A Clockwork Orange

Just watched it again and liked it much better than when I saw it high school. I remember it being awfully brutal back then, I felt like I had watched an hour and a half of people torturing each other.

I got a lot more out of it this time, particularly Kubrick's use of space and some type of funky camera set up I'll have to ask my DP friends about, where you have this long focus and curvey sides, almost like a mini-fish eye or something.

But what struck me most was the charm of the lead character...a murderous nut, with a certain code and affection for Ludwig Van, as he calls him. I, of course, was inspired by today's events, working at 5am and watching Clockwork and am composing a small script about a jerk-off working at an office job who one day awakes to find his penis has been replaced with a flap of skin. Visually I imagine it being like Marilyn Manson, and undoubtedly has to do with the Druug costumes from the movie. How's that for high concept?

I hung out this weekend with an old TA of mine and he got me thinking about adapting short stories and consequently books, etc for films. I used to be not so into this - I thought of film as telling a story I'd like to tell - the Woody Allen model. But he wisely pointed out that probably many of my favorite films were once books - true. Just recently Fight Club, Election, and The English Patient (alright, that was a joke)...

If I ever made a movie half as good as one of those, I'd consider myself successful. He also put forth the truth that people spend years on books and months on screenplays...you're going to get better characters and stories. Further, you're more critical and objective about others writing than you are about your own. That will help you make a better film.

All good points.

I'm either older, or have seen too much violence, or know too much about the mechanics and process of filmmaking, but the violence didn't bug me, really at all in this film. That's what Kill Bill and Passion of the Christ will do, I guess....lessen the images of yesteryear.