Original artwork, not a still
This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence.
— A Clockwork Orange • 1971
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line is the film's first beat and its whole bargain: a cheerful narrator makes violence sound like an evening out. The pleasure of the language is the trap, because the audience is charmed before it is horrified. 'Ultra-violence' has since become shorthand for stylised screen brutality.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for A Clockwork OrangeShow the scene
A Clockwork Orange (1971), the opening scene. Alex narrates as he and his three droogs, Pete, Georgie and Dim, sit in the Korova Milk Bar deciding what to do with the evening. The bar sells milk plus, milk laced with drugs, which is what they are drinking. Alex's voiceover says it will sharpen them up for a bit of the old ultra-violence. Stanley Kubrick's film is based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel, and Alex narrates most of it in the invented teenage slang Nadsat.
Sources (2)
- A Clockwork Orange (film), WikipediaLeadReference checked
- A Clockwork Orange (1971) script transcript, Springfield! Springfield!Opening narrationReference checked
Context reviewed