ACWO - Complete Scene Analysis

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE: SCENE ANALYSIS

Opening Scene

Even from the first shot in the introduction, the audience is manipulated to align with the character of Alex. Firstly, Alex is the first character that we see, he is looking into the camera but more specifically at each audience member individually - making the audience and Alex's relationship different and more personal with each audience member and their response to the eye contact. Personally, I found the eye-contact to be weird, making the alignment with the character more difficult. The camera starts at a close up of Alex, then pans back, revealing the surroundings and other characters. However Alex maintains constantly in the center of the frame at all times and is the only character making eye contact with us at this time. The eye contact is maintained for the duration of this long shot, once again reinforcing the alignment the audience should develop with Alex. Alex is the only character in this scene with his feet up on a naked female mannequin, this plants a seed in the audiences mind of his opinions on females. When the narrator speaks, we instantly associate him with the character we see on screen, and he is seen as our guide in the film as the audience are introduced to futuristic environments and non-normal dialect. As he is the narrator, we see things from his perspective and are denied the opportunity to see things from an alternative point of view, this is used to be very manipulative in future scenes. He says '...and my droogs', when describing his associates, this distinguishes his as the leader character - in general, audiences will attempt to align with the leader character as they are seen as the strongest in the group.

Tramp Assault

The next scene shows a mid shot of litter and empty beer bottles, this shortcut to meaning helps us associate the singing character with a drunk homeless person.  Before we see the gang in the frame directly, the scene is backlit, meaning their huge shadows cloud over the whole scene, nearly plunging it into darkness, this lighting effect connotes power with the group. The shot would be even, but the tramp visually disrupts the otherwise perfect symmetry in the shot.  The narration used here encourages the audience to share his point of view, it also can be seen as a justification for his next actions. While Alex and the homeless man are speaking, there is a close up shot used when Alex speaks, but only a mid-shot when the drunk homeless man speak; also Alex speaks calm and is articulate, while the drunk guy is.. drunk, and slurs his words. Reinforcing the justification for Alex to commit this assault. Alex initiates the assault, once again showing him as the leader of the group. We see him strike in a close up shot, but as the violence begins, the shot switches to a mid shot and Alex cant be distinguished in the group of attackers. This manipulates the audience, and doesn't directly show Alex being aggressive, making alignment for the audience easier.

Home Invasion (Spectatorship)

The Home Invasion is the scene that sparks the most controversy around A Clockwork Orange. In this scene, we see a man typing away who is interrupted by a doorbell ring. The camera pans over, revealing a woman, the fact that she is revealed secondary to the man comments on he social hierarchy in Alex's mind, as he is ultimately the storyteller. She opens the door to a panicked man informing her that there has been an "tragic accident", although skeptical at first, she is told by her husband to open the door. She obeys, letting in 4 men who grab the woman and rush into the house, before raping the woman. However, before the rape, Alex is seen throughout in a mask, making a disassociation with Alex and these violent acts. Alex denies the audience to see him at his worst. Also, in this scene we are denied the opportunity to see the female POV, as this would create alignment with the woman and possibly ruin the plot manipulation by Kubrick. However, during this scene, I had an A central and sympathetic response for the woman, as I personally haven't experienced anything like this, however I can imagine it not to be pleasant. 

Home Invasion (Male Gaze)

The older male and younger female is instantly a reference to the Male Gaze. The male character looks for a wife who is physically attractive and 'passive'. This is reinforced by the fact she is simply reading a book when she is revealed, while the man is active and typing a novel. Furthermore, the females role as passive is also reinforced by her denying entry to the man at the door, until told different by her active husband. The attack that follows is presented from the point of view of several men (Alex, Husband), but the female character is denied a point of view. At this scene in the film, the audience have already aligned with Alex. We are forced to see the attack through his POV and are given an insight to his motivations. During this scene, the active male characters dominate the female character and use her. The Male Gaze is present here and reflects the patriarchal society of 1960/70s Britain.