2001: A Space Odyssey seems to be a realistic projection of the future from the perspective of 1968, so was A Clockwork Orange also supposed to be meant to be a realistic projection of the future from the perspective of 1971? Like is the world of this film what Kubrick believed society would become in the future given the trends of the time and where society and culture were moving?
shareYes, I think Kubrick saw the decline of religion and it's inherent "morality" in 1970s society and tried to project how that would result when no one feared eternal damnation for "sins".
It is a topic that has been covered many times, most notably by Nietzsche. A second point I think he made was that in this future amoral society, you *had* to be amoral and brutal to survive as the "cured" Alex was just a constant victim. He let some random dude replace him as a son to his parents', his own former droogs nearly killed him (who had become policemen, which raises another social issue regarding law enforcement).
I personally have grown weary of films engaging in such heavy-handed social commentary. I just like this film for it's over-the-top seventies decor in almost every scene.
It's a commentary on the then-contemporary period in the guise of a psychedelic dystopia.
Michel Ciment interviewed Kubrick about this film and he touches on a lot of the social themes there:
http://visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/interview.aco.html
Thank god that future did not come true! Imagine the horror: Rampant youth violence, dictatorial governments, urban blight, welfare rolls burgeoning due to unemployment... We sure dodged a bullet, huh, guys?
shareI don't think "the future came true." I think it's that things haven't changed enough (improved) since 1971.
shareI'm bummed we don't have any Milkbars though!
share