Great Scene: “A Clockwork Orange”
Some great scenes stick with us, seared into our memories, despite — or because of — the fact that they prove difficult to watch. Such is…
Some great scenes stick with us, seared into our memories, despite — or because of — the fact that they prove difficult to watch. Such is the case of this assault scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange.
From the moment Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang park outside the comfortable, inviting house of writer Mr. Alexander (Patrick McGee) and his wife — the sign in front of the house simply says “HOME” — our thoughts jump into the near future as we know the upcoming turn of events will come to no good. So when Mr. Alexander tells his wife, “Well, I suppose you’d better let him in” and the violence immediately begins, we are in a position of already anticipating the dark prospects of what would happen.
It is incumbent upon Kubrick to deliver a scene that lives up to the viewer’s projected fears — and clearly this scene does with Alex punching, kicking, and tying up the helpless couple while dancing to his happy version of “Singin’ in the Rain.”
This is a critical scene to the plot, not only to establish the levels of violent and depraved behavior of Alex and his cohorts, but also as a set-up to a later scene that both pays off this scene and changes the direction of the narrative, plunging Alex toward the movie’s famous ending.
Having been beaten by his former buddies, Alex wanders through the night only to end up at…
And this leads to Mr. Alexander’s revenge.
The expression on Mr. Alexander’s face as he relishes Alex’s torture.
The is a great example of a setup and payoff … with violence as a central dynamic.
A thought: Do you think it’s only coincidence that the two characters are named “Alex” and “Mr. Alexander?” Or is there some deeper meaning or intent attached to that?
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