Clockwork Orange, A

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Nightmarish, highly stylized and plain bizarre, this remains one of the most controversial motion pictures of all time. Kubrick adapts Anthony Burgess' original novel with more visual flair than we're used to even from him, painting a ghoulish, depraved world in the not so distant future (at least, in 1971) where youth violence has run rampant. Malcolm McDowell, not one to turn down a shocking movie (like Caligula at the end of the decade), stars as the completely messed up sociopath gang leader Alex DeLarge whose various hobbies include hanging out at the local bar and taking illicit substances, classical music, raping women and just beating people for the fun of it. One night, he goes a little too far, which ends up in a trip to jail, where he volunteers for a scientific project designed to make offenders reject violence. After undergoing the experiments he is released and finds himself back on the streets, having to cope with the aftereffects of his actions when running into his old acquaintances, with not so nice results for his health, physically and mentally. The grotesque and haunting visual imagery aside, the film deals with the philosophical matter of freedom of will, as Alex is robbed of his in society's effort to keep kids like him in line, with dire consequences for the now peaceful subjects: are they really 'them' afterwards, being robbed of their choice to be violent or not? Of course most audiences ignored its thematic value and focused too much on Kubrick's portrayal of ruthless violence, which – despite his outrageous displays of 'Verfremdung' to make it easier on the soul – are still quite disturbing, ultimately leading to this film receiving X ratings around the globe and being withdrawn from UK circulation at Kubrick's insistence because it was said to inspire several violent incidents involving youths. It wasn't until Kubrick's death the film was finally allowed to be shown in British movie theaters.

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

UK/USA: Warner Bros., 1971

Caligula

Rating: ***/*****, or 6/10

One of the most bizarre entries in the recorded history of cinema, this kinky movie is clearly a product of the seventies with its 'laissez-faire' attitude towards movie contents. The story behind this production is at least as intriguing and sleazy as the final product itself. A grandiose mixture of historical epicness and pornography, this movie went through many tumultuous phases, both during and particularly after production. At its core it tells the story of Caligula (Malcolm McDowell), a young man who rose to be Emperor of ancient Rome at the death of his vile old uncle Tiberius (Peter O'Toole surrounded by naked people), but ruled for only four years because of his disgusting appetites. The movie shows, among other things, Caligula hosting several orgies, engaging in incest with his sister Drusilla (Teresa Ann Savoy) and having hundreds of people viciously executed for next to no reason. McDowell does an excellent job of portraying the spoiled but traumatized young emperor, but he's outstaged at every turn by the abundance of explicit sex scenes, including fellatio, cunnilingus, lesbian sex, group sex, people urinating on each other, attempted intercourse with fish and various other animals, naked mutants and about everything else the Penthouse producers could think of: it'll come as no surprise original screen writer Gore Vidal had his name removed from the credits when he noticed what had been done to his serious screen play. From a camp perspective, this is actually all rather fun, but if you're looking for historical accuracy, or subtlety, you'll find little here. The movie is still banned in several countries, while there has been almost a dozen cuts in circulation over the years, and none of the make for a really good film, but all of them are fascinating to behold nonetheless.

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole

Directed by Tinto Brass, Bob Guccione

Italy/USA: Penthouse Film International, 1979