Budget: $2,200,000 (Estimated)
A Clockwork Orange is released in Britain during a period when politicians and citizens' groups begin to question the escalation of onscreen violence. Fearful of its graphic content, the official British Board of Film Classification examines A Clockwork Orange in its entirety in 1971, quickly deciding it should be released with no cuts. For the next two years, Britons debate Kubrick's film, some lauding it for its artistry and social relevance, others condemning it for glorifying violence.
In 1972, Kubrick refutes the idea that one film alone can trigger violent behavior. The British press seems to feel otherwise, chronicling a series of "copycat" crimes allegedly inspired by the film. Owning the rights to the picture, Kubrick delays A Clockwork Orange's general release by a year, limiting its run to one London theater until the controversy dies down.
The controversy does not abate. In 1973, Kubrick himself, disheartened by continuing protests, bans A Clockwork Orange in the United Kingdom. The rape of a Dutch girl shortly thereafter, at the hands of men singing "Singing in the Rain" as Alex does, convinces many that Kubrick's decision was wise. The dispute over A Clockwork Orange never reaches the same pitch in the United States, but in 1973, for its American release, Kubrick replaces about 30 seconds of footage to win an R rating, as opposed to the X the MPAA initially assigns it. The altered scenes involve an orgy and a gang rape.
Although the death toll in the film is low by today's standards, A Clockwork Orange is still noted for its violence. Conceived as a satire on modern society and critically acclaimed worldwide, the film's lasting impact is visual, the image of a youth in a bowler hat forever associated with modern violence. Stanley Kubrick dies in 1999, only days after completing his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, itself provoking controversy over the graphic nature of its sex scenes. Hollywood responds to the director's death with countless tributes to his career.
Controversy:
The film, withdrawn from distribution in the United Kingdom in 1974 by Warner Brothers at Kubrick's behest, occupies a unique position in the history of British film censorship.
Kubrick was alarmed by a succession of rapes and murders which received lurid publicity in contemporary newspaper reports and appeared to be inspired by the teenage violence depicted in the film.
A Clockwork Orange, released in 1971, had run for 61 weeks in London when it was withdrawn by Kubrick.
But it was not only the director who feared the inflammatory force of its ambivalent morality. Time and again in the early 1970s, as a succession of horrific rapes and murders reached the courts, judges and police officers blamed the influence of the film on teenage minds.
Certainly, a number of contemporary crimes, including gang rapes of young women and murders of tramps, carried chilling echoes of those committed by the fictional gang led by Alex, the amoral 15-year-old with a taste for classical music. Some of the young criminals dressed the part, wearing the white overalls and black combat boots seen in the film.
Taken from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/trial-fuels-clockwork-orange-controversy-1471070.html
Kubrick's involvement and Re-release:
In 1972, Kubrick refutes the idea that one film alone can trigger violent behavior. The British press seems to feel otherwise, chronicling a series of "copycat" crimes allegedly inspired by the film. Owning the rights to the picture, Kubrick delays A Clockwork Orange's general release by a year, limiting its run to one London theater until the controversy dies down.
The controversy does not abate. In 1973, Kubrick himself, disheartened by continuing protests, bans A Clockwork Orange in the United Kingdom. The rape of a Dutch girl shortly thereafter, at the hands of men singing "Singing in the Rain" as Alex does, convinces many that Kubrick's decision was wise. The dispute over A Clockwork Orange never reaches the same pitch in the United States, but in 1973, for its American release, Kubrick replaces about 30 seconds of footage to win an R rating, as opposed to the X the MPAA initially assigns it. The altered scenes involve an orgy and a gang rape.
Although the death toll in the film is low by today's standards, A Clockwork Orange is still noted for its violence. Conceived as a satire on modern society and critically acclaimed worldwide, the film's lasting impact is visual, the image of a youth in a bowler hat forever associated with modern violence. Stanley Kubrick dies in 1999, only days after completing his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, itself provoking controversy over the graphic nature of its sex scenes. Hollywood responds to the director's death with countless tributes to his career.
In December 1999, Warner Brothers International announces that, almost 27 years after Kubrick banned the film in Great Britain, the uncut version of A Clockwork Orange will return to British screens in the spring of 2000.
Taken from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/theater/clockworkorange.html
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