Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
A Clockwork Orange | Brighton Source
A Clockwork Orange | Brighton Source
Previews

A Clockwork Orange, Sat 5th May

Apr 5, 2018
-
Posted by Ben Bailey

There were rumours that so-and-so had a bootleg copy of it on VHS. Someone else claimed their older brother had seen it in France on a school trip. For 27 years it was difficult for anyone in the UK to get hold of a copy of Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 dystopian thriller, A Clockwork Orange. Thus for those of a certain generation it had a big mystique: the monochrome imagery, the weird name, the violence. We all wanted to see it, but we couldn’t. Even the fact that it had been withdrawn at the director’s request added to the intrigue, as if Kubrick himself had realised what he’d made was dangerous.

When it was eventually re-released after his death in 1999, it didn’t exactly feel like the film we’d been waiting for. It wasn’t that the movie seemed dated (it did, but in a good way) or even that its depiction of ultraviolence had been surpassed by modern standards. It was more that the message and style of the movie jarred so much. And it didn’t seem to fit with a reputation that had taken root after the supposed copycat crimes of the early 70s. It wasn’t a brutal video nasty, it was brilliant cinema.

It’s no surprise that a director with Kubrick’s arty eye for detail would make a film that looks so visually appealing, but it’s still a weird way to make a point. How can such a grim world look so amazing? From the 60s kitsch of the King’s Road record store where Alex picks up those girls, to the Korova Milk Bar itself (every mod’s dream nightclub), the film’s setting is pure retro charm. Despite everything else, Malcolm McDowell’s Alex is handsome, charming and cool as hell.

This Brighton Fringe event is a great chance to see the film on a big-ish screen with the added frisson of witnessing the crime and punishment unfurl in a former Victorian seat of law. The screening is followed by a Q&A with the owners of the Skybreak building, the luxury modernist home in which Alex does the deed. Some people will probably dress up as droogs, and why wouldn’t they?

A Clockwork Orange, The Old Courtroom, Saturday 5th May 2018

Tickets are available here.

Brighton Fringe
Apr 5, 2018
Email
Ben Bailey
Ben Bailey is the editor of Brighton Source and a freelance writer. He also plays in a few bands and can sometimes be found giving talks on a variety of niche topics. He lives in Brighton and rather likes it.
← PREVIOUS POST
Pink Glove, Sat 5th May
NEXT POST →
A Certain Ratio Review
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts Review
    Oct 21, 2025

    Expectations are high with a new Inspector Morse story on stage, sadly this is more a ghost of a Morse story, although die hard fans might enjoy it for the nostalgia.

  • The Lovely Eggs Interview
    Oct 15, 2025

    The Lovely Eggs tell us about their 20th anniversary, the new album and tour with Polite Bureax and some comedy legends supporting.

  • Ocean Film Festival Review 2025
    Oct 11, 2025

    A selection of beautifully shot short films covering diverse ocean lovers' passion for interacting with the sea.

  • Fractured Album Launch, Saturday 20th December
    Oct 10, 2025

    Fractured celebrate the release of their new album supported by Amelia And The Housewives.

  • 2:22 A Ghost Story Review
    Oct 7, 2025

    An evening of two couples having dinner together has never before been so gripping and enthralling, filled with tension, with the ultimate question: is their new house haunted or not?

  • Richard Hawley Review
    Oct 5, 2025

    As Coles Corner turns 20, Richard Hawley dazzled and delighted an up-for-it Worthing crowd with a 2 hour-plus set.

  • Brighton Psych Fest 2025 Review
    Sep 26, 2025

    The second Brighton Psych Fest was a beauty as we got down with Getdown Services as the evening sunlight glowed through the Concorde Stained Glass.

  • David Devant & His Spirit Wife, Friday 12th December
    Sep 23, 2025

    One of Brighton's greatest live bands returns for a pre-Xmas homecoming party.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
A Clockwork Orange - Brighton Source