Exam Question.

In the opening scene of Full Metal Jacket we see a group of individuals having their identity stripped from them as their hair is cut. From this moment we are encouraged to align with the group and the group only. This is done technically through the use of shots. This is very different to the opening of A Clockwork Orange. We are first introduced to the film with blue and red filled screens with a very electronic track which disorientates us before introducing us to Alex through a shot of an eye. As it tracks away from the eye we then begin to see our protagonist, Alex. Alex begins to speak about him and "my three droogs", referring to himself almost as the leader. He adresses us specifically in this scene referring to us as "brothers" further aligning us with him, this is different in Full Metal Jacket as Joker referes to the audience as a collective and not speaking directly to you. In Full Metal Jacket we don't see any other POV shots from any of the group, leaving us with no protagonist to attach onto. Even Hartmann explains to the group that "you are all equally worthless" further emphasising the group mentality.

Throughout Full Metal Jacket we are encouraged to see Pvt Pyle as the outsider to the group and the factor that is holding the group. This is shown when the group is punished for Pyle's mistake of taking a jelly donut from the mess hall. When Pyle is beaten we are forced into taking part in this action as the audience, everyone in the group takes part in the beating including Joker, pressuring us into taking part in this as we are aligned with the 'group'. When Pyle commits suicide, the scene is build up with a suspense soundtrack. Something has clearly snapped in Pyle's mind and we see him shoot Hartmann. This could be another signifier that we are unable to align with Pyle as we are not given motivation for his actions, and before we can even attempt to find out, he shoots himself in the head, leaving us wit very powerful image of Pyle sitting, dead, against the wall with blood splattered up the wall. This is different in A Clockwork Orange as Alex often gives us a motivation for his actions, even if they are motivations we would not agree with. When about to beat up the homeless man he explains that the homeless drunk is a leech on society etc, leaving us with some sort of motivation for these actions. Also when we see Alex partaking in violent acts, we are often distanced from him. In the beating of the homeless man for example we see him go to swing his bat and then the shot shows 4 silhouettes beating up and old man, not allowing us to align with Alex while he is taking parts in acts that society would not condone. This is to stop the audience from not aligning with Alex and seeing him as a monster or simply just a horrific human being. In A Clockwork Orange we need Alex to guide us through this, simply forcing us into taking his POV and aligning with us. As seen from the opening sequence this is a strange and disorientating world and we need someone who understands it and who can guide us through this world, Alex becomes this vessel for us and without his understanding of the world the audience will often take an oppositional reading rather than the preferred reading of the film.