A Clockwork Orange in DC, end of Feb.

[modsquad]

A heads up to the DC-MD-VA forumites. The legendarily stylish and not-easy-to-see movie A Clockwork Orange is showing at the end of February at the AFI Silver Theater as part of its Stanley Kubrick retrospective. I don't think I've ever seen more than excerpts from this movie and I've certainly never seen it in the theater. AFI will surely have the best print available. I have tickets for the afternoon show of Saturday, February 24. There are only a few showings and this will surely be a popular run, so anyone who wants to see it might want to reserve seats soon.

 

[designprofessor]

" a little bit of the ol' in and out, real savage like.."

 

[RJman]

Up for a little ultrastylence?

 

[imageWIS]

I'm more of a Barry Lyndon fan meself, but ACO is a great film nonetheless (the thought of Eyes Wide Shut sends a shudder down my spine).

Jon.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I think EWS is misunderstood, and yeah, a little lame. But most of the blame IMO goes to Tom and Nicole, who basically hijacked the movie out from underneath a dying Stanley Kubrick.

And, how could you have never seen A Clockwork Orange? Did you just never have a desire to go out and buy/rent it? Amazon.com lists it as available on DVD, VHS, and DOWNLOAD... (which is a new thing) It can't be THAT hard to find.

 

[Get Smart]

I saw a screening of it on a movie screen back in 1990...definitely a different experience from watching it on tv. I don't think any film has ever been as influential to each new generation of punks&skins than ACO.

 

[j]

Now the question is, to watch beforehand so you'll get more out of it, or to wait for the theatre to be overwhelmed?

I vote the latter. There are a lot of movies I wish I could have seen in the theatre first.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I've seen it in a theater and on DVD, and wasn't blown away either time. The storyline isn't really that shocking the way it presumably was in the early 70's. The acting, other than by Malcolm McDowell, isn't particularly memorable either. About the best things I can say are that (1) the dialogue is more comprehensible than in the novel, which is borderline unreadable; and (2) while slower and more boring than I expected it to be, it's not as excruciating as 2001 or the infamous Eyes Wide Shut.

Here is my ranking of the Kubrick films I have seen, on a scale of one to five stars. I haven't seen his early movies.

Barry Lyndon *****
Paths of Glory ****
Lolita ****
Dr. Strangelove ****
Spartacus ****
Full Metal Jacket ***
The Shining **1/2
A Clockwork Orange *1/2
2001: A Space Odyssey *
Eyes Wide Shut (zero stars)

By the way, if anyone thinks I am slamming the novel of ACO too much - I would definitely recommend reading Earthly Powers instead. It features of the greatest opening sentences ever: "It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me."

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

I think EWS is misunderstood, and yeah, a little lame.
A little lame? Can you tell me what is the password to the house?

Jon.

 

[modsquad]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

And, how could you have never seen A Clockwork Orange? Did you just never have a desire to go out and buy/rent it? Amazon.com lists it as available on DVD, VHS, and DOWNLOAD... (which is a new thing) It can't be THAT hard to find.

It never crossed my mind to rent it, partly because Clockwork Orange has a checkered release history and I wasn't sure what I'd get but mostly because I counted on the theatrical experience being worth the wait. And now, because I was patient, I get to see the film (not the video) with virgin eyes on a 40-foot screen, exactly as the spectators saw it when it first came out.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

A little lame? Can you tell me what is the password to the house?

Jon.

Fidelio?

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by modsquad

It never crossed my mind to rent it, partly because Clockwork Orange has a checkered release history and I wasn't sure what I'd get but mostly because I counted on the theatrical experience being worth the wait. And now, because I was patient, I get to see the film (not the video) with virgin eyes on a 40-foot screen, exactly as the spectators saw it when it first came out.

Well enjoy it!

 

[modsquad]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Well enjoy it!

I hope so.

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by Patrick Bateman

I would definitely recommend reading Earthly Powers instead. It features of the greatest opening sentences ever: "It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me."

Recent winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest? Equals this nugget:

"The countdown had stalled at T minus 69 seconds when Desiree, the first female ape to go up in space, winked at me slyly and pouted her thick, rubbery lips unmistakably--the first of many such advances during what would prove to be the longest, and most memorable, space voyage of my career."
--Martha Simpson, Glastonbury, Connecticut (1985 Winner)

lefty

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

I'm more of a Barry Lyndon fan meself, but ACO is a great film nonetheless (the thought of Eyes Wide Shut sends a shudder down my spine).

Jon.

Ditto. I should watch that later...