The Artistic Approach to the Perverse in A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick is known for pushing the boundaries in sexuality and subject matter but nothing in his filmography stands a chance when compared to the ultra-violence in his 1971 adaptation of the Anthony Burgess novel A Clockwork Orange. Loved in the states, and loathed across the pond, A Clockwork Orange appeals to perverse senses in a way that forces audiences to bask in a certain comfortability that persists despite the shock factor. One could credit this to Malcolm McDowell’s portrayal of the narcissistic and savage-mined Alex, but in doing so it would neglect the abstract and stylized nature of the film. Kubrick is a master of mise-en-scène, as shown through the majority of his films. His photography background allows for an eye that is effective in manipulating audiences whether that be through the placement of his subjects, or the set decorations presented throughout the film, A Clockwork Orange is the perfect example of Kubrick’s visual eye.

In building this retro-futuristic dystopian world, Kubrick pays close attention to the large moments of sexuality, whether that be the nude female mannequins in the Korova Milk Bar or the several penises that can be found in the Cat Lady’s (Miriam Karlin) apartment. The intentionality of these details places the audience into a world that is separate than ours. It is sexual, perverted, and horrific but with a tinge of beauty and humor, which is necessary to allow the audience a Brechtian view for the violence. Although A Clockwork Orange presents the horrors of this society, the audience is allowed to view these atrocities in an almost comfortable way due to Kubrick’s excellent mise-en-scène and the overall stylized nature of the film as shown through the Korova Milk Bar, the encounter with Billyboy (Richard Connaught) in the theatre, the orgy scene, and Alex’s interaction with the Cat Lady (Miriam Karlin).

A Clockwork Orange opens with a hypnotic synth transcription of Henry Purcell’s “Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary.” A red hue fills the screen for approximately one minute before transfixing on Alex’s face clad in Droog wear. He sports a classic Kubrick stare, almost nodding towards the audience in a fourth-wall break, before the camera reveals the entirety of the Korova Milk Bar. This presents Alex’s interest in bodily images from the start. James Naremore mentions this interest when he exclaims, “By the same logic he is drawn to coarse bodily images, such as the female statuary or ‘furnishings’ of the Korova Milk Bar” (10). Naremore suggests that there is a pattern in Alex’s behavior that causes him to feel comfortable in such a setting. Due to his sadistic brain, he is drawn to other physical forms depicting the human body in a raw, sexual, or provocative manner. This comfortability is noticed by the way his combat boots rest atop a nude female mannequin sporting a colorful wig and pubic hair to match. Surrounding him and his fellow Droogs are other nude mannequins in sexualized poses positioned for audience members to observe. Kubrick makes it abundantly clear that the milk bar is the place for ultra-violent youths to indulge in drug altered milk while they plan their violent activities for the evening. Kubrick’s utilization of this location in the introduction of the film, paired with the placement of the mannequins and the Droogs serves as a perfect introduction into the perverse world of A Clockwork Orange.

The Korova Milk Bar is a highly stylized, yet almost grotesque setting. Through the décor and mise-en-scène the audience is invited to defamiliarize themselves with fears that plaque their everyday life and instead interact alongside their untrustworthy narrator. Naremore touches on this point when he states, “the form constitutes a psychological strategy aimed at defamiliarizing the everyday world and thereby controlling or exorcizing the absurdities and terrors of life” (6). Kubrick creates this unfamiliar everyday world through the retro-futurism costuming, background, and absurdity of the Korova Milk Bar allowing the audience to neglect the laws of their society and instead enter Alex’s mind, which is aided through his own introduction at the start of the film. In this scene, Kubrick completely takes control of the terrors and absurdities of everyday life and instead twists the common terrors of the modern world to transform them into Alex’s indulgences. This disconnect within everyday society would have been hard to achieve had Kubrick introduced the film with another scene, but through the Korova Milk Bar we immediately enter the elements of Alex’s world and how they remain perverse throughout the film.

When Alex and his Droogs encounter the abandoned casino, the nudity in the Korova becomes subtle. The scene opens with a shot of the painted ceiling inside the casino presenting a vase with beautiful florals while Rossini’s “The Thieving Magpie (Overture)” plays. Offscreen, a woman can be heard screaming in fear, which is the first notion to violence in this moment. As the camera continues further down, the entirety of the scene is presented to the audience as Billyboy and his Droogs stand on stage and rip the clothes off a woman in an attempted assault. When considering the topic of violence and its correlation to décor and art in film,  A Clockwork Orange stands at the forefront. Vivian Sobhack mentions this when she states, “Whether they be classical, baroque, rococo, impressionist, or modern these works of fine art most often make their presence felt on the screen in the same moments and in the same frames with acts of violence or with violent characters” (Sobhack 1). The use of art and setting within this specific scene, serves as a distraction from the violence allowing the audience to feel a far from the actions occurring in front of them. The blue walls compliment the baroque proscenium arch of the stage where an ornate gold statue sits perfectly placed, velvet curtains cascade from the stage, the paintings on the ceiling exist nonchalantly in frame and yet a horrific act is occurring in the center of the frame. Not only is the art and décor integral to the entire mise-en-scène of this moment, the stylized nature with the juxtaposition of the gilded setting allows for a further disconnect to the abhorrent scene on the stage.

