A Clockwork Orange

"Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven."

1971 2h 17m EN

🙌

8.2

BANGER

★8.2TMDB · 14,180

Science FictionCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?

“Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven.”

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Cast

Malcolm McDowell
Alex
Patrick Magee
Mr. Alexander
Carl Duering
Dr. Brodsky
Michael Bates
Chief Guard
Warren Clarke
Dim
James Marcus
Georgie
Michael Tarn
Pete
Miriam Karlin
Catlady

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Stanley Kubrick
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $27M — a 12.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, shot by John Alcott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Wendy Carlos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bill Butler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Magee and Carl Duering carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stanley Kubrick directs. John Alcott behind the camera. Wendy Carlos scores. Bill Butler cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $27M — a 12.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
355 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Directed by Stanley Kubrick, shot by John Alcott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Wendy Carlos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Bill Butler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Magee and Carl Duering carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven.".
10IMDB entry: tt0066921 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1114,180 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
12Classified under 26 themes, including "london, england", "police brutality", "robbery", "street gang".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Alcott
Original score: Wendy Carlos
Editing: Bill Butler
Production design: John Barry
Costume design: Milena Canonero
Makeup / hair: Barbara Daly
Sound: Brian Blamey
Stunt coordinator: Roy Scammell
Runtime: 137 min · 2h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,200,000
Box office: $27,033,812
Return: 1229% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NC-17
IMDB: A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Awards

Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Stanley Kubrick

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-04-17
★ 10/10
As time goes by, I'll always appreciate my Grade 10 English class (1984-85), taught by Mr. Terry. Looking back, it's probably the year that I was introduced to the most great literary works of all my life (especially 'Anthem' by Ayn Rand and 'Nausea' by Jean-Paul Sartre). Included that year in the course's curriculum was Anthony Burgess' dystopian masterwork, 'A Clockwork Orange' (as well as George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'--like Frank Sinatra would have said, 'It was a very good year'). I was mesmerized with it from the instant I noticed the unique approach to language, the 'ultraviolence' and of course, the eternal question of free will, its relationship to good-and-evil, and the can of worms of the myriad of ethical dilemmas that comes to the fore of individual freedom and rights versus that of society at large. The genius of Burgess was being able to put so well and forcibly, yet in such an entertaining way, so many issues that, had most anyone else set forth on the endeavor, would have come up with the type of off-putting, heavy-handed sermon that would never have reached such a literary pinnacle, and been required reading even now, generations later. It hasn't aged or dated a day. Most cinematic observers felt the book unfilmable. Director Kubrick's adaptations work so well, particularly this, '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'The Shining' (even though Stephen King would fervently disagree about the latter) because he, as he did with 'Dr. Strangelove', can so easily both find unforgettable visual metaphors for his ideas and so handily combine humour (an under-recognized trait of his, much more readily associated with say, Sir Alfred Hitchcock) with these heavy and daunting philosophical and intellectual volleys. In the wrong hands (particularly a Stanley Kramer, or his ilk), this could have failed miserably, like typical cinematic treatments of Ayn Rand novels. But this worked triumphantly, and heartily exemplifies one of the greatest directors ever at the apex of his craftsmanship. No self-respecting cinephile can avoid this movie, and I heartily recommend you to read the novel as well, though Kubrick nails it so effectively, reading the novel isn't necessary in the slightest for the film to be enjoyed. One of the many 'gamechanger' films of Kubrick's storied and remarkable career.
JPV8522021-09-27
★ 7/10
Some great visuals and direction not to mention an incredible performance from Malcolm McDowell, I wasn't totally into this, the first half especially was taxing to get through to the point I stopped watching and only finished a couple days later. The rest was good and found myself a bit more engaged however as a whole, this one never grabbed me. 3.5/5
Sigeki Ogino2022-10-02
With this film, a world heritage of cinema, Stanley Kubrick has reached a level of artistic mastery that would make Michelangelo pale in comparison. To make a film an art form, it must have the innovation of a Chaplin or Jean-Luc Godard. Furthermore, for a film to be a masterpiece, it must have music, direction, and great performances by the cast. Nevertheless, this film easily fulfills these requirements, and miraculously, it is a perfect work of art, with outstandingly high quality visual beauty far above the audience. For 136 minutes, one feels as if one has stepped into an exhibition of paintings or photographs that are sigh-inducingly vivid, beautiful, sometimes violent, and sometimes insane. The film's elaborate camerawork is erotic, but not vulgar, like a sensual film. The clarity of vision, both pictorial and photographic, is unparalleled. Any of the scenes, even the still ones, would make a grade-A photo book. Without a doubt, it is the best film made in the entire world in 1971. It deserves to be the "Pietà" of the film world.