History
American film director Stanley Kubrick first discovered Burgess's novel in 1969 and was immediately intrigued. After the mid-1960s, there was a new fascination for "X-rated" films containing "scenes of sex and violence, and depicting gangs and juvenile delinquents," so A Clockwork Orange was right up his alley (The International Anthony Burgess Foundation). This younger generation's preoccupation with socially deviant pursuits arose from the counterculture movement. The countercultural revolution was sparked by anti-Vietnam war protests, as well as controversial socially and racially progressive visions of the early 1960s such as The New Deal and The Great Society, which widened the divide between Conservative America and the fringe youth culture (Lo). These counterculturists were on an idealist search for freedom from the oppressive government they despised, crafting them into the perfect audience for the anti-establishment themes present in A Clockwork Orange.
A Clockwork Orange was released in December 1971 in the U.S., and January 1972 in the UK, grossing over $40 million worldwide as it attained a cult following of these counterculture youth. However, mainstream media criticized the film harshly, claiming it "was responsible for a number of 'copycat' crimes including home invasions, rapes, street beating and murder" (The International Anthony Burgess Foundation). Having caused an insane media frenzy and received death threats, Kubrick instructed Warner Brothers to ban all screenings of the film in the UK. It remained out of circulation until his death in 1999 when it was officially re-released. This inability to reach the movie from 1976 through 1999 only boosted its popularity and cult appeal in the UK as British viewers illegally traded bootleg copies from the Mainland and US.
A Clockwork Orange was released in December 1971 in the U.S., and January 1972 in the UK, grossing over $40 million worldwide as it attained a cult following of these counterculture youth. However, mainstream media criticized the film harshly, claiming it "was responsible for a number of 'copycat' crimes including home invasions, rapes, street beating and murder" (The International Anthony Burgess Foundation). Having caused an insane media frenzy and received death threats, Kubrick instructed Warner Brothers to ban all screenings of the film in the UK. It remained out of circulation until his death in 1999 when it was officially re-released. This inability to reach the movie from 1976 through 1999 only boosted its popularity and cult appeal in the UK as British viewers illegally traded bootleg copies from the Mainland and US.
