The post will then be hidden like this. Click 'spoiler' after posting something to give it a spoiler tag. This time they thought nothing fun and stopped creeching with high mirth, and had to submit to the strange and weird desires of Alexander the Large[…] But they were both very very drunken and could hardly feel very much[…] They were like waking up to what was being done to their malenky persons and saying that they wanted to go home and like I was a wild beast. A Clockwork Orange is English-writer Anthony Burgessthe’s most famous book. Summary Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. Mistakes that he made while he was making himself, as teens do. Clearly the best? Is it only that no words, however evocative, can ever pierce our comfort level the way an effectively directed scene of violence can? Okay, if we’re voting Kennedy or Nixon, there’s a clear answer there unless you want to sound like an asshole, but the true question is Burgess or Kubrick, and I don’t want to choose. He wrote The Clockwork orange in 1962. 2) The novel Main Theme. In the case of Clockwork, the only change Alex experiences throughout the narrative is ushered in by external forces--so when his 'tormentors' remove the conditioning, he of course becomes the same old Alex again. But I think the movie ending sends the message that it is up to us to change our corrupt institutions rather than just assuming they will change on their own. (It’s clearly the best.) The film plays the dance bit very well (the gang fight, etc...) right up until the rehab when the music stops. Instead, A Clockwork Orange was meant to end with a chapter (which nearly every copy of the book now contains) in which Alex quite suddenly loses his taste for violence, and decides he … No movie will be able to accurately portray the inner dialogue that we are allowed to watch unfold in a book. Simon Zirkunow/Flickr, CC BY. A Clockwork Orange is a book about a lot of things, but by its own statements at the end, it's primarily a book about youth. © 2020 reddit inc. All rights reserved. He wants a different kind of future. That said, I don’t mind having both versions (with and without the last chapter) to let people decide for themselves which they prefer. from Montreal, Canada is reading, Patrick Riley I am not saying these are invalid ideas; they just seem critically off to me from a secular point of view. It's been a while, but I believe they un-did the procedure to score political points. (It's the second-worst last chapter in my reading experience, after the one in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; in both cases, the depth and beauty of the chapters that lead up to the dud ending make the journey worthwhile.). Alex narrates to us in an odd slang called "nadsat" as … They can't decide what people take from that paper. The twenty-first chapter gives the novel the quality of genuine fiction, an art founded on the principle that human beings change. But Alex in film is more older, he doesn't make us feel as much shocked as disgusted (though I just love Malcolm McDowell and the film had to go with older protagonist). And for the record, the Shining is to me simply another example of good book and good film experience, but one of the few times I preferred the film over book. And me still only fifteen.' His books have been published all over the world and include A Clockwork Orange, The Clockwork Testament, Inside Mr Enderby, Enderby's Dark Lady, Earthly Powers, Abba Abba and The End … Kubrick’s film is based on the more dismal American version of the novel, and in a forward written by Burgess in a 1986 edition, he makes his displeasure known: It is with a kind of shame that this growing youth looks back on his devastating past. One implication of the "happy" ending seems to be that Alex simply grew out of his sadistic, sociopathic ways: Droogs will be droogs. Also, I have a hobby of reading detailed chapter-by-chapter synopses (plus character profiles, explanations of famous quotes and all that jazz) of classics and popular books I can't get into so that I at least get what's being said or what happens. Yes, people are shown to change in novels, but it has to be a progressive change that we can track like like trails on a map. He hasn't changed. I love the book. @Khalil Clockwork Orange wasn't written by King, and she was referring to The Shining. This is particularly true in regards to the victims. Him saying "I was cured, alright" was sarcasm. The reason why the book is more violent - and that's good point - is because it is supposed to disgust us. I'd never heard Burgess's claim that the final, tacked-on chapter was necessary to demonstrate the character growth intrinsic to a good novel, but I call BS on that. Kubrick was right to cut the last chapter. 10 year old children though? No God = no meaning but what delusions we dabble in. I think he liked to use film as a medium to juggle (or jumble if you like) a multitude of ideas in the context of one story. But I can honestly say I'm biased, I remember loving the book, and reading it two or three times in a short period of time. I can now finally rest easy that I know the ending a bit better know. Stanley Kubrick's film isn't as faithful to Anthony Burgess' novel as we first thought. A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian satirical black comedy novel by English writer Anthony Burgess, published in 1962. Beware of buying German books without looking. Meredith is a writer, editor and brewpub owner living in Houston, Texas. When I first found out about the 21st chapter, I was already a huge fan of the book and movie as they are, and at first thought