A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
very little
As a dark dystopian satire that explores whether or not sociopathic criminals can be reformed by behavior modification and reconditioning, there is not much in the way of positive messages.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Although certainly an engaging and charming anti-hero of a narrator, Alex is a sociopath in every sense of the word, and those around him aren't really that much better.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Extreme violence throughout the movie. Within the first 15 minutes, a drunken homeless man is beaten up on the street by four young men, and these four young men watch a group of other young men begin to rape a woman before the two gangs engage in a fight with knives, chairs, and fists, and a woman is raped by these same men while her husband is forced to watch. A young man is forced to watch violent images on a movie screen -- first, a man being beaten and bloodied by a group of young men, and next, a woman raped by a group of young men.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Full-frontal female nudity, sexual innuendo, male nudity, explicit sex scenes. Characters are frequently surrounded by sexual images -- paintings of naked women, sculptures of penises, naked women mannequins who produce milk for consumption out of their nipples. A male social worker engages in inappropriate touching with a young man under his jurisdiction; he eventually reaches down and grabs the young man's penis as he sits next to him in his underwear.
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Language
some
"F--king hell," "bastard," "s--t." Characters use their own slang, which is generally made up of Russian words, and they refer to sex as "In-out."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Characters drink a beverage in a bar called "Moloko," which is a mix of milk and an unknown drug that the narrator claims sharpens one's senses and makes him more desirous of committing acts of extreme violence. Early in the film, a homeless man is shown drunk and singing, surrounded by nearly empty booze bottles.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is an extremely violent film. Within the first 13 minutes there is a violent beating of a homeless man, an attempted rape, a gang fight, another beating, and a rape. Sex and violence are paired. Hope for a "cure" for violence is scuttled. Profanity includes "f--k." There is full-frontal female nudity, sexual innuendo, male nudity, and explicit sex scenes. Characters are frequently surrounded by sexual images: paintings of naked women, sculptures of penises, naked women mannequins who produce milk for consumption out of their nipples. A male social worker engages in inappropriate touching with a young man under his jurisdiction; he eventually reaches down and grabs the young man's penis as he sits next to him in his underwear. For mature viewers, the messages about violence and cultural decay are present, but these may be lost on younger viewers amid the sensationalism. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
Based on the Anthony Burgess novel, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE tells the tale of Alex (Malcolm McDowell), a young man whose cravings for sex and violence rule almost his every motivation. He and his roving gang of "droogies" fight and rape their way around town, beating up hapless strangers or rival gangs. But Alex's droogies aren't that happy with his leadership. They soon ambush Alex and leave him for the police to find after he murders a woman in her home. After two years in prison, Alex is chosen to participate in an experiment to brainwash the violent tendencies out of criminals: He becomes deathly sick and incapacitated anytime he encounters or thinks about violence. The unintended side effect is that he also feels this way when he hears his favorite composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. The latter is exploited to disastrous ends in a case of political and personal revenge.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the nature of violence. Are some people naturally destined to be violent, or does it come from experience? Does our current penal system work? Is it ethical to try to brainwash criminals, as they did to Alex? Or are there other means to use psychology that might help?
The novel A Clockwork Orange ends differently from the movie. Why do you think the filmmakers chose a somewhat different ending?
What do you see as the challenges in adapting a movie from a well-known novel?
