A Clockwork Orange Research

Inspiration 

A Clockwork Orange is based on Anthony Burgess' 1962 novel of the same name. Kubrick was inspired to make the film after being given the novel by Terry Southern whilst they were working on 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb', his wife gave him the novel to read. It had an immediate impact on him and he wrote a screenplay straight away. 

Why was it 'banned' in the UK?

Contrary to popular claims, this was never banned in the UK. It originally received an "X" rating in 1971 and was withdrawn from distribution in 1973 by Stanley Kubrick himself. One of Kubrick's reasons for withdrawing the movie in the UK was that, according to his wife Christiane Kubrick, he and his family received several death threats because of the film. In the 1980s and 1990s, British fans who wanted to see this movie would have to order it from video stores in other countries, usually France. In 1993 London's popular Scala Film Club showed this movie without permission. At Kubrick's insistence, Warner Brothers sued and won, causing the Scala to close in near bankruptcy. In 2000, the year after Kubrick's death, the film was released again throughout Great Britain and received an "18" rating.

Facts

• Stanley Kubrick had his assistant destroy all unused footage.
• Anthony Burgess was raised a strict Roman Catholic and originally wrote his novel as a parable about Christian free will and forgiveness. His take on it was that to be a true Christian, one had to forgive the most horrifying of acts, something Burgess knew only too well, having seen his wife be assaulted and beaten by soldiers during World War II. This attack resulted in a miscarriage and a lifetime of gynaecological troubles for his wife.
• Malcolm McDowell chose to play Alex speaking in his normal Northern English accent instead of a Cockney accent. McDowell felt his softer accent would strike an interesting contrast with Alex's menacing personality and also help him stand out amongst his friends.