Like Clockwork

Day 246: Of all works of modern fiction, it is the opinion of Your Humble Narrator that Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" is one of the most significant of the era. The film does not serve the book well, trivializing a major premise (the definition of "justice") by simplifying the storyline, and capitalizing on the plebian audience's passion for violence which dictates much of what is shown on network television today. Most people will find the book a difficult read, if perhaps not on the same level as "Finnegan's Wake" but in the same manner; it introduces its own vocabulary, drawn for the most part from Russian. Watching the movie will provide some familiarity with the invented language, and will make the book easier to read. That said, the film is a powerful work despite the fact that the director (Stanley Kubrick) seems to have missed many of the author's major points, as you will discover if you have access to the bonus material, and as a bonus, you'll have visuals to associate.

As for Crow in character as little Alex, just let me say that you're never too starry to peet a chasha of the old moloko plus.