A Clockwork Orange: Background information

The initial inspiration for 'A Clockwork Orange' :Kubrick's initial inspiration for the film comes from the 1962 novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. Kubrick wanted to portray the questioning of free will and the potential loss of humanity when faced with deciding between good and evil.

Why Kubrick chose to make the film: 

Reactions to the film:Public - the reaction was negative as Kubrick received several letters of complaints from fans some even requesting money back: "I felt like the main character in the movie when I left the theatre. Stanley, do you think it’s cool to go around and make movies that make people sick? I mean, people are sick enough without you adding to general misery."

Government - government's felt that the film acted as a satire film, this is because it in forces the belief of how it deplores the institution of government, which systematically seeks to suppress the individual in favour of the collective, or the state.

Critics - although the film was considered controversial recent critics have praised it, it currently holds a metascore of 78 of metacritic. One user left the following review: "Kubrick's liberal, anti-authoritarian reading of Anthony Burgess's very Catholic allegorical novel is morally confused but tremendously powerful... No serious moviegoer can afford to ignore it."

Banning in the UK
According to "the guardian" the film was banned in the UK because "Several rapes and murders were linked to the film during its original British run. A 17-year-old Dutch girl was raped in Lancashire by a gang chanting Singin' in the Rain, and a judge who sentenced a 16-year-old boy who had beaten a younger child while wearing Alex's uniform of white overalls, black bowler hat and combat boots spoke of the "horrible trend which has been inspired by this wretched film''."