A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Background:

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ 1962 nocel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrik. It features disturbing, violent images, facilitating its social commentary on psychiatry, youth gangs, and other social, political, and economic subjects in a dystopian, future Britain.

Alex, the main character, is a charismatic, psychopathic delinquent whose interests include classical music (especially Beethovan), rape, and what is termed "ultra-violence". He leads a small gang of thugs (Pete, Georgie, and Dim), whom he calls his droogs (from the Russian, "friend", "buddy"). The film chronicles the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture, and attempted rehabilitation via controversial psychological conditioning. Alex narrates most of the film in Nadsat, a fractured adolescent slang comprising Slavic (especially Russian), English, and Cockney rhyming slang.

The British authorities considered the sexual violence extreme, furthermore, there occurred legal claims that the movie A Clockwork Orange had inspired true copycat crimes, per press cuttings at the British Film Institute. In March 1972, at trial, the prosecutor accusing the fourteen-year-old-boy defendant of the manslaughter of a classmate, referred to A Clockwork Orange, telling the judge that the case had a macabre relevance to the film.

The press also blamed the film for a rape in which the attackers sang “Singing in the Rain”. Christiane Kubrik, the director's wife, has said that the family received threats and had protesters outside their home. Subsequently, Kubrick asked Warner Brothers to withdraw the film from British distribution, disliking the allegation that the film was responsible for copycat violence in real life. Quoting Kubrick: "To try and fasten any responsibility on art as the cause of life seems to me to put the case the wrong way around. Art consists of reshaping life but it does not create life, nor cause life. Furthermore, to attribute powerful suggestive qualities to a film is at odds with the scientifically accepted view that, even after deep hypnosis, in a posthypnotic state, people cannot be made to do things which are at odds with their natures."

Whatever the reason for the film's withdrawal, for some 27 years, it was difficult to see the film in the United Kingdom. It reappeared in cinemas, and the first VHS and DVD releases followed soon after Kubrick's death in 1999. On 4 July 2001, the uncut A Clockwork Orange had its premiere broadcast on Sky TV's Sky Box Office; the run was until mid-September.

How was the film reported by the press and how did youths relate to the film:

The press echoed society's fear of the film, suggesting that it promoted crime and violence among youths. The film was blamed for a number of murders such as "'Clockwork Orange' gang found guilty of killing bar manager" The portrayal of extreme deviance was something the press focused on as 'A Clockwork Orange' began to be developed into a euphemism for referring to teenage crime and social deviance which is still used today

Despite the moral panic that surrounded the film it was found that youths of the time did not see the film as encouraging violence and antisocial behaviour and they felt it was an accurate portrayal of the way they live, identifying especially with the representation of the gang.

How can Stanley Cohen's ideas be related:

Stanley Cohen's idea of 'Moral Panic' can be very easily related to society's views on A Clockwork Orange. Through the numerous counts of negative media attention the film made a name for itself as promoting violence and antisocial behaviour. The press exploited society's naivety, suggesting that the film was the motivation behind a number of murders - described by Cohen as 'deviance amplification'. This led to Kubrik receiving threats which subsequently led to him banning the film. The press was able to exploit the fact further, using it as evidence that the film really was the cause of the murders. These exploitations made the press 'Moral Entrepreneur' as they started the Moral Panic.