Last night, inspired by IAMX video of Spit it out, I’ve remembered one of my oldest wishes: to see Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork orange. And I did it. For about 131 minutes I set my eyes on the screen to watch one of the most artistic movies in the history. Kubrick along with Tarantino is one of my favorite’s directors ever since Lolita.
My mom asked me what I was watching and when I told her the name of the movie shot in 1971 it didn’t ring a bell. She asked me why a clockwork orange, what was it about. On short “your humble narrator” is telling you now that this movie talks about a British government experiment, somewhere in the future, meant to eradicate the evil from this world. The Ludovico experiment is sort of a brain wash for the most dangerous prisoners at the end of which those treated will have a physical response to violence. Each violent thought or gesture will be accompanied by nausea and sickness. The subject won’t be able to threat the society and won’t be able to defend himself, being just like a mechanical vegetable. But the cure is not on his will, of course. This experiment works like a stimulus, not deep inside the subject’s conscience, not making him realize how awful his crimes were.
To better understand what I’m saying you should watch the movie or read the novel, A Clockwork orange by Arthur Burgess. The main character Alex DeLarge is a young delinquent living in a future London. The movie is a dystopia, just like Brazil. Alex and his gang formed by Dim, Georgie and Pete frequent the Korova Milk Bar where they drink a cocktail of milk and drugs. They began their each night wondering through the city committing robberies, beating innocents, driving like crazy. Their night culminate with a robbery and a rape in a writer house. Along that atrocity Alex croons Singin' in the Rain. Music is a character itself in the movie, Beethoven's 9th symphony being Alex favorite. While listening to Beethoven’s music he imagines scenes of violence that only makes him happier. But this sick mind is tricked by destiny and he commits a crime. Abandoned by his droogs Alex is convicted for murder and imprisoned for the next 14 years. But after 2 years only he hears about this experiment that could help him get out of the prison faster. He is chosen as subject and the experiment begins.
The Ludovico experiment consists in exposing the subject to repeated scenes of violence after being administrated a vaccine. The subject is in a straight jacket and his head and eyelids are strapped so he won’t be able to move. Alex begins to feel sick as a sign of getting better. But his sickness is getting worst when watching scenes of holocaust he hears on the background his dearest Beethoven which he considers to be a sin in such context, out of violence imaginary he associated with.
I’m not going to tell the entire story but I’ll like to comment a little the end of the movie which I thought quite realistic. Like nowadays it seems that good people as in Alex opinion “the victims”, if they try to revenge they will still be the victims, because they don’t have a mean self, they’re just pretending. Is that why at the end of the movie will see Alex not only back to his old self but sealing a pact with the health minister for a common wealth. Despite all the experiments his true nature, the violent one, survives. Despite all the lessons he could’ve learnt along this journey his simple mind continues to produce happiness from violence.
A human being cannot be transformed in its essence like a mechanism of a Swiss watch. The truth will surface sooner or later and it might be more painful then the lie that covered it.
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