Tag: A Clockwork Orange

Does the cult film still exist?

The definition of a cult film has changed from the ’70s to today to simply mean something nerdy that’s underrated and under the radar.

 

A look inside the IU Cinema Saturday night may have convinced you that the cult film is alive and well.

A sold out audience sat in rapt attention of Stanley Kubrick’s Orwellian mind-bender “A Clockwork Orange.” As the first ever midnight showing at the IU Cinema, this audience had perhaps never seen a film not only as lavish, colorful and alive in cinematic spectacle but also as ironically sadistic.

This is a polite way of saying there is no director alive today like Stanley Kubrick and no cult film that represents what his films once did.

The definition of the cult film has changed along with the industry. For a movie to have achieved cult status in 1971 when “A Clockwork Orange” was released, it needed to build its fan base almost exclusively through midnight shows. Controversial art films like Kubrick’s X-rated masterpiece were quickly pulled from first run theaters and received the most attention on college campuses. Continue reading “Does the cult film still exist?”

Rapid Response: A Clockwork Orange

“A Clockwork Orange” is a devilish and entrancing cult film, but it challenges its audience more than others like it.

Arguably the most sinister opening shot in all of film is the extreme close up of Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange.” His intensely focused grimace sets the tone for the entire film, a devilishly and ironically sadistic film.

I watched it in a special midnight showing at the IU Cinema with a gaggle of other co-eds all anticipating a hyper violent cult film. They didn’t leave disappointed (nor did I), but they left surprised, uncertain of how to think or feel. They had never seen a film like it, one with so many gorgeous images, colors and cinematic flourishes.

This audience would likely have more “fun” at a Tarantino movie or a gritty graphic novel blockbuster, many of which are arguably nearing in “A Clockwork Orange’s” quality. But “A Clockwork Orange” tests its audience, challenges it to ponder questions that perhaps have no answers, like what symbolism sitting in an exotic milk bar has or why Alex listens to Beethoven. Continue reading “Rapid Response: A Clockwork Orange”