1. An Analysis of Clockwork Orange and Its Use of
Mise En Scene
Villain Vs. Protagonist: The Conflict Within One Body
There is nothing like a good villain. They chill, entertain, and frighten viewers simply with their
presence. Though they are cruel in nature, one cannot help but want to see them and to hear of
their evil plots. In Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange (1971), Alex, the protagonist, is in fact the
villain. Given to evil deeds, he is frightening yet fascinating at the same time. And like all good
villains, he is neither a one-dimensional nor a static character. Clockwork Orange follows Alex's
life journey, tracing his transformation from violent wrongdoer, to reformed youth, to renewed
villain. Throughout the film, different parts of Alex's personality are revealed, allowing the
audience to see both sides of him. Kubrick uses elements of make-up and costuming, setting, and
colour to reflect the character Alex's moral ambiguity as well as the changes that he undergoes
during each period of his life.
Alex DeLarge is a young man, perhaps in his late teens, who lives with his mother and father in a
suburban area. By day Alex has a decent reputation, and although he is known to have done some
wrong in the past, he is going to corrective school and is not known to be a substantial
troublemaker. This is not, however, how the viewer first sees him. The first scene of the movie
introduces viewers to a second side of Alex, a cruel and violent rapist who nightly goes on raids to
terrorize and assault the people of his community. The first shot of Alex is a close-up, which
draws immediate attention to the make-up on his face. On the right eye is a set of dark, fake
eyelashes grotesquely framing his steely blue eye. The dramatic effect of the eyelashes splits the
frame in two, giving Alex an immediate two-facedness. From the left side of his face it can be seen
what a young and attractive boy Alex is, but the disturbing appearance of his right eye
overpowers his other features and immediately instils fear into viewers.
As the camera tracks backwards and more of Alex is revealed it is seen that both Alex and his
three accomplices, or droogs as they are called, are wearing pure white outfits, accented by black
hats and black boots. Alex also has two bloody eyeballs attached to the cuffs of his sleeves, a
chilling splash of colour against his otherwise neutral attire. On top of everything Alex wears a
suspender-like apparatus that accentuates his sexual organs. This also is white and makes the
outfit somewhat obscene and awkward to look at. Though the white and black colours of the
outfit make Alex look clean and well kempt, the suspenders and the eyeballs on the sleeves mar

2. the costume's respectability. Later Alex's costume becomes even more chilling when he wears a
mast to conceal his identity when he breaks into someone's house. The mask gives him the look
of a demented clown, which is a clear and disturbing juxtaposition with the graphic rape that
ensues. Rather than something that makes people laugh, the mask becomes something that one
could have nightmares over. Alex's most dramatic costume change within the first half of the film
occurs when he visits a ritzy market, where he finds two young ladies who he later has sex with.
In this scene he wears an extravagant and ostentatious purple coat. Not only is this a great
change from his usual attire, the royal and prestigious look of it contrast greatly with the lustful
motivations he has during this scene.
Setting is also a major indicator of Alex's moral ambiguity. An excellent example is Alex's room.
The colors are bright and childlike, and yet there is a graphic painting on the wall of a woman in a
sexual position. Directly under the painting is a statue of Jesus wearing his thorny crown. Also
hanging in Alex's room is a picture of Beethoven, whose music is Alex's greatest passion. The
room is small, and it is obvious that Alex has had a very modest upbringing. In this room it is
possible for the viewer to identify the real human emotions in Alex, and it is in his room that
people are finally able to form some emotional connections with him. Though his two sides both
show through in his room, there are many more indicators here of Alex's more humane side than
of his evil side. The area around Alex's flat similarly creates a slight connection and even affection
for Alex. The outside of the flat is littered with trash and everything is broken down. Alex walks
past broken chairs and couches and an elevator, and last a mural on the wall, which has been
defaced with paint and graffiti. All of this gives Alex's existence a slightly pitiful edge and allows
viewers more warm feelings toward him. The atmosphere of Alex's flat, however, is completely
different than that of other settings such as the Korova Milk Bar. All of the furniture in the bar is
extremely sexual in nature, with numerous statues of naked women. The atmosphere feels crude
and uncomfortable, which results in viewers being very removed from Alex's character.
Several of the scenes in Clockwork Orange are juxtapositions of themselves. An excellent example
is the scene in the theater. The scene begins with a beautiful pastel painting of flowers, which is
painted on the wall of a grand but abandoned theater. As the camera zooms out the viewer can
see that on the stage of the theater are four men tearing the clothes off of a woman and preparing
to rape her. The scene is also very harshly and brightly lit, with very sharp and defined shadows
hitting the wall behind the four men and the woman. The bright lighting is surprising in such a
graphic scene, because it allows every detail to be shown and seeks to hide nothing from the
viewer. This horrific juxtaposition between a beautiful theater and the terrible event that is
occurring within it shows Alex's moral ambiguity quite potently. Every aspect of the setting

3. suggests the feeling that Alex has when he commits acts of violence and lust. Because he sees
beauty in such events, the visual design of the film makes the audience see beauty, though
audiences may find it disturbing and grotesque. Another scene in which juxtaposition is used is
within another rape scene of the movie, when Alex and his droogs break into the house of a
husband and wife living called "home". The outside of the house is extremely tranquil-it is a clear
night, and there is a calm pond that Alex and his accomplices cross over to get to the house. High
key lighting is used inside the house, and it has a very warm and clean feeling to it. Even as Alex
cuts the clothes off of the woman he is about to rape, the setting is fully lit and all action is clearly
visible.
Within both of the scenes described above there was a prevalent use of the color red. In the
theater scene, the curtains over the stage are red. Many of the props lying on the stage are red,
and so are the chairs directly in front of the stage. In the "home" rape scene the husband is typing
at a red typewriter right before Alex and his droogs break in. Also, the woman who is raped is
wearing a red outfit. In fact, the color red is used in abundance in many of the scenes in the first
half of the movie. There are two reasons for this. One is because it is the color of blood, therefore
the color of violence. But also, it is the color of passion. The audience usually sees the color red
when Alex is happy and passionate about what he is doing, often during the scenes in which he is
committing acts of violence. Alex's car is red, seen when he is driving a great speeds and running
other cars off of the road. Alex's red blood is splattered against the pure white walls of the
questioning room after a policeman punches him for being vulgar.
After accidentally killing one of his would-be rape victims, Alex is arrested and sentenced to
fourteen years in prison. When he arrives there on the first day he is asked to take all of his
possessions out of his pockets and give them up to the guard. Three of these things- a pen, an
address book, and a bar of chocolate, are red in color. Inside the prison and also the treatment
center there is a very reduced usage of red, the primary colors becoming blue and white. In
prison Alex seems to be reforming, for he takes to reading the bible-the audience later finds out,
however, that Alex enjoys the bible only for its stories of violence and adultery, another ironic fact
that shows his moral ambiguity. By the end of Alex's treatment, however, there is little conflict
being shown. It is apparent that he has been brainwashed. In the scene in which Alex is tested to
make sure he repels sex and violence he stands against a background of dark blue curtains. The
spotlight that shines on him also has a blue tint, so that he is bathed in blue, helpless and no
longer truly himself.

4. When Alex is released from prison he returns home to his mother and father only to find that
there is another man living in the house, renting his room. Thrown suddenly into depression over
what he has gone through, Alex begins to cry, the first real and blatant human emotion that he
has shown. It is also the first time in the movie that Alex show's weakness and the shot is slightly
out of focus, making him look soft and vulnerable. In the very next scene Alex is seen walking
across a bridge, the color of the water dull in the background. The lighting is also very dreary.
Both the soft colors and the moody lighting are great changes from any of the visual design at the
beginning of the film. This new style of visual design relates Alex's sadness to the audience and
finally, viewers relent some feelings sympathy for him. Though it is known that he is a very
violent as well as lustful person, the dreary visuals force the audience to feel some of Alex's pain.
Later, when it is night, there is a terrible rainstorm, the first time in the film when there is bad or
violent weather. The overall visual design works to make viewers begin to see Alex's treatment as
a bad thing, and one may even find themselves missing the old Alex. At this point it is obvious
that Alex was never pure evil, nor would he ever be pure good. To be himself, he would have to be
a bit of both.
In this section of the film the color orange is used often, in the costumes of the two men now
living at "home" and also in the room where Alex is locked when he is force to listen to
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The color orange can be seen as a sick, or paled version of red.
Though Alex is trying to return to his normal life, he is finding it impossible because so many
forces are working against him.
In the end, though, there is a return to the visual design style at the beginning of the film after
Alex unsuccessfully attempts suicide. Realizing what the treatment has done to him, doctors
return Alex to his original state of mind. Lighting once again is bright and the colors at last return
from the dreary blues to become more vivid and contrasting. In the final shot there is a return to
black and white when Alex has a fantasy of having sex in the snow with a woman wearing black
gloves and leggings. When Alex delivers his last line, "I was cured all right," the viewer is unable
to decide whether to be happy about his recovery or not.
Alex's journey from violent rapist, to jailed murderer, to helpless victim, and then back to his
lustful and violent self is one that the viewer can rarely watch and take only one stand on- for or
against him. Each period of Alex's life reveals a different element of his personality, thus slowly
revealing his moral ambiguity. There is no doubt that Alex is a villain, but he is also proven to be
a man with true feelings and the desire to belong.
Published by Cassandra Chowdhury