why is it called 'A Clockwork Orange'
- Thread starter Warpo
- Start date
dennilfloss
Past Lifer 1957-2014 In Memoriam
The movie is so called because it is based on the book with the same title. 
Dixit Burgess:
"The book was called A Clockwork Orange for various reasons. I had always loved the Cockney phrase 'queer as a clockwork orange', that being the queerest thing imaginable, and I had saved up the expression for years, hoping some day to use it as a title. When I began to write the book, I saw that this title would be appropriate for a story about the application of Pavlovian, or mechanical, laws to an organism which, like a fruit, was capable of colour and sweetness. But I had also served in Malaya, where the word for a human being is orang. The name of the antihero is Alex, short for Alexander, which means 'defender of men'. Alex has other connotations - a lex: a law (unto himself); a lex(is): a vocabulary (of his own); a (Greek) lex: without a law. Novelists tend to give close attention to the names they attach to their characters. Alex is a rich and noble name, and I intended its possessor to be sympathetic, pitiable, and insidiously identifiable with us, as opposed to them. But, in a manner, I digress."
Excellent C. O. site with a nice nadsat dictionary.
Little bit of trivia about the soundtrack: Walter Carlos changed her name to Wendy Carlos,
after a sex-change surgery in 1972.
Singing In The Rain (Gene Kelly)
Dixit Burgess:
"The book was called A Clockwork Orange for various reasons. I had always loved the Cockney phrase 'queer as a clockwork orange', that being the queerest thing imaginable, and I had saved up the expression for years, hoping some day to use it as a title. When I began to write the book, I saw that this title would be appropriate for a story about the application of Pavlovian, or mechanical, laws to an organism which, like a fruit, was capable of colour and sweetness. But I had also served in Malaya, where the word for a human being is orang. The name of the antihero is Alex, short for Alexander, which means 'defender of men'. Alex has other connotations - a lex: a law (unto himself); a lex(is): a vocabulary (of his own); a (Greek) lex: without a law. Novelists tend to give close attention to the names they attach to their characters. Alex is a rich and noble name, and I intended its possessor to be sympathetic, pitiable, and insidiously identifiable with us, as opposed to them. But, in a manner, I digress."
Excellent C. O. site with a nice nadsat dictionary.
Little bit of trivia about the soundtrack: Walter Carlos changed her name to Wendy Carlos,
after a sex-change surgery in 1972.
Singing In The Rain (Gene Kelly)
LOVE the movie...
sad though none of my friends will watch it with me. A couple of them did, and only made it through about a third before they demanded that I turn it off. I wouldn't dare try to make my family watch it.
I just don't understand why some people can't appreciate awesome movies like this. Box Office winners are usually pretty formulaic. For the guys it's a lot of ass-kicking, nice cars/weapons, and sex with nubile young females (since I am a guy I do admit that I like some of these kinds of movies, but they're never what I'd call really great...). For the girls it's got to be a story about girls, involve fulfilling relationship(s) with very caring, loving, sensitive, and yet very attractive men (not a very common combination), and involve women standing up for themselves, usually with at least one sad storyline to give the girls a chance to have a good cry.
I'm not saying that all blockbuster movies are like that--but the majority of them are. It's so frustrating for those of us who like movies that don't necesarily fit the mold. One exception was American Beauty--I can't believe that did so well, given the subject matter. Although, again, my friends hated it and my family hasn't seen it and probably never will.
Another movie I just love is 2001... I watched it with my best friend a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time he'd ever seen it, and after it was over said it was probably the worst movie he'd ever seen. I guess his problem with it was the lack of dialogue (which is pretty obvious), but it's like he can't look past the norm. Because most movies are chock-full of words, he can't like a movie that doesn't succomb to that. 2001 has some of the most awesome visuals (especially given the era in which it was filmed), but he didn't even notice them.
I mean, I love my friends and all, but my movie-watching is usually done solo because they only like movies that encourage shallow thought and present life as being perfect and peachy...
ARGHHH!!!
I'm going to go watch Harold & Maude now...
l2c
sad though none of my friends will watch it with me. A couple of them did, and only made it through about a third before they demanded that I turn it off. I wouldn't dare try to make my family watch it.
I just don't understand why some people can't appreciate awesome movies like this. Box Office winners are usually pretty formulaic. For the guys it's a lot of ass-kicking, nice cars/weapons, and sex with nubile young females (since I am a guy I do admit that I like some of these kinds of movies, but they're never what I'd call really great...). For the girls it's got to be a story about girls, involve fulfilling relationship(s) with very caring, loving, sensitive, and yet very attractive men (not a very common combination), and involve women standing up for themselves, usually with at least one sad storyline to give the girls a chance to have a good cry.
I'm not saying that all blockbuster movies are like that--but the majority of them are. It's so frustrating for those of us who like movies that don't necesarily fit the mold. One exception was American Beauty--I can't believe that did so well, given the subject matter. Although, again, my friends hated it and my family hasn't seen it and probably never will.
Another movie I just love is 2001... I watched it with my best friend a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time he'd ever seen it, and after it was over said it was probably the worst movie he'd ever seen. I guess his problem with it was the lack of dialogue (which is pretty obvious), but it's like he can't look past the norm. Because most movies are chock-full of words, he can't like a movie that doesn't succomb to that. 2001 has some of the most awesome visuals (especially given the era in which it was filmed), but he didn't even notice them.
I mean, I love my friends and all, but my movie-watching is usually done solo because they only like movies that encourage shallow thought and present life as being perfect and peachy...
ARGHHH!!!
I'm going to go watch Harold & Maude now...
l2c
I read the book first.... It blew me away! For a while I could chat in nadsat with my friends in highschool, but that was long ago and far away.
Anyway, I thought Kubrick did a fabulous job with the movie. It's a great classic...
It's been ages since I read the book or saw the movie, though.
BTW, the last time I had eye surgery, they used clamps to hold my eyes open and then they woke me up and had me read a chart with the clamps still on my eyes. I couldn't help but feel like Alex!
Anyway, I thought Kubrick did a fabulous job with the movie. It's a great classic...
It's been ages since I read the book or saw the movie, though.
BTW, the last time I had eye surgery, they used clamps to hold my eyes open and then they woke me up and had me read a chart with the clamps still on my eyes. I couldn't help but feel like Alex!
JoLLyRoGer
Diamond Member
- Aug 24, 2000
- 4,153
- 4
- 81
This movie was far and away the weirdest movie I've ever seen. Much of it I found repulsive, and the idea that there is a individual twisted enough to dream up this film scares me. But like anything else. No one forced me to watch it. Therefore I'm not trying to force my opinion on others. I agree with the saying, "If you don't like it, change the channel."
I actually felt I was more effected from "U-Turn"... Kubrick does blow that film away though.
It is a shocking film, delievered with an excelancy that is generally unattainable. Certainly one of the the top 100 films ever made.
"I'm Singing in the Rain. Just SINGGGGGGGin intheRain! What a gloRiouSSS FEELING I'm Happy again!..."
It is a shocking film, delievered with an excelancy that is generally unattainable. Certainly one of the the top 100 films ever made.
"I'm Singing in the Rain. Just SINGGGGGGGin intheRain! What a gloRiouSSS FEELING I'm Happy again!..."
the book was far better, and the movie was great, so if you have not read the book, do so!
dam(ohh but i wan to be good!)
dam(ohh but i wan to be good!)
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 20K
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter