Thursday, December 6, 1,973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five Thursday, December 6, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five Kubrick's savage society By JAMES HYNES Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange has gained notoriety mainly because of its graphic scenes of violence and rape. Sev- eral critics have called it sick; a few have even walked out of it. Yet A Clockwork Orange is something more than a spaghetti western or one of Peckinpah's blood-soaked odes to machismo. For all its violence, A Clockwork Orange is a powerfully moral film in Kubrick's own distinctive, forceful style. He presents us with ableak, socialistic England of the near future, a dirty, vulgar society characterized by the row upon row of deteriorating, monolith- ic urban housing and by the gangs of youths that run wild at night. The hero, Alex, is one such youth, a young man who finds that his only creative out- let in such a world lies in vio- lence. Alex's world is one of grotes- quely stylized street fighting and rape, both of which Kubrick de- picts graphically. Yet grotesque as this is, is it any more grotes- que than the proposed remedy? To cure Alex and his violent na- ture, the state subjects him to the Ludovovico Treatment, a Skinnerian behavioral condition- ing technique, after which Alex is made nauseous by even the thought of violence or sex. In A Clockwork Orange, Ku- brick poses us a tough moral question. At the end of the Ludo- Beethoven's Ninth more grotes- que than the sight of Alex un- able to defend himself at all from two brutal policemen? Ku- brick does not seem to say. In presenting such a question in such a style, Kubrick loses depth somewhat. The film has the feel of a political cartoon. Aside from Alex, the people in t h e film are caricatures: The new breed politician who wants to reform criminals rather than pun- ish them and then reverses him- self to save his political life; the cold behavioral scientists who see Alex as nothing m )- than another experimental animal; the twitching, crippled writer who whines to Alex "You're 1 victim of the modern age!"; even the prison chaplain wh a questions the morality of the Ludovico Treatment is a pom- pous fool. As in Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick's humanity is made up of fools and scoundrel;. Yet the film has a quality that overcomes this difficulty. Like all good sociological science fic- tion, its power lies in the fact that, though the film takes place in the future, it is a gii por- trait of where we are or soon will be. In the very near future, we shall have to weigh the hor- rors of the rise in violent crime against the moral dilemmg s if increasingly feasible behavioral conditioning techniques. Do we want the state conditionino crim- inals? If so, who is to be co;- sidered criminal andwho is to do the conditioning? These are the questions A Clockwork Orange raises. In Kubrick's society, the puo- lie decides in Alex's favor. The government is forced to de-condi- tion Alex to save itself. Whether he likes it or not, the viewer finds himself reluctantly g 1 a d when Alex, violent and cocky once more, announces at the end of the film: "I was cured, al- right." At least he is restored to a sort of humanity; at least he is an individual (albeit a danger- ous one), capable of choice. Yet, at the end of the film, one can tell that Kubrick is not satisfied with this result- herein lies the power and morality of A Clockwork Orange. For if Ku- brick asks us a question, he also makes a statement. He is not so upset by the conflict of moral- ity and choice as he is by the fact that one should even have to raise the question. Kubrick finds it abhorrent that a society should even reach the point where it is forced to make a choice between the society's safety and the individual's free- dom; he is shocked that a society should. reach a point where the only way a man can express himself is through violence. In this sense, for ail the cold- ness and emotionlessness of Ku- brick's style, A Clockwork Orange is a profoundly moral film, a savage, bitter indictment of a stifling society in which a young man's only opportunity to be an individual lies in violence. Conte now, can't we be friends? Richard Frank (1) as Posthumous and Marshall Levijoki as Tachimo confront each other in the battle sequence of the U Players opening production of Shakespeare's Cymbeline last night. ~row~fne and Haith are ge be tter and better all the time ~~r--AL-NDA By KURT JOHN HARJU Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt have a lot in common nowadays. Each has just put out a new album. Both are excellent examples of the evolving styles of two very independent and con- temporary musicians. Browne's For Everyman (Asy- lum SD 5067) and Raitt's Takin' My Time (Warner Bros. BS 2729) reveal that they are moving fast- er and through more satisfying changes than any other of today's solo artists with the possible ex- ceptions of Joni Mitchell, Pal Simon and Stevie Wonder whom they favorably resemble in the high quality of their music s ori- ginality and resonant texture. Browne is essentially a com- poser and For Everyman repre- sents his most complex and in- teresting work to date. Tho ar- rangements depart from his us- ual sparse and simple treatment to construct a full framework that is made up of the harmonies of Doug Haywood, David Crosby and (surprise) Ms. Raitt herself, some really soaring pedai steel guitar by Sneaky Pete, the beau- tiful accents of Joni Mitchell's electric piano work, and t h e truly elegant performances throughout by Browne's n e w guitarist David Lindley. T h e resulting sound is a mixture of deep, vibrating tones interwoven with the water-like crystal-clar- ity of the melodies. As the cover and the lyrics: seem to indicate, Browne h a s been doing some reflecting late- ly. In "Our Lady of the Well," he yearns for a place in the sun where the people work the land as they have always done but notes in vain "so far the other way my country's gone." Growing up only restricts h i s freedom, in "I Thought I was a Child," I thought that I was free at last but I'm just one more prisoner of time as does living with a girlfriend in "Ready or Not" or the fleet- ing release of making love in "The Times You've Come." But all he asks in the end is "Don't confront me with my failures - I have not forgotten them. ' He is not alone in this for he real- izes that the private utop-a of his dreams "eventually comes down to waiting for everyman." Though For Everyman is nl a concept album, it is a well- thought-one. Even if it ar- rives at an answer that i3 as much a problem as the questions it raises, it is one that makes us want to "see what the future will bring." And the journey - "Take It Easy" (that is at least twice as good as the Eagles' version), the wonderful "Colours of the Sun," the slowly-ascending "Sing My Songs to Me" and the gems in between - keeps me reaching that confident conclusi an o v e r and over again. Raitt is first and foremost a vocalist and her originality com- es in both the selection and in- terruption of the material she does. In Takin' My Time, she has expanded her blues-basis tc. include some moving ballads by such contemporary songwriters as Randy Newman, Joel Zoss, Eric Kaz and (you guessed it) Jack- son Browne, a couple Motown tunes, and a crazy calypso song "WahShe Go Do." Her voice is way up there (heavenly?) on most of the cuts but she can be as low and mean as the best of them as in Mose Alliso Vs down and out "Everybody s Cryin' Mercy," a straight and true blues. Her other blues number, "Write Me a Few of Your Lines Kokomo Blues" - a meiLey of Fred McDowell's songs that was a favorite at the 1972 Ann Ar- bor Jazz and Blues Festival - features her electric bottleneck guitar that is as moving as hr pleasing vocal. Her versionr of Browne's "I thought I was a Child" is every bit as good with a slight edge for her on the way she sings "surprise.'' 09 the whole, she dishes this wide variety of songs out with a l) more flavor than they xx ere cook- ed up with. Some s'ig~ran'ard spice, sure - but also the right amount of salt. The back-up is consistecnl}v -ich and certain - never suc.:u abin. to vague promises or luish zlop- piness. Bonnie's guitar is one of the reasons as is Freoo s fret- less and faultless bass and Taj Mahal's distinct harmnica. In fact, my only objection to thin. album is that none of the mater- ial is her own which (in view of ''Thank You, " "Give It Up" and "Told You Baby") is strong enough to support an album by itself. In the best number of th 21- bum, "I Feel the Same," s h e sings You won't forget me Or the sound of my name It's true, you won't. And that goes for Browne too. They're go- ing to be around and getting bet- ter for a long time to come. MUSIC-Charles Owen conducts the Percussion Ensemble, Music School at SM Rehearsal Hall at 5; Thomas Hilbish conducts the University Chamber Choir and Philhar- monic at 8 in Hill; RC Singers presents a Christmas Con- cert in N. Cafeteria, East Quad at 8; Edward Louis Smith conducts the Music School's Jazz Band at 8 in Rackham Aud; Bach Club features Renaissance Dance Music, (re- corders, crumhorns, viols, voice) in Greene Lounge, E. Quad at 8. FILM-AA Film Co-op presents Yorkin's Start the Revolu- tion Without Me at 7, 9 in Aud. A; Cinema Guild shows Cavalcanti's Nicholas Nickelby in Arch. Aud. at 7, 9:05; New World Film Co-op features Anderson's If at 7:30, 9:45 in Nat. Sci. Aud. and A Separate Peace in Aud. 4, MLB at 7:30, 9:45; Mediatrics presents Gone With the Wind-thru Dec. 9 in Nat. Sci. Aud. at 8; South Quad Films shows Play It Again Sam in Dining Rm. 2, S. Quad at 8; 9:45. DRAMA-U Players perform Shakespeare's Cymbeline in Trueblood Theatre, Frieze Bldg. at 8; PTP enact Shaw's You Never Can Tell at 8 in Mendelssohn. ARTS vico Treatment, Alex is incap- able of hurting anyone. He is also incapable of any choice in the matter. Is Alex really doing the good when he is forced to do it? Is a man realy a moral being when he has no choice? In effect, what is morality without choice? Alex may now be a good citizen, but he is no longer human. At first glance, Kubrick does not appear to take sides in the issue. Coldly, implacably, lie lays before us mutually exclusive vis- ions of ugliness and forces us to choose: Is the vision of Alex raping a woman in a sort of macabre song and dance routine more grotesque than the vision of Alex retching and groveling at the sight of a beautiful, n u d e woman? Is the sight of Alex daydream- ing of violence to the strains of PRESENTS A SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION R ICHA R D MURDOCK You cAN PAXTON WH ITEHEAD IN NEVR TEL THE A 1 L~ .do 0- ;:iA ..++1 1 iti.i M- Ron- mmmhtk. [S D A f'Uy RC PLAYERS SPONSORS: A Demonstration of a