In a futuristic Britain, Alex DeLarge is the leader of a gang of "droogs": Georgie, Dim and Pete. Human furniture from the Korova milk bar, where the "milk-plus" was served In 2020, the significance of the film was recognised when it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It received several awards and nominations, including four nominations at the 44th Academy Awards. In the years following, the film underwent a critical re-evaluation and gained a cult following. After it was cited as having inspired copycat acts of violence, the film was withdrawn from British cinemas at Kubrick's behest, and it was also banned in several other countries. The film was met with polarised reviews from critics and was controversial due to its depictions of graphic violence. The film premiered in New York City on 19 December 1971 and was released in the United Kingdom on 13 January 1972.
Alex narrates most of the film in Nadsat, a fractured adolescent slang composed of Slavic languages (especially Russian), English, and Cockney rhyming slang. The film chronicles the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture, and attempted rehabilitation via an experimental psychological conditioning technique (the "Ludovico Technique") promoted by the Minister of the Interior ( Anthony Sharp). He leads a small gang of thugs, Pete ( Michael Tarn), Georgie ( James Marcus), and Dim ( Warren Clarke), whom he calls his droogs (from the Russian word друг, "friend", "buddy").
It employs disturbing, violent images to comment on psychiatry, juvenile delinquency, youth gangs, and other social, political, and economic subjects in a dystopian near-future Britain.Īlex ( Malcolm McDowell), the central character, is a charismatic, antisocial delinquent whose interests include classical music (especially Beethoven), committing rape, theft, and what is termed "ultra-violence". A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film adapted, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name.