foire aux questions for
A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for A Clockwork Orange can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/parentalguide .

Yes. A Clockwork Orange (1962) was written by British novelist Anthony Burgess [1917-1993].

Yes. Anthony Burgess himself adapted the book into play format, and it has been performed at theatres all over the world. The most famous production is ACO 2004 performed at the Baribicon in 1990 in England with Phil Daniels as Alex.

The simple answer is that it is derived from an old English expression "Queer as a Clockwork Orange," meaning something very strange. In the novel, F. Alexander's (the writer's) book is called "A Clockwork Orange," but this was left out of the movie. However, in a 1986 Introduction to the first American edition of the book to contain the final chapter, Anthony Burgess says "A human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is a clockwork orange - meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the Devil." He goes on to say "the important thing is moral choice." When Alex cannot choose to perform good or evil (after the Ludovico treatment), he has become a clockwork orange. Burgess also states that the foreign word "orang" means "man" in English, so "A Clockwork Orange" means "a clockwork man", which is what Alex has become by the end of the film, figuratively.

At the time it was released it was considered too grotesque for cinema, with the strong violence and extreme sexual assault and rape, but there was an edited version released in the USA in 1973 to a high R. All home video releases in modern times are the original X rated version.

In the not so distant future.

In the scene where Alex and his droogs are driving ("playing 'hogs of the road'," as Alex puts it), he refers to the car as a Durango '95, which gives the impression that the film is set in or around 1995.

No. The original version of the book has 21 chapters. Back in 1962, the American publisher decided not to include the last chapter. This made Anthony Burgess very angry at his publisher. Stanley Kubrick's film was adapted from the version of the book published in the United States, therefore the movie has a different ending.

There is. According to http://www.korovamilkbar.com/site/, "The Korova Milk Bar® has now opened in the city of White Plains, New York. Centrally located, the bar is easy to drive to and within five minutes of the Metro-North Railroad. The Korova Milk Bar® first opened in NYC's Alphabet City in 1997 and had a successful 10-year run before being sold."

The milk has drugs in it. If you listen closely, Alex names all the drugs during the opening scene.

"The Korova Milk Bar sells Milk Plus: milk plus synthemesc, vellocet, or drencrum, which is what we were drinking. This will sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence." You can also see the names of the drugs spelled out on the walls of the Bar behind them in the first shot.

Probably not. The two women from the record store followed Alex back to his room willingly, and undressed willingly. The woman at the end is on top, and isn't trying to get away. But in the book, Alex did rape the girls from the record store. They were very young, and he drugged them.

Some people don't believe there is one, but most believe when Alex listens to Beethoven in his room after the rape, he's masturbating. In the book, it's made clear he's naked during this part.

McDowell's commentary track on the 2007 DVD release sheds a bit more light on this issue: He mentions that he wasn't masturbating and that it wasn't Kubrick's intention. Malcolm says that he was just taking his boots off, hence the movement of his shoulders. However, it can still be implied that Alex was gratifying himself.

I got these from the music guide on the boards.

"Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary" by Henry Purcell, adapted by Wendy Carlos - This is heard during the films opening titles; it is played again immediately after the rape scene at the beginning; also when the topless girl appears before Alex onstage and when the police (his former droogs) beat him up. http://tinyurl.com/h2fml There is a second version that is played when Alex returns to his parent's apartment towards the beginning. The second version is heard again when the newspaper headlines are shown regarding Alex's suicide attempt. http://tinyurl.com/ea9mm

"La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie)" by Gioachino Rossini - This is played when Alex and his droogs have the rumble with Billyboy and take their drive in the country. It is also heard when Alex knocks Dim, and Georgie into the lake and when the droogs break into the catlady's home. http://tinyurl.com/kyvdc

"9th symphony, 2nd movement" by Ludwig van Beethoven - This is the music Alex plays in his room. http://tinyurl.com/fdp9f An adapted electronic (suicide scherzo) version is also played in the writer's home just before Alex attempts suicide. http://tinyurl.com/kywqu

