A Clockwork Orange - Research

· Release date:
- 19th December 1971 (US)
- 13th January 1972 (UK)

· Based on?
- Anthony Burgess’ novel of the same name, published in 1962

· What did the author think of the film?
- Burgess had ‘mixed feelings’ about the film
- He said he loved the acting of Malcolm McDowell and Michael Bates
- He praised the music, calling it brilliant, ‘even so brilliant that it might be dangerous’
- His main concern was that the film omitted the book’s important final chapter, though he blamed this on US publishers of the book (who until 1986 did not print the final chapter) and not Kubrick

· ‘Banning’: Who/what instigated it? What happened?
US;
- In the US, A Clockwork Orange was never banned
- It received various different ratings, initially rated X
- It then gained an R rating after Kubrick replaced 30 seconds of sexually explicit footage with footage less explicit
- ‘The National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures’ rated the film ‘C’ (Condemned) meaning no Roman Catholics could see the film
- This was later abolished and replaced with an ‘O’ rating (Morally Offensive)

UK;
- Initially passed uncut for UK cinemas in December 1971
- The film was raised as relevant to two cases of manslaughter and murder, committed by a 14 year old boy and a 16 year old boy respectively
- Was also blamed by the press for a rape, as the gang sang ‘singing in the rain’ whilst committing the act
- Kubrick’s wife said that they had received death threats and had protestors outside of their home
- The negative coverage and personal threats caused Kubrick to ask Warner Brothers to remove the film from UK distribution
- In response to whether the film was responsible for any ‘copycat’ acts, Kubrick said;
"To try and fasten any responsibility on art as the cause of life seems to me to put the case the wrong way around. Art consists of reshaping life, but it does not create life, nor cause life. Furthermore, to attribute powerful suggestive qualities to a film is at odds with the scientifically accepted view that, even after deep hypnosis in a posthypnotic state, people cannot be made to do things which are at odds with their natures."
- It was not until Kubrick’s death in 1999 that the 27 year ban was lifted and the film returned to cinemas and VHS

· Mary Whitehouse
- Whitehouse founded the ‘Clean Up TV’ campaign, later named ‘The National Viewers and Listeners Association’
- They fought hard to remove A Clockwork Orange from theatres