How ‘A Clockwork Orange’ became a career-long burden for Malcolm McDowell: “That’s what happens when you work with giants”
Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange is one of the most famous movies to come from the filmmaker, showing a dystopian world of violence, manipulation and authority, based on the Anthony Burgess book of the same name.
It’s a film that garnered critical acclaim, receiving nominations for ‘Best Picture’, ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Screenplay’, along with leaving a distinct mark on cinematic popular culture. It’s also a film that drew stark criticism for its depiction of gang violence and graphic sexual assault and, in some countries, faced censorship, with Kubrick withdrawing the film from circulation in the UK after hearing reports of copycat crimes mimicking the exploits of the characters in the story.
Among the praise A Clockwork Orange received was that of a standout performance from the lead, Malcolm McDowell, and his portrayal of the semi-deranged Alex DeLarge. Roger Ebert described his talent as ‘a bold, cold embodiment of the film’s troubling ideas’. Despite not being nominated for the Academy Award, McDowell’s performance is often cited as one of the greatest Oscar snubs in the awards history, and his on-screen character has become a pop culture icon, with the aesthetics and image being one of the more recognisable references from modern cinema.
McDowell started his career in the late 1960s and reached early acclaim when he was cast by Kubrick after the director saw him as the character of Mick Travis in the satirical 1968 film If…
The renowned filmmaker recognised McDowell’s ability to exude charm and menace in equal measure that would be needed for the role of Alex, a protagonist who at once needed to engage and horrify an audience with their actions. When describing McDowell’s strangely likeable and magnetic performance as Alex, Kubrick would say, “Malcolm was absolutely brilliant, and I don’t think anybody could have played the part better.”
Kubrick would also commend McDowell on his commitment and improvisational skills, in an iconic scene of torture where the character of Alex has his eyes held open, which would cause the actor genuine pain and damage to his corneas, and in another where McDowell began singing ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ during a brutal home invasion, a choice that Kubrick kept in after loving it so much.
McDowell, on the other hand, feels that A Clockwork Orange’s success so early in his career has been more of a burden than an accolade. The actor would describe the Kubrick-directed film as “overbearing”.
The Caligula star would describe how he felt that he felt “Maybe in my forties I didn’t have a good time”, and that he was a “useful rebel in the ‘60s and ‘70s” but that that ‘everything would be measured against A Clockwork Orange’ and that he felt the acclaim he found with his role would mean that “people didn’t know what to do with me.” It’s true that despite consistently working his whole career, McDowell has never received the same recognition as he did for his early work on A Clockwork Orange, “But that’s what happens when you work with giants.”
