from the 5th century BC to the 4th century BC, the founder of the ancient Greek Elea school, Xenofini, "imitated" and expressed this view: people create gods according to their own appearance. If cows, horses, and lions have hands and can paint and statues with hands like humans, they will follow their own appearance. Horses will draw and shape horse-shaped deities, and lions will draw lion-shaped deities. Later Democritus added the social "human" to the imitation object of "nature" and put forward the famous theory of imitation. He said: "In many important things, we are imitating beasts and being pupils of beasts." At the same time, he also put forward the view that "imitating bad people and not even willing to imitate good people is very bad." The movie "A Clockwork Orange" is based on this theory and takes it to the extreme, telling a story about a forced "reconstruction" of the protagonist Alex's external behavior.
Due to its own shortcomings, the theory of imitation is merely imitating from the external form rather than changing the essence. In other words, it is a transformation that suppresses the nature, so it only stays in the phenomenon rather than the essence. Obviously, the film has a strong dystopian temperament, of course, this is the reason why modernist art is accepted by the public.
2. Symphony Display
(1) Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Films have a large number of symphonies, most of which are Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Beethoven’s Symphony has appeared six times, of which the second movement has appeared twice.
The first time was shortly after the beginning, Alex played the tape at home. When the music sounded, there was a curtain with a sketch of Beethoven's head in the camera, and then the camera was zoomed in and the scene was also connected with the small scene-a close-up of the wall, and a simple line drawing of a naked woman with separated legs on the white wall. In the foreground is Alex’s pet snake. Then the camera pans downwards. Four Jesus sculptures with wreaths on their heads, nail marks on their palms, and shapes resembling four little swans are entered into the painting. Switch close-up shots, which are the scars of Jesus' crucifixion and imitating the funny body movements of the little swan. First of all, judging from the arrangement of the bedroom, Alex himself is a person who is very sensitive to modern art. He dared to look at religion with a joke, proving that he is not a person who can be restrained and fettered. Then, as he became fascinated by music, Alex developed hallucinations. He imagined himself as a vampire. Violent scenes such as hanging and explosions and his face constantly switched with the rhythm of the music, highlighting Alex himself. The love of Beethoven’s music and the admiration of violence and blood, this scene completely portrayed the character of Alex, and also the painful look of Alex when he heard the song again after receiving treatment. In sharp contrast. The second movement appeared for the second time when Alex was trapped in the attic by the old writer. After Alex heard the music, he rolled from the bed to the ground and pushed the panorama closer, hit the floor in pain and screamed "Turn it off", took a close-up of the writer's extremely excited expression, and then pulled it to the panorama of the house, the old man holding it. The player was sitting in the middle, and his two friends were standing on either side of him. The heads of the three were upright, as if they were thinking. The magnificent music continued to play, with Alex hitting the ground and miserable. The voice called begging for mercy, the whole picture is very dramatic. It forms a huge contrast with the state of Alex when he heard the second movement. The love turned out to be a kind of torture. This abnormal reaction was actually the result of the treatment. Worth pondering.
The remaining four times are the fourth movement, which contains the part of Ode to Joy. The first time was in the milk bar. A woman sang "Ode to Joy" with Alex's monologue: "I feel like a big bird flying into the milk. I feel my hair is standing." Get up... because I know what it is." This monologue intuitively describes Alex's love and respect for Beethoven, so Alex gave him a vicious one when his friend Dim booed a woman. stick. The second time in the bookstore, Alex invited two girls to his house for a carnival. The third time was when Alex attended Rudovic’s treatment, the doctor forced him to play a film about Nazi concentration camps. The soundtrack was the fourth movement of the Ninth Symphony. That’s why Alex X's beloved music became a gift from the devil. The fourth movement here has actually been adapted. The melody has not changed, but the playing style has changed. This is also the intention of the director in order to create a joking atmosphere. The last time the government minister visited Alex, who had attempted suicide to protect his reputation. From Alex's subjective perspective, Minister's face is close up, the background is pitch black, and Minister dressed in a black suit, it looks like he has merged with the darkness. Such a lens has a strong metaphorical effect. As a leader who was in favor of Rudovic’s technology at the beginning, after being criticized by public opinion, he changed his old attitude to visit Alex and hoped to become friends with him. This kind of politician’s The hypocritical style is fully manifested. When he heard Alex’s affirmative answer, the magnificent music gradually started. At this moment, the panoramic view, the door of the ward was suddenly opened, and a group of reporters rushed in with their cameras. This time is the real unmodified fourth movement. There is also a chorus of human voices in the music, which is like people cheering for the "building of a friendship bridge" between the two, with a strong sense of irony. Then there is a close-up shot of the minister holding Alex in his arms. The music gradually slows down. Alex listens to the music and once again enters his own fantasy-sex with a woman. This time, the sex is extraordinary and it is among the masses. Amidst the gaze and cheers, Alex’s monologue sounded: I was cured, all right! So in the end, after so many setbacks, Alex was actually cured as a normal person. People doubt the absurdity of this "treatment".
