Clockwork Orange was directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1972. It tells the story of Alex DeLarge, a violent criminal in a futuristic Britain who undergoes an experimental rehabilitation program that aims to cure him of violence. The film was controversial for its graphic depictions of violence and sex crimes, and was blamed for influencing real violent crimes in Britain. As a result, Stanley Kubrick withdrew it from British cinemas in 1973 at the request of the BBFC film rating board. It was not widely available in the UK again until after Kubrick's death in 1999.

1. Clock work orange
Legal and ethical considerations

2. About the film
• Clock work orange was directed by Stanley Kubrick
• The initial release date was January 13, 1972
• Malcom McDowell as Alex DeLarge

3. The plot
• Protagonist Alex DeLarge is an "ultraviolent" youth in futuristic
Britain. As with all luck, his eventually runs out and he's arrested and
convicted of murder and rape. While in prison, Alex learns of an
experimental program in which convicts are programmed to detest
violence. If he goes through the program, his sentence will be
reduced and he will be back on the streets sooner than expected. But
Alex's ordeals are far from over once he hits the mean streets of
Britain that he had a hand in creating

4. Why was the film banned?
• . The BBFC classified it as an X-rating in 1971. When first released, many people in
Britain were disgusted by the film as the sexual violence was considered to be
extreme. Throughout 1972 and 1973, several violent crimes in Britain were said
to be influenced by the film. These included an old man beaten to death in an
underpass, a sixteen year old boy wearing Alex's uniform beating up a younger
boy and a young woman raped by men chanting 'Singing in the Rain'. With
pressure on director Stanley Kubrick to ban the film, Kubrick withdrew A
Clockwork Orange from British cinemas in 1973. He said that the film would only
be allowed to be seen after his death. During the 1980's and 1990's, the only way
in which British fans could see the film was if they ordered it on VHS from other
countries, usually France. In 1993, the Scala Cinema club in London screened the
film without Kubrick's permission. At Kubrick's insistence, Warner Bros sued the
Scala club causing them to become bankrupt and eventually close. Stanley
Kubrick died in 1999 and the movie was re-classified with an 18-rating by the
BBFC.A Clockwork Orange was eventually re-released in British cinemas in 2000
and released on VHS and DVD in the UK later that year.