that much of the meaning was lost with the addition. REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc. π Rendered by PID 23382 on r2-app-0d385b4c3ab8950bb at 2020-12-24 20:18:08.624801+00:00 running 6abf2be country code: PL. And the final sequence showed that, once again, Alex was free to listen to classical music while enjoying his rapey masturbation fantasies, just as in his joyous days of old. It wasn't a cure it was basically a Pavlov's dog style scenario. While Burgess’ … While he was in the hospital, the government fiddled around inside his gulliver and reversed the Ludovico Treatment (and then tested him to make sure he was again a vicious little sociopath happily making jokes about rape and thinking that the best thing to do with eggs would be to smash them), and he was now free to be a monster in their service --just as his fellow droogies had used their thuggishness in the State's service when they joined the Police Force. In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned. So I don’t think the book or the film is better – both have much to offer, different questions to answer. It is set in a dismal dystopian England and presents a first-person account of a juvenile delinquent who undergoes state-sponsored … And that’s that. The importance of music is highlighted even in the book and it's one of the best aspects of the film. That's why I think the 21st chapter is important because it shows that an inclination to violence is natural but can be just a phase of life. They seem less personal, and I as the viewer am not as involved. I read the "British" edition of the book (available in the states for decades), the one with the "happy" ending. […] My book was Kennedyan and accepted the notion of moral progress. Maybe the nature of moving images just has a very different effect on my psyche than that of words alone. Even trashy bestsellers show people changing. I saw the movie first, and its ending sparked an emotional response like few I've ever had to any work of art. and join one of thousands of communities. Speak up in the comments! In fact, this is the only chapter where our protagonist-narrator experiences growth, or more profoundly, … In it, he discusses much about the novel CLOCKWORK, including the idiocy of the US release. The text … As John O’Connell writes in his entry on A Clockwork Orange in Bowie’s Books (2019), “The biggest difference…has to do with the ending. For A Clockwork Orange in particular, I prefer the movie ending better (again, in theory, since I haven't read the book) for a couple of reasons. I like Alex feeling tormented at the end, it leaves the question open. Does anyone prefer the book without the happy ending chapter? A Clockwork Orange, novel by Anthony Burgess, published in 1962. [–]ZorroMeansFoxr/Movies Veteran 13 points14 points15 points 1 year ago (1 child). I didn’t feel like going out in streets and start to punch people when I finished reading the book or watching the film. Just because a work, no matter the medium, may end on a note of moral ambivalence, does not preclude it from being a work of art. That's not exactly how it goes. [–]izzmond 5 points6 points7 points 1 year ago (0 children). In the novel, I felt that Alex was a smart lad, who just used his brains for the wrong kicks. I usually prefer a book over a film but when it comes to A Clockwork Orange I'm just ambivalent. Do you come down on one side or another? First of all, there is no indication throughout the movie (and I presume the book) that Alex is interested in any genuine change. In this, however, Kubrick was no different than Burgess, who drew the same contrasts and also used narrator Alex's asides to pull the reader into his confidence. Thanks, [–]C_Me 3 points4 points5 points 1 year ago (0 children). One concludes with Alex growing up and … Same goes for the costumes which helps us understand that it's happening in future though it's obvious it's not so distant future which is worrying. News arrives ahead of a major Stanley Kubrick exhibition, which will include material from his … And that’s that.". from New York is reading, Meredith The violence is told in such an overtly choreographed and comical way that its producers can seem insensitive and voyeuristically ghoulish; the creators of a fashionable glorification of cruel behavior. I’d love to hear others thoughts and opinions about this 🙂, [–]ZorroMeansFoxr/Movies Veteran 25 points26 points27 points 1 year ago (3 children). They have two different endings. No God = no one is ever truly right or wrong about anything, thus satire is one slave criticizing another for being a different kind of slave, which is logically absurd. There's no proper way to flavor emotions in movies outside lighting and music, which many directors have tried to do in film. I also love both book and movie. The book, satisfying as it was, couldn't compare. Because the main aim of the story is to warn - look, how our society could look like in few decades, think about it. When he imagine a girl doing sex with him. So the film ends too. I think Kubrick just ended it where the American edition of the book ended. Then she tests him, and his answers reveal the truth: That he is again showing the tendencies of a little monster. Get an ad-free experience with special benefits, and directly support Reddit. This is not a movie meant for kids, unless they understand the important morals of the plot. He's back to doing the same old stuff, as shown in the final scene, except it looks consensual, and everyone around him is clapping. What is the worst performance to be nominated at the Oscars? Alex didn't just go along with ultraviolence, he reveled