A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

When financing for Napoleon fell through, Kubrick settled on A Clockwork Orange as a project he could film quickly on a small budget. His adaptation of Anthony Burgess's novel explores violence, free will, and experimental rehabilitation. LoBrutto describes it as "a sociopolitical statement about the government's threat against personal freedom."

Because of its depiction of teenage violence, the film became one of the most controversial of the decade. Kubrick personally pulled it from release in the United Kingdom after receiving death threats following reports of copycat crimes — it was legally unavailable in the UK until after Kubrick's death and was not re-released until 2000.

Kubrick argued that "violent crime is invariably committed by people with a long record of anti-social behavior," and defended the violence as necessary so the viewer could reach a "meaningful conclusion about relative rights and wrongs."

The film was originally rated X in the US. Malcolm McDowell's performance as Alex DeLarge — charming, monstrous, and strangely sympathetic — remains one of cinema's most indelible turns. The film received four Academy Award nominations.