Stanley Kubrick’s film version of A Clockwork Orange was released in New York and L.A. on this day in 1972. Englishman Malcolm McDowell played the central character, Alex de Large, who leads his pack of violent droogs through Britain’s streets each night—stealing, raping and wreaking general havoc. Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, Kubrick chose to faithfully follow the book in its grim account of the psychological torture that would supposedly cure Alex of his violent tendencies. Distribution of the film was limited in both the U.S. and the U.K. because of the violence it portrayed. Upon its first release it received an X rating and is said to have inspired copycat crimes by young fans of the film.
Film Quotable: “Appy-polly-loggies. I had something of a pain in my Gulliver so I had to sleep. I was not awakened when I gave orders for awakening.†–Malcolm McDowell as Alex de Large, speaking Nasdat, a futuristic youth dialect created out of Russian and English slang. Burgess’ novel, narrated from Alex’s perspective, is written entirely in the language.
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