Clockwork Orange: The Prophecy on SBS Viceland – In 1972, when Stanley Kubrick’s film was released, Clockwork Orange’s author, Anthony Burgess, was accused of glorifying violence. But is this the reality?
Far from being an apology for violence, the novel and the film are a denunciation of the security excesses of the time. In the post-war context, with delinquency on the rise, behaviourist methods were touted to curb violence. Burgess puts the violence of Alex, his hero, side by side with that of the state to better question freedom, and the free will of man.
This documentary sets out to retrace the thread of the scandal with the help of the writings that Burgess left behind, collected in an unpublished manuscript ‘The Clockwork Condition’.
Clockwork Orange: The Prophecy on SBS Viceland and SBS on Demand – Premiere / Wednesday 20 March at 9.30pm
TV Central SBS content HERE