As Billyboy and his Droogs rips the clothes off the woman, it appears almost as a dance performance with their bodies swaying side to side as they pull the woman in every which direction. The scene is presented in a still wide-angle, which allows for an almost Brechtian approach, as audiences are fully separated from the film. With the performative nature of the woman’s assault, the audience becomes desensitized to the violence from the beginning of the film, which is integral considering the events that follow. According to Stephen Farber, the stylized nature of violence is one of the most manipulative aspects for the viewer. He states, “In stylizing the violence, Kubrick enables us — no, forces us — to enjoy the imaginative way it is filmed (particularly in the beautifully choreographed fight with Billyboy’s game in the deserted theater)” (Farber 288). Farber’s point stands strong considering the fact that the viewer is transfixed and focused on violence that they would otherwise turn away from. Due to the blocking of both the camera and the actors as well as the location of the assault, the audience is not only witnessing the violence but also observing it from a removed standpoint, as if they are watching the theater. Kubrick’s stylized violence serves two purposes, to desensitize the actions of Billyboy and his Droogs while also drawing their attention to the artistry and choreographed movements. The intentionality behind the style showcased by Kubrick captivates viewers despite its violent nature instead of being repelled by such grotesque acts. Of course, this carries on through the rest of the film but reaches its peak when Alex encounters the Cat Lady.

The introduction to the Cat Lady is a turning point in A Clockwork Orange both in plot development and stylization. Audience members are introduced to her in the center of the frame as she lays on her back with her legs in the air appearing to be in a yoga pose. Surrounding her are various cats. In the foreground, canvases depicting women in sexual positions grace the walls. According to Sobhack, this is a great deviation from Anthony Burgesses novel, but a necessary detail in Kubrick’s film. She claims, “The home of Kubrick’s Cat Lady, however, is filled not with the undisplay mementoes and antiques of the novel, but rather with a collection of erotic painting and sculpture emphatically on display and omnipresent during the violent confrontation between Alex and the Cat Lady” (Sobhack 3). These paintings are extremely erotic allowing for a sense of comedy to jump forward with the Cat Lady’s comedic characterization. As the scene progresses, the placement of the Cat Lady and the hilariously phallic symbols that come into play prove integral when Alex enters the scene. As Alex breaks into what appears to be the Cat Lady’s office, the audience is introduced to her large white enamel sculpture of a penis positioned perfectly beside the phallic nose on Alex’s mask and the Cat Lady in-between the two. Through placing these phallic objects on either side, the impending violence has a comedic undertone, especially considering the juxtaposition to the erotic female paintings on the walls. Through the comedic undertones presented within the artwork, blocking, colors, and situation, with a large penis being Alex’s murder weapon and the Cat Lady using a bust of Ludwig Van Beethoven to defend herself, the audience is not focused on her murder and violent death but rather the situational comedy presented in her being.

Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange is certainly a film that appeals to the ultra-violent with a plethora of murder, sexual assault, and physical assault in the beginning of the film. Despite these abhorrent factors, Kubrick has a way of forcing the audience to embrace the perverse with the stylized nature and mise-en-scène of A Clockwork Orange. Not only does the audience face towards the grotesque rather than turning away, but they also become comfortable and entranced with Alex’s acts. Therefore, Kubrick brings forth the horrors of youth violence in a choreographed nature as shown through the Korova Milk Bar, Billyboy at the casino, and the murder of the Cat Lady in almost an aesthetic nature creating an even more complex film that catches the eye of every audience member.

Works Cited

Farber, Stephen. “The Old Ultra-Violence.” The Hudson Review, vol. 25, no. 2, 1972, pp. 287–94. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3849003. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Naremore, James. “Stanley Kubrick and the Aesthetics of the Grotesque.” Film Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 1, 2006, pp. 4–14. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2006.60.1.4. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.

Sobchack, Vivian C. “Decor as Theme: ‘A Clockwork Orange.’” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 2, 1981, pp. 92–102. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43795811. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.