Stanley Kubrick’s controversial film A Clockwork Orange, based on the book by Anthony Burgess, premiered on this day in 1971. This violent dystopian nightmare starred Malcom McDowell as Alex, a psychopathic delinquent who commits murder and rape along with his gang of “droogs”. Much like the original novel, the film was banned in multiple countries and was accused of inciting various violent crimes, which resulted in death threats being sent to the director’s house. Despite this chequered history, it remains one of Kubrick’s most iconic productions, not least because of the compelling visual language, including the monochromatic Korova Milk Bar and the iconic droog costuming of white boiler suits, codpieces and false eyelashes. Envisioning 2001: Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey, runs from 18 January to 19 July at the Museum of the Moving Image, New York.
