A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian science-fiction film, from 1971 about the leader of a violent gang. The film was directed by Stanley Kubrick, adapted from the novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess.
The BBFC was initially shown an earlier screenplay based on Burgess's novel in 1967 and advised the distributors that a film showing 'an unrelieved diet of vicious violence and hooliganism' would be unlikely to be suitable for classification, even if rated X.
However, when Kubrick’s film was submitted to the BBFC in 1971 (by which time the age bar for seeing an X-rated film had been raised from 16 to 18), it was passed at X with no cuts. The BBFC's Secretary at the time, Stephen Murphy, stated that: “Disturbed though we were by the first half of the film, which is basically a statement of some of the problems of violence, we were, nonetheless, satisfied by the end of the film that it could not be accused of exploitation: quite the contrary, it is a valuable contribution to the whole debate about violence.”
Classification Issues
- Sexual violence
- In one scene, during a home invasion, a gang forcibly strip a woman naked and terrorise her before it's implied that they rape her. In another scene, a gang of men rip the clothes off a woman and threaten her with rape.
- Violence
- There are scenes of strong violence including scenes of beatings and murder.
- Additional issues
- The film also includes scenes of strong sex, sexualised nudity, and infrequent use of strong language ('f**k'). There are also several drug references and disturbing scenes.
Audience feedback and response by Kubrick
Following the film’s release, there were reports in the papers suggesting that some attacks and anti-social behaviour occurring were inspired by the film's main character and his charismatic example to break the law.
Although there was no evidence to suggest such behaviour by anyone over the age of 18 was related to the film, in 1973, reportedly concerned about reports of copycat violence and threats made to the safety of himself and his family, Kubrick withdrew the film from circulation in the UK. This was in spite of the fact that the film had been judged by the BBFC to be acceptable for public viewing for adults over the age of 18. At no time did the BBFC reject the film – although this is a common misconception – and it continued to be available throughout much of the rest of the world.
Classification at 18
It was not until after Kubrick's death that his family agreed to permit the release of the film again. It was submitted to the BBFC in 1999 for a modern classification certificate and received an 18, without cuts, to replace its old X certificate. There was a limited response from the public, and the video version submitted for classification in 2000 was also rated 18 uncut.
