|
Post by Popeye Doyle on May 2, 2018 1:52:09 GMT
Do you feel any sympathy for Alex when returns home after treatment? Some, because the bleeding heart liberal in me doesn't want violence to equate more violence. Plus, Alex couldn't defend himself even if we wanted to.
Thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by darksidebeadle on May 2, 2018 1:58:40 GMT
I felt nothing.
|
|
|
Post by 🇩 🇷 🇦 🇰 🇪 on May 2, 2018 2:41:08 GMT
I didn't like the ending. Alex should have died when he jumped out of that window. The movie is pretty trashy, but the soundtrack is one of my favorites. I also liked the use of the Nadsat (teen in Russian) language, but primarily because I know Russian. I watched the movie again recently which I TiVoed in 2015.
|
|
|
Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on May 2, 2018 2:41:44 GMT
A little bit. Mainly though I feel sorry for his snake. It's not just him, it's him and his snake.
Overall I dont feel sympathy for him though. There's a lot of weird English caricatures in that movie. His social worker is a weird guy.
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on May 2, 2018 2:58:56 GMT
No. He was getting what he deserved.
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on May 2, 2018 3:16:47 GMT
Yeah on some level. He was a victim of the system.
|
|
|
Post by Popeye Doyle on May 2, 2018 3:24:38 GMT
Yeah on some level. He was a victim of the system. Coming home to find your room occupied is the worst.
|
|
|
Post by outrider127 on May 2, 2018 3:45:11 GMT
Do you feel any sympathy for Alex when returns home after treatment? Some, because the bleeding heart liberal in me doesn't want violence to equate more violence. Plus, Alex couldn't defend himself even if we wanted to.
Thoughts? I felt nothing--actually, I felt nothing about the whole movie--pure crapola from start to finish, rarely seen a bleaker film
|
|
|
Post by Sulla on May 2, 2018 4:28:13 GMT
I think ACO has the most interesting characters of any Kubrick film. Yes I feel a little sympathy for Alex for the reason you stated, that he is artificially made to be passive to the point of even being unable to defend himself. The prison Charlie said it, "The boy has no real choice. He ceases to be a man." When he made the decision to accept the Ludovico treatment in order to get out of prison, he had no idea he was going to lose his human ability to choose. He was being used as a guinea pig and a propaganda tool by a government pursuing its political ends.
If I went strictly by the film, I might be less sympathetic because it appears he's going to continue his ways. But I'm biased because of the book. Even though the film depicts him as older, I still think of him as portrayed in the book as being only 15. In the final chapter of the book (omitted from the film) he has regained his ability to choose, but begins to turn away from his sadism and life of crime and wants to become a productive member of society. He even entertains thoughts of starting a family. This is sometimes seen in life because I think many of us have known people who committed unbelievably stupid or heinous acts as teenagers, but changed when they got older. This same 'stupidity of youth' idea is also found in Slaughterhouse Five (1972) when Billy Pilgrim's teenage son is arrested for destroying Jewish tombstones at the local cemetery. Years later the son has straightened out his life. He repents and tells his father how ashamed he is about what he had done.
|
|
|
Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on May 2, 2018 5:39:25 GMT
Another scene where I have slight sympathy for him is when he runs into his former droogs turned policeman. However, with that that and some other things I think the film demonstrates big Hollywood's split with public sentiment--as the book ending suggests. Redemption, a renewal, wisdom with age.
The gist of the movie is that society is corrupt beyond hope, and so is the main character. Not a traditional western message.
2001 and the Shining also have main characters who are helpless. Bowman is helpless when facing the monolith, Jack is helpless against the hotel, and Alex is helpless against his warped nature. Or, they find their destiny, but its not one that resonates with the audience.
|
|
|
Post by wmcclain on May 2, 2018 12:38:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by James on May 2, 2018 23:07:38 GMT
He was an awful person sure, but once we get to the suffering, we start to feel for him a bit. It gets even worse when he has to listen to Beethoven in Mr. Alexander's house, the music he used to listen to when he was the bad person, which is something he doesn't want to remember by. Otherwise, an astounding film.
|
|
|
Post by mortsahlfan on May 3, 2018 0:35:09 GMT
Great question, and yes, I did feel bad for him a little.. The "new" son was more annoying than Alex.
Maybe Alex turned out the way he did because his parents sucked?
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on May 3, 2018 6:46:34 GMT
I think ACO has the most interesting characters of any Kubrick film. Yes I feel a little sympathy for Alex for the reason you stated, that he is artificially made to be passive to the point of even being unable to defend himself. The prison Charlie said it, "The boy has no real choice. He ceases to be a man." When he made the decision to accept the Ludovico treatment in order to get out of prison, he had no idea he was going to lose his human ability to choose. He was being used as a guinea pig and a propaganda tool by a government pursuing its political ends.
If I went strictly by the film, I might be less sympathetic because it appears he's going to continue his ways. But I'm biased because of the book. Even though the film depicts him as older, I still think of him as portrayed in the book as being only 15. In the final chapter of the book (omitted from the film) he has regained his ability to choose, but begins to turn away from his sadism and life of crime and wants to become a productive member of society. He even entertains thoughts of starting a family. This is sometimes seen in life because I think many of us have known people who committed unbelievably stupid or heinous acts as teenagers, but changed when they got older. This same 'stupidity of youth' idea is also found in Slaughterhouse Five (1972) when Billy Pilgrim's teenage son is arrested for destroying Jewish tombstones at the local cemetery. Years later the son has straightened out his life. He repents and tells his father how ashamed he is about what he had done.
[br It seems to be a running trend of Kubrick films as well. IE: a system at large fails an individual, as seen in Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, and 2001
|
|
maxwellperfect
Junior Member
@maxwellperfect
Posts: 3,966
Likes: 1,684
|
Post by maxwellperfect on May 3, 2018 14:14:29 GMT
Some, because he is so wretched at that point, evil bastard that he was.
|
|
|
Post by BATouttaheck on May 3, 2018 15:09:12 GMT
It's one of a tiny handful of "great" films I will never watch ! Seeing the clips and reading about it has convinced me to avoid it like I would avoid a rabid dog.
|
|
|
Post by 🇩 🇷 🇦 🇰 🇪 on May 3, 2018 16:39:53 GMT
It's one of a tiny handful of "great" films I will never watch ! Seeing the clips and reading about it has convinced me to avoid it like I would avoid a rabid dog. I liked the soundtrack far more than the movie. It really doesn't fit the subject matter of the film and twists it in a way. I listen to the soundtrack far more often than I watch the movie and don't even pick up images from it while I listen.
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 4, 2018 21:54:19 GMT
No sympathy. Top 5 Kubrick for me.
|
|
|
Post by mslo79 on May 4, 2018 22:23:10 GMT
That movie is quite bland. I don't see it's appeal.
4/10 (below average)
p.s. but then again I think Stanley Kubrick is quite overrated as his movies tend to be pretty weak in general.
|
|