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Cambridge Film Handbooks
Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange
Bringing together new and critically informed essays about one of the most controversial films ever made, this collection of writings examines the literary origins of the work, the nature of cinematic violence, questions of gender and the film's treatment of sexuality, as well as the difficulties of adapting an invented language ("nadsat") for the screen. The volume also includes two contemporary and conflicting reviews by Roger Hughes and Pauline Kael, a detailed glossary of "nadsat" and reproductions of stills from the film.
184 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 20, 2016
Volumes in the Cambridge Film Handbook series consists of commissioned essays on some aspect of a given film by scholars in film studies (or in history, gender studies, etc. but looking at the film through that light).
This volume dedicated to Stanley Kubrick's classic 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess' dystopian novel contains five chapters. Robert P. Kolker writes on the violence in the film, the controversy surrounding it, and how it held up by the time he wrote in the late 1990s. Janet Staiger's "The Cultural Productions of A Clockwork Orange” is also mainly about the violence, putting the film in the context of the history of American and English censorship, but also shows how it is a product of the late 1960s. Margaret DeRosia contributes the one real dud here, a chapter claiming all kinds of homoerotic allusions and relationships between characters – in rewatching the film with her chapter in mind, I don't see hardly any of what she claims is there, and so much of it seems like an attempt to be hip in academia. The final two contributions, by Peter J. Rabinowitz and by Krin Gabbard and Shailja Sharma respectively, focus mainly on the music in Kubrick's film and make some interesting points about Kubrick's musical choices differ from Anthony Burgess', and how that effects the film's message.
The book was prepared prepared for press not long after Kubrick's death and the release of his final film Eyes Wide Shut, which allows the editor and contributors to look at A Clockwork Orange as part of a now finished career. (There are also some comments about how Kubrick may not have finished the editing on Eyes Wide Shut, a controversy I had forgotten about over the years.)
As an appendix, the book reprint two lengthy professional critics' reviews of the film upon its release in the early 1970s. Robert Hughes, writing for Time magazine, praises the film. Pauline Kael's review, on the other hand, is a negative one. The book closes with a glossary of Nadsat, the slang used in Burgess' book and, to a much more limited degree, in Kubrick's film. This glossary feels out of place here, as it consists mainly of material found in the original novel and which is not present in the film.
This volume dedicated to Stanley Kubrick's classic 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess' dystopian novel contains five chapters. Robert P. Kolker writes on the violence in the film, the controversy surrounding it, and how it held up by the time he wrote in the late 1990s. Janet Staiger's "The Cultural Productions of A Clockwork Orange” is also mainly about the violence, putting the film in the context of the history of American and English censorship, but also shows how it is a product of the late 1960s. Margaret DeRosia contributes the one real dud here, a chapter claiming all kinds of homoerotic allusions and relationships between characters – in rewatching the film with her chapter in mind, I don't see hardly any of what she claims is there, and so much of it seems like an attempt to be hip in academia. The final two contributions, by Peter J. Rabinowitz and by Krin Gabbard and Shailja Sharma respectively, focus mainly on the music in Kubrick's film and make some interesting points about Kubrick's musical choices differ from Anthony Burgess', and how that effects the film's message.
The book was prepared prepared for press not long after Kubrick's death and the release of his final film Eyes Wide Shut, which allows the editor and contributors to look at A Clockwork Orange as part of a now finished career. (There are also some comments about how Kubrick may not have finished the editing on Eyes Wide Shut, a controversy I had forgotten about over the years.)
As an appendix, the book reprint two lengthy professional critics' reviews of the film upon its release in the early 1970s. Robert Hughes, writing for Time magazine, praises the film. Pauline Kael's review, on the other hand, is a negative one. The book closes with a glossary of Nadsat, the slang used in Burgess' book and, to a much more limited degree, in Kubrick's film. This glossary feels out of place here, as it consists mainly of material found in the original novel and which is not present in the film.
December 2, 2013
I read this as a teenager. My Mom, concerned I was reading material unfit for my age, asked to look over the novel before I read more. After 15 minutes, she handed the book back and told me, "This makes no sense. read what you like." That was the one and only time my Mom ran interference on my books.
Thank you Mom. The book was horrifying but nothing I couldn't handle.
Classic Sci-Fi. Worth the effort. (Kubrick employees a creative language requiring the reader to learn a new dialect)
Thank you Mom. The book was horrifying but nothing I couldn't handle.
Classic Sci-Fi. Worth the effort. (Kubrick employees a creative language requiring the reader to learn a new dialect)
August 3, 2012
The unique language created by the author makes it worth reading. It's an incredible first person narrative, a cult classic film, and a book like no other. The ending is different from the film as well, giving one a new perspective on A Clockwork Orange.
February 11, 2013
Really good book, the language was a bit hard to understand, but after watching the movie, you get a general idea.
April 14, 2013
Excellent book! Liked the plot, characters, and setting. Part of my favorite books of all time along with 1984, Brazil, etc...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews