The screening of "A Clockwork Orange"

Dear Members of CEU community,

Human RightS Initiative is pleased to invite you for the screening of:

"A Clockwork Orange"

by Stanley Kubrick, UK & USA, 1971, 136 min.

 Where & When: In the Auditorium, on Thursday, February 2, 3.30 pm

recommended for human rights and comparative constitutional law students at the Legal Studies Department attending the course by Petra Bárd on "Selected Issues of Criminology and Forensic Sciences"

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 Stanley Kubrick movie adapted from Anthony Burgess's 1962 distopia of the same name. The central character, Alex is the leader of a gang engaged in 'ultra-violence'. After having been captured In detention he agrees to the "Ludovico Technique" which is a revolutionary, yet experimental aversion therapy for reforming criminals. Through conditioning, which involves drugging the convicts, thereby making them physically sick, and brutally forcing them to watch violent movies, criminals learn to avoid violent actions and opt for behaviors which are socially acceptable.

The movie questions the moral permissibility and efficiency of criminal behaviorism asserting that humans can be influenced through rewarding desired and punishing unwanted actions. Neither Burgess nor Kubrick leave the tiniest amount of doubt as to the answers. Efficiency is questioned by the last scene where Alex realizes that he no longer has an aversion to violence despite conditioning, but more importantly the method and the theory behind are the antithesis of human dignity depriving subjects of their free will and the possibility of internalizing morality.

A Clockwork Orange is regarded as a cult film, and at the same time is very controversial, among others due to the depiction of sexually explicit conduct and extreme violence.

All the members of the CEU community are Welcome!