Stanley Kubrick was so stunned by McDowell's debut in the film If that he reportedly was unwilling to begin his film adaptation of Anthony Burgess' darkly ironic and savagely brutal futuristic satire until he could be assured of McDowell's participation. A proto-punk sadist with a passion for Beethoven, Alex (McDowell) leads his gang of 'droogs' through the city on nightly sprees of ultra-violent mischief. Finally captured by the police, Alex undergoes rehabilitation in the form of aversion therapy as brutal and horrifying as any of his offenses. 

Casting a coldly pessimistic view on the then-future of the late '70s-early '80s, Kubrick and production designer John Barry created a world of high-tech cultural decay. The film's highly stylized sets, choreographed brutality and Moog synthesizer score—conceived to heighten the effect of each scene—were so ahead of their time that, to many, they obscured the overall message. In fact, so much controversy over the violent scenes ensued that the film's notoriety became, itself, the stuff of legend.

D: Stanley Kubrick, UK, 1971, 2h16m

This film contains sequences of extreme violence, particularly sexual violence. We encourage those in the audience to practice self care while watching this film, and invite you to take breaks as needed.

Post-film discussion follows with actor Malcolm McDowell and artist Mike Kaplan, who designed the film's iconic poster.

Co-sponsored with the Department of Film & Media Studies