Madam, - Are we becoming a "Clockwork Orange" society? Given the multitude of newspaper headlines regarding crime, some themes explored in the film A Clockwork Orange come to mind.
The 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on a novel by Anthony Burgess depicts a crime-ridden dystopia in which the film's anti-hero Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, along with his gang of "droogs" roam the streets at night, committing crimes for enjoyment.
Although certain aspects of the film, such as the 1970s sets, have not aged well, some of the themes remain relevant. The memorable opening scene depicts Alex and his "droogs" sitting in the Korova milkbar drinking drug-spiked milk to put them in the mood for "a bit of the old ultraviolence". If one construes the drug-spiked milk as a metaphor for alcohol, this scene could easily be used to symbolise the widespread random acts of alcohol-induced violence committed in present-day Ireland.
Other striking scenes include the intoxicated gang committing "ultraviolence" on a helpless tramp, speeding through country roads without a care for other drivers and murdering an innocent woman in her own home. One need only look at the headlines over the past six months to be reminded of similar incidents.
The so-called "Ludovico" treatment given to Alex to cure his anti-social ways still seems extreme even by today's standards. However, that Burgess and Kubrick were warning about the state's encroaching hold over the individual.
The tools used to control law and order today such as ASBOs and CCTV cameras, along with the increasing powers given to police to collect information illustrate the fine balance between protecting the public and eroding civil liberties.
The biggest irony is that the film was banned in Ireland on release and then taken out of circulation for nearly 30 years by Kubrick. It was passed for viewing here only in 1999. But perhaps those in authority could not in any case have brought themselves to contemplate such a dark vision of the future. - Yours, etc,
DENIS J. STAUNTON, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.