"9th symphony, 4th movement" by Ludwig van Beethoven, - This adapted electronic version is heard when Alex is in the music store talking with the two girls and is played again during the Ludovico technique when he has his catharsis. http://tinyurl.com/kenlv Another orchestral/choral segment is heard at the end when the newspaper photographers come to take pictures of him at the hospital. http://tinyurl.com/e5plc

"William Tell Overture" by Gioachino Rossini - An adapted electronic version is played during the threesome in Alex's bedroom. http://tinyurl.com/fmt65 An orchestral segment of it is played when Alex is informed by his parent's that his old room has been rented out to a boarder and his snake has died. http://tinyurl.com/j25jx

"Scheherazade: The Story of the Kalandar Prince" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Played during Alex's biblical fantasy.

"Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major" by Edward Elgar. - This is heard when the minister of the interior visits the prison. http://tinyurl.com/gqbpv

"Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 in G major" by Edward Elgar. - This is played when Alex is taken to the Ludovico facility by the prison guard. http://tinyurl.com/hmj2h

"Timesteps" by Wendy Carlos - This is heard during Alex's first session of the Ludovico technique. http://tinyurl.com/f8b56

"Overture to the Sun" by Terry Tucker - This is played during the stage demonstration where Alex is assaulted by a man and made to lick his shoe. http://tinyurl.com/efqly

"I Want to Marry A Lighthouse Keeper" by Erika Eigen - This is heard when Alex returns home to his parent's apartment after being released from state custody. http://tinyurl.com/e6mob

"Singin' in the Rain" by Nacio Herb Brown, performed by Gene Kelly - This is played during the closing credits. http://tinyurl.com/h8tnw

In the book, Alex is 15 for the beginning, 17 when he gets out of jail, and by the time the book ends, he's 18. His age is never explicitly stated in the movie, although his mother does make a comment about him being late for school, so he's most likely around 15 or 16 before he goes to prison.

In the film, Stanley Kubrick originally planned for F. Alexander to discover that Alex was the person who raped his wife by having Alex mention the word "Horrorshow." F. Alexander, Alex would have been talking, and would have said "Horrorshow" in the conversation, making F. Alexander suspicious, and finally he would have realised who Alex really was after getting Alex to repeat the word again and again. However, this was changed on set, just before filming. In the book, the writer finds out because Alex has knowledge of the house when he is taken in. Specifically, Alex expresses his surprise when the author says he will call his friends on a telephone (Remember, the first thing said to Alex in the first encounter was that they didn't have a telephone). From there, the author puts the pieces together from further conversation with Alex, finally realizing the truth after Alex gets upset at the mention of the word "dim."

In the film, it is never made clear where Pete ends up. We learn that Georgie and Dim have gone on to become police officers, who take their first opportunity to beat Alex within an inch of his life (post-treatment, Alex can no longer defend himself, which is public knowledge via the newspapers), but the subject of Pete is never revisited.

In the novel, Alex has a chance encounter with Pete (sometime between the age of 18 and 20, it would seem) and finds that his former droog has grown up quite a bit: He's found a woman with whom to settle down, and no longer speaks in Nadsat. According to Burgess' vision, this makes Alex question his path and purpose. This takes place after Alex has declared himself 'cured', and has returned to a life of crime with a new set of Droogs. Seeing his old friend Pete all grown up and living a normal life, Alex is driven to consider giving up his days as a thug and cleaning up his act once and for all.

It wasn't a dream, the doctors and nurses were in his head, fixing his treatment, so he'd no longer get sick at the thought of sex and violence.

The person drawn is Alex, and he is holding his britva (razor). I don't know the significance of any of the other pictures.

That's left ambiguous in the film, however he was given back the power to choose to do good or evil. That's what he means by "I was cured alright." In the book, he joins a new gang of droogs after he was cured, but later decides that it might be time to give up this lifestyle, get married and settle down.

There are no known plans for a remake. Supposedly there is a possibility of one; Heath Ledger said he would want to play Alex although that is now impossible due to Ledger's untimely death.