(2) Theme song
The movie's theme song also appears four times throughout the film. For the first time at the beginning of the film, a close-up of Alex’s face was drawn to the panoramic view of the four people. Alex was sitting in the middle as the boss, surrounded by sculptures of naked women as a table. The four were dressed in the same way, with milk cups in their hands. Implied the location. The false eyelashes of Alex's right eye are even more exaggerated. The long orchestral music and the rhythmic drums at the beginning create a mysterious atmosphere. As the camera slowly zoomed to the big scene, Alex's monologue sounded. This is the first time the theme song has appeared, and it is a symbol of the protagonist's destiny and status change. The second time when Alex and his partner raped the writer's wife and returned to the milk bar to drink milk, Alex quarreled with Dim because of his beloved music. At this time, the identity of the leader of Alex has begun to be questioned. The composition of the picture clearly places Alex in the right corner of the frame, which is very cramped, and there is more than enough space behind the other three. In the third presentation after Alex was transformed, the blue-haired half-naked woman appeared and the music rang. Then the woman walked towards Alex. The subjective close-up shots always showed the woman's plump breasts, flat abdomen and the woman's face looking down, but the bleak music had already hinted that Alex could not get what he wanted. The fourth time is the complete overturn of Alex's identity. When the two policemen were rescued from the old men who were besieging him, a jog shot, he recognized that the two policemen were actually Joe and Dim. When the camera cut to shoot Dim's facial expression upside down, the drums sounded like Alex's death knell, and the thick and sad music sounded again, like the finale after the defeat. At this time, Dim's usual silly laughter also sounded, forming a kind of time and space. Now Dim's voice and Dim's laughter are mixed together, showing the confusion in Alex's brain and highlighting his fate. resignedly.
(3) Rossini Symphony
Director Kubrick also played the same symphony in three other fighting scenes, namely Rossini's "The Stealing Magpie". At 4 minutes and 30 seconds of the film, a classical mural came into view, and at the same time "The Stealing Magpie" sounded, with the screams of women struggling, creating a sense of suspense. Then I zoomed in on the camera, then rolled it down, and found that it was a theater. Several hip-hop lads were tearing a young woman's clothes. Funny music and dramatic pictures form a strong joking style. The subsequent appearance of Alex and the gang further enhanced this color. The ridiculous music and the combination of the two gangs fighting scenes have no sense of contradiction. This kind of sound and picture opposition precisely reflects the fighting between young people. It looks like a game in the eyes of others. The climax of the music ended when Alex was hitting a close shot. The fight also came to an end, and a group of people fled the theater. The second time was on the shore of Navy Pier. The panorama of the four people walking together, first is Alex’s monologue. When the music reaches its climax, Alex also waved the iron rod in his hand to Joe and Dim beside him. The use of slow motion made this conflict. Every detail is displayed very clearly, and the rhythm of the music forms a strong contrast with the fighting scene. The third time was a chase and fight scene between Alex and the rich catwoman. When Catwoman chased Alex with her collection of crafts, the camera changed from a fixed camera to a sports camera. Sometimes following Catwoman, sometimes following Alex, and sometimes spinning between the two, creating a sense of confusion, but with the combination of "The Stealing Magpie", the atmosphere is not tense, but it becomes very humorous. It is not at all reminiscent of the result of the death of Catwoman. But life is often like this. It is impossible to predict what will happen in the next second. The unpredictability of the world is jokingly expressed by the director. This scene has also become a turning point in Alex's bohemian life. In the sound of comical music, a close-up of a milk bottle and the sound of a broken glass bottle, Alex who fell to the ground became the urn of the police.
