Comparison, A clockwork orange

Comparison, A Clockwork Orange.

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 crime-drama-thriller of a 1962 novel of the same name, by Anthony Burgess. The film was produced, written and directed by Stanley Kubrick. Malcolm McDowell is playing the role of Alex DeLarge which is a charismatic and psychopathic criminal. I am going to look at the differences and similarities between this film and novel. I will discuss the differences in age by looking at different characters, music that is being used and about the different endings that are being used.

Differences in age by looking at different characters.
In the book the characters are mainly younger as the characters in the film. I will list two specific examples of these differences.
- The girl that is about to be raped by Billy Boy's gang is ten years old in the book while looking at the film it is a young woman which is about to be raped by Billy Boy’s.
- After meeting two ten-year-old girls named Marty and Sonietta in a record shop, Alex takes home these girls and rapes them. This happens in the Book but in the film, the girls are about 14 years old.
Although these differences don’t change the story or the meaning of the story, they do change the way you look at the story. If you would see a ten-year-old girl which is being raped by a 15 year old young man, which looks like a man of at least 18 years old in my opinion, it is not realistic enough. Unlike a film, a book it is not being visualised for you and so you don’t see it. Than it is shocking to read that this girl is so young.

Music that is being used.
Alex DeLarge is a boy which loves classical music especially Beethoven. The music plays an important role in the book and in the film. However there are some differences between the music that is being used in the book and the music that is being used in the film.
In the film F. Alexander recognizes Alex because he is singing the song “Singing in the Rain” while he was taking a bath, F Alexander recognised Alex because Alex was singing the same song when he raped the wife of F Alexander. But in the book F. Alexander recognizes Alex because of the careless references to the previous attack. The song does not appear at all in the book it was an improvisation of actor Malcolm McDowell because Stanley Kubrick complained that the rape scene was too stiff.
While in the book Alex gets sick of all music after he has been cured, in the film he only gets sick when he hears the Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. During one of the sessions of the Ludovico Technique in the book, Beethoven's Fifth symphony is played, and Alex begs for them to stop. In the film, it is the Ninth symphony which is played during this session. These differences haven’t got any influence on the meaning of the story.

Different endings.
The last chapter, which is chapter 21, of the book was not filmed. In this chapter, Alex meets Pete, the third member of the original gang, who has grown beyond his violent ways and who has married. Alex realises that he wishes to do the same, but his violence was an unavoidable product of his youth. The film is ending with a scene where you see a naked girl that is being raped and Alex saying “ I was cured, all right”.

Overall there are some differences but they have almost no influence on the story. Most of the differences are just some small details. The differences in age are only improving the story and the differences in the music can’t even have any influence because you can’t hear music when you are reading a book. Although both endings are different the almost say the same and that is that Alex wants to change but because of his violent childhood he will never be completely cured.