ACO the movie

On my plane ride to Orlando I began watching the controversial movie version of A Clockwork Orange. However, it was interrupted after one of the early scenes when a woman sitting next to me caught a glimpse of Billyboy and his droogs raping, or doing the old "in-out" on a young woman. She made a face and turned the other way, so I finished the scene and then turned it off. Later on in between rounds, I was able to watch almost to the end of Part I. What I appreciated most about the movie was the extroadinary acting by Malcom McDowell, who played the part of Alex. He steals the show with an uncanny ability to personify and bring to life the fictional character that Anthony Burgess created. I was most impressed at the scene when the four droogs knocked on the door of a young couple and Alex tricked his way into entering the house. The boys get in and beat down the husband and tape him up. They then direct his eyes right at his wife as Alex cuts her clothes off with a knife. What made the scene so much more entertaining was when Alex broke out into song and dance as he both beat the man and prepared for the in-out on the woman. He sang "Singing In the Rain" as he undressed the woman and himself. I was able to appreciate McDowell's talent here because his acting was so fluid and realistic. For a moment I even got spooked because I thought I was watching a real raping. A review of the movie accurately states, "If not for the presence of the youthful face of established thespian Malcolm McDowell, one could be forgiven the assumption that the movie was made far more recently than 1971." It is undeniable that McDowell makes the film 10 times more enjoyable with his animated and accurate portrayal of Alex DeLarge.

Clockwork #3

I am now almost done with Part 2 of the novel, so I am figuring that I will finish it sometime around 2012. My past posts were focused around the intriguing character and narrator, Alex DeLarge. Unfortunately, his true character was revealed as he was being captured by the "razdraz" at the end of Part I. Upon meeting the police, he immediately screeches the identity and demands the capturing of his droogs, saying "It was all their idea, brothers. They like forced me to do it. I'm innocent, bog butcher you." Alex's cowardly reaction to the unfortunate events reveals his true identity, disproving any pretenses that the reader may have been under in believing that Alex was a real leader or a bold and mentally strong person. I must confess that DeLarge had me believing that the kid was hardly short of a genius - a strong-minded, headstrong boy that was simply always up to mischief. The scene where he emerged victorious in fights against two of his droogs had me further on the Alex DeLarge bandwagon. Now it is apparent that Alex uses weapons and preys upon weaker, defenseless victims to hide his pusillanimous and spineless nature. On a geocities site the critic writes "Alex hypnotizes his readers into becoming fans of his 'ultra-violence' but his gutless tendencies are later revealed." It's good to know that I am not the only person who sees right through Alex's transparency. I am disappointed in this revelation that I have come across, although I am now happy that he was captured.

Clockwork #2

This is my second Clockwork post and I am almost half way through. This is the first book since Christopher Paolini's Eragon that I have had the motivation to read at home. Yes, instead of watching Seinfeld or playing March Madness 08 on a dilapidated, outdated Playstation 2 system, Sam Davis read a book. Based on my peers' comments, I thought that the nadsat language barrier would be a problem and a burden to my reading, but I have realized tht the unknown words actually make the text even more interesting. I enjoy figuring out what these new words mean by either context or by looking them up.
The character of Alex De Large or, Alex "The Large" as he calls himself, has me so intrigued that I have pondered peeking at Sparknotes and ruining the book just to get their incite on his character. However, I refuse to do such research because I do not want the end to be spoiled. Delarge's newest claim that has me so confused about who he truly is is his love for classical music. When he plays classical music in his room, he describes a calm feeling that engulfs him bringing him into an ultimate nirvana or heaven, where nothing in the world can go wrong. On page 36, Alex even describes the speakers being set up in his room so the music surrounds him. "The little speakers of my stereo were all arranged around the room, on ceiling, walls, floor, so, lying on my bed slooshying the music, I was like netted and meshed in the orchestra." He continues, "Oh bliss, bliss, and heaven... Oh it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh... Oh it was wonder of wonders." DeLarge's love for classical music so sharply contrasts his addiction for violence but I can't help but see a connection between the two. Later, he takes advantage of two young drunken girls in his bed as he plays classical music.
Another curiosity that has only been itched thus far in the novle is the title. What significance does the title hold and how does it pertain to the novel? The words were mentioned for the first time when the droogs terrorize the house of a man who is writing a book called "A Clockwork Orange." While researching, I found an explanationr for the title which makes perfect sense - a clockwork orange is someone that can only do good or only do bad, which is what Alex seems to be in Part I of the novel. This research site analyzes and explains the connection of the title to Alex and the novel very well.
I am about to enter Part II of the novel and I am very excited to see what events Alex and the droogs have planned next.