3. Other music
In addition, Kubrick's use of music in other scenes is also very intriguing. For example, the first part of the overture to "William Tell" is very sad and appears twice in the film. After Alex was imprisoned for the first time, a panoramic view of the prison was shot from above. In contrast with other surrounding buildings, the prison looked like a giant spider lying in other neat buildings. Alex's monologue about prison life is also extremely miserable under the ensemble of cello and violin. The second time, after Alex came home from prison. In fact, the content of the screen has hinted at the change of Alex's status at home. The mother in the picture is wearing a red skirt, red boots, and yellow-green hair. The father is wearing a light coffee suit and orange shirt, which is in harmony with the background color. The new tenant is also wearing a red sweater, which is the same color as his mother. The clothes of the three people are clearly in harmony with the color of the home. Look at Alex, a dark blue suit, which looks out of place against the red wallpaper. During their conversation, the mother turned off the radio that was playing relaxing and cheerful music, and complained why Alex didn't notify them in advance. The father also looked very embarrassed in the face of Alex. So when Alex realized that he had been abandoned by his parents and sat on the chair with all his thoughts, the overture of "William Tell" sounded at the right time. It implies that Alex's mood at this time is as desperate as when he was just in prison. The fourth part of the overture of "William Tell" is used in a classic sex scene. That is, Alex and the two girls who had been invited in the bookstore. The director speeded up this section and added the overture of "William Tell". The use of this sound and picture opposition makes the whole scene like a game, and also highlights the characteristics of a young man at Alex's age that he wants to do whatever he wants and is unrestrained.
At the same time, the first and fourth overtures of "Prestige Hall" were also used in the movie. The prelude to "Prestige Hall" is called the second national anthem in the UK, and is used in the film when the minister comes to prison to select subjects for experimentation. When the minister strode through the prison and walked into Alex's room, with the majestic music, it was like the minister was performing a solemn ceremony, which was an obvious irony. Likewise, when Alex was selected to participate in the Rudovico experiment, the music rang again. The warden's process of sending Alex to the treatment center seemed to be a "transformation" road. The addition of music gave the whole experiment a solemn and sacred color, but in fact it was still a poison to exterminate humanity.
in addition,
The last song is "Song in the Rain", which appeared twice in the movie, the first time when Alex and his accomplices broke into the writer's house. At this time, there was no music added, just Alex’s dry singing. While singing, he beat the writer and his wife according to the rhythm. This sound musical treatment exposed Alex’s bohemian rogue temperament. Perhaps it was because of the "added milk" that the children got worse, and then raped his wife in front of the writer. This kind of behavior is unbelievable to anyone. Kubrick showed us an extreme bad guy. This song also paved the way for the pain he suffered later. For the second time, Alex came to the writer's house again under the drive of fate. The song "Song in the Rain" humming in the bathroom became the second turning point of his fate. The circular structure gives the whole story a sense of causality.
The film has a strong dystopian temperament and is accompanied by serious or funny symphony. The style of the film is not serious, but the theme it reflects is very worthy of reflection. I once saw a thought experiment: Sally’s ship is one of the few ships that sail regularly in this sea area, which is why she always listens carefully to see if someone sends out a distress signal. So when she heard that an explosion caused 12 people to fall into the sea without a lifeboat, she immediately drove the boat to the point of the accident. But then Sally received the second message that her husband’s fishing boat was sinking and he needed help. The problem is that if Sally saves her husband, she must go to the waters farther away from the 12 drowning people. So how should Sally decide? Most ethicists believe that morality requires equal respect for everyone. But in actual operation, this is often not the case. For example, we will do something that violates morals for selfishness, and of course only we know it. This happens to be human nature. In real life, we are all Alex. The evil hidden in our depths is bound by superficial moral standards. Because there is now a universal "standard", our society is organized. Just imagine, if one day the standard is broken, what will happen to the world?
The symphonies used extensively in the film did not make the film appear abrupt as a whole, but instead created a different effect for the film. From this point of view, the use of music does not always need to follow the rules. In many cases, using it according to a very intuitive feeling will have different effects.
View more about A Clockwork Orange reviews
