as this scene questions out morals due to having the reconigtion and "getting to know" Alex he starts to appear to be a anti-hero rather than just a antaongist due to the fact we go through his own toture scenes, therefore forming an Allegiance with Alex and convey how the actual main theme of the movie is loss of free will as later scenesk, Alex cannot defend himself or do the things he enjoys because he feels sick everytime he attempts "ultra-violence".
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"Singin' in The Rain"

  • A cheerful song is tainted after watching this movie because in the sexual assault scene and the violence shown in the film, and we almost have Recognition towards Alex because we all know the song and often sing along to the song.
  • However, due to what the plot point in the film it makes the spectator feel even more disturbed in the scene as he has disrupted the scene.
  • Now everytime I think or hear the song I automatically think about that scene and this is delibrately done by Kubrick in order to make the movie rememberable and disturb the audience even outside watching the film.
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End Sequence.

  • At the closing of the film it was hard for the spectator to feel Alliegence or Sympathy for Alex - who may commit the same acts upon himself.
  • The spectator's morals are challenged as they try to figure out the rightful justice in the movie.
  • Alex seems to be forgiven due to the Mister giving him an offer.
  • This could either make the audience believe that this is unfair because at the end of the day he commited serious crimes and should be punished and rightfully got punished from the writer and other characters in order to get revenge.
  • Or make the audience have sympath for Alex and believe it was the right to do to reward him as he went through so much trauma to the point he tried killing himself.
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