in it, and it'd take something powerful to turn him away from it. It feels tacked on, a sort of deus ex machina that expects us to forget everything about this character we've learned so far. I came to the novel A Clockwork Orange via the film and it was a wholly different experience. I really doubt whether Stanley Kubrick intended for his film to say anything so specific. Alex might be naturally evil but in the end he's just a tool for governement's contest. The ending, or the twenty-first chapter of the book, provides closure to the book for some readers. I don't think there's anything glorifying in that. Kubrick managed, through a masterful merging of imagery, narration and, perhaps most of all, Beethoven's transcendent music, to induce a mix of elation and revulsion like none I've ever experienced. I really struggle reading rape scenes so haven't read the book yet. Because when Alex is in his hospital bed, a psychiatrist comes in and talks to him. from Melstrand, Mi is reading, Jill Ells-O'Brien Her four most commonly used words are, "The book was better.". Regardless, author's can only put things to paper. So, what -- all of that chapter's meaning is totally lost on other countries, yet they're the ones who got the "right" version? This teen gang drinks milk that’s laced with drugs, and then savagely assaults an elderly man, subsequently destroying the library books … The film made it easy for readers of the book to misunderstand what it was about, and the misunderstanding will pursue me until I die. Now maybe in the book there is and I just haven't read it yet, but from what I've heard, I haven't gotten that impression from the book. Always I will suggest people read the book if they like the movie, as they will flesh in details one can't get any other way. Clearly the best? Alex, violent criminal that he is, passes through four stages - or, since he's a music lover, we might consider the book … [–]TheShadyGuy 0 points1 point2 points 1 year ago (0 children). from New Zealand is reading, Kevin Maddox I don’t want to live in a world where I have to choose between a brilliant author or a visionary director, and thankfully, I don’t have to. And I find it impossible to swallow morality from someone who doesn’t even try to convince me that there is such a thing outside of delusion. So the original ending to the book ends like the movie, and yes, the idea is that he returns (or is going to return) to his old wicked … I'm willing to believe any character can change, but I need convincing. And it doesn’t fit with the rest of the book at all. QuestionAbout the ending of a clockwork orange (self.movies). ::shudder:: in the novel, Alex and co wear wolf's head jock straps, whereas in the movie, they wear dancer's belts. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I think it may be the other way around. So if that’s the case, did he become like that after the suicide attempt or the was it the fact that Alex was really never cured and could never be cured in the first place?? I cannot read German. I see the book as more a statement of society and the baby boomer generation than about one individual although it is told through his eyes. He let me know there was rape in the film so I was prepared. The resulting ambivalence -- a singular urge to cheer for joy and scream in horror at the same time, was unforgettable. They looked like they had been in some big bitva, as indeed they had, and were all bruised and pouty. The message I get from the book's ending is that it placates the reader by sending the message that everything is going to all right and evil people change. Depending on who sees it, A Clockwork Orange can make rape and murder appear funny or just plain fun. Alex runs into Pete who has already changed and then Alex begins to consider becoming a productive member of society. What's the Difference between A Clockwork Orange the Book and A Clockwork Orange the Movie? What I got out of the film is that we all want to feel protected in some way and for that we have given up certain freedoms. He’s a Kennedy man and Kubrick’s a Nixon man. The next novel like A Clockwork Orange has been labelled an allegory, a political treatise, a morality tale even a vision of the apocalypse, but to me, William Golding’s outstanding novel Lord of the Flies is a poignant reminder of the inevitable end … I love the movie. I don't usually like happy endings. James M. Cain (Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, many novels) was once asked how he felt about how Hollywood had ruined his books. I think we should all just thank out lucky stars that Larry Clark (director/creator of Kids) didn't get his hands on this one. I definitely don't buy that. This is Burgess most famous novel. Many sociopaths like Alex don't change. Will have to chew on it. The boy is conditioned, then deconditioned, and he foresees with glee a resumption of the operation of free and violent will. One I keep coming back to. It wasn’t the last time one of Kubrick’s notoriously devastating films pissed off the author of the source material – Stephen King once said that The Shining is the only one of his book adaptations he can remember hating – but Burgess’ ire is certainly the most memorable, renouncing his own book after having seen the movie it spawned: We all suffer from the popular desire to make the known notorious. Dabble in Cain, but I love it ever had to any work of art ( of. His film to say anything so specific who sees it, he to. To read it PID 23382 on r2-app-0d385b4c3ab8950bb at 2020-12-24 20:18:08.624801+00:00 running 6abf2be country code: PL does n't the. 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