Great Scene: A Clockwork Orange, Part 1

Some great scenes stick with us, seared into our memories, despite — or because of — the fact that they prove difficult to watch. Such is the case of this assault scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 masterpiece A Clockwork Orange. From the moment Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang park outside the comfortable, inviting house of writer Mr. Alexander (Patrick McGee) and his wife — the sign in front of the house simply says “HOME” — our thoughts jump into the near future as we know the upcoming turn of events will come to no good. So when Mr. Alexander tells his wife, “Well, I suppose you’d better let him in” and the violence immediately begins, we are in a position of already anticipating the dark prospects of what would happen. That being the case, it is incumbent upon Kubrick to deliver a scene that lives up to the viewer’s projected fears — and clearly this scene does with Alex punching, kicking, and tying up the helpless couple while dancing to his happy version of “Singin’ in the Rain.”

EXT. "HOME" - NIGHT
A cottage on its own, on outskirts of a village.
Bright moonlight. Cheery light inside.
Car pulls to stop.
Alex shushes his giggling boys and gets out of the car.

INT. "HOME" - NIGHT
Mr. Alexander typing. Bell rings.

MR. ALEXANDER
Who on earth could that be?

MRS. ALEXANDER
I'll see.
Mrs. Alexander, a good-looking red head in a red jumper suit.

MRS. ALEXANDER
Yes? Who is it?

ALEX
Excuse me, Mrs... will you please help, there's been a terrible
accident.
She opens the door on the chain and peeps out.

ALEX
My friend's lying in the middle of the road bleeding to death. Could I
please use your telephone for an ambulance?

MRS. ALEXANDER
I'm sorry, but we don't have a telephone. You'll have to go somewhere
else.

ALEX
But Mrs... it's a matter of life and death.
From inside the sound of clack clacky clack clack clackity clackclack
of Alexander typing stops.

MR. ALEXANDER
Who is it, dear?

MRS. ALEXANDER
There's a young man here. He says there's been an accident. He wants to
use the telephone.

MR. ALEXANDER
Then you'd better let him in.

MRS. ALEXANDER
Wait a minute.

ALEX
Thank you, Mrs.
Mrs. Alexander opens door, saying...

MRS. ALEXANDER
I'm sorry, we don't usually let people in the middle of the night.
Alex and boys have put on their masks and rush into house, carrying and
dragging Mrs. Alexander along with them.

INT. HOME - NIGHT
They go roaring in.
Mr. Alexander is kicked in the face and goes down. Georgie leaps on
him. Pete jumps up and down and the settee. Dim grabs hold of Mrs.
Alexander. Alex whistles piercingly.

ALEX
Right, Pete. Check the rest of the house.
Alex turns to Dim who holds the struggling Mrs. Alexander.

ALEX
Dim...
Dim sets her down but holds her firmly. Alex starts to sing - "Singin'
in the Rain", accompanying it with a kind of tap dance.

ALEX
(singing)
I'm singing in the rain...
He kicks Mr. Alexander accenting the lyrics.

ALEX
(singing)
Just singing in the rain...
He clubs Mr. Alexander with stick, in the time to the music.

ALEX
(singing)
What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again.
He pushes a rubber ball into Mrs. Alexander's mouth and binds it with
sellotape.

ALEX
(singing)
I'm laughing at clouds so dark up above.
The sun's in my heart and I'm ready for love.
Let the stormy clouds chase...
He kicks Mr. Alexander again.

ALEX
(singing)
... everyone from the place.
Come on with the rain...
He puts ball in Mr. Alexander's mouth and sellotapes it.

ALEX
(singing)
... I've a smile on my face.
I'll walk down the lane... to a happy refrain.
I'm singing... just singin' in the rain.

He knocks down the book cases and moves to Mrs. Alexander being held by
Dim. Starts to repeat on song as he cuts slowly up each leg of her cat
suit, until she is naked. This coincidences with the song finishing.
He turns to Mr. Alexander.

ALEX
Viddy well, my little Brother. Viddy well.

This is a critical scene to the plot, not only to establish the levels of violent and depraved behavior of Alex and his cohorts, but also as a set-up to a later scene that both pays off this scene and changes the direction of the narrative, plunging Alex toward the movie’s famous ending. We will look at that second scene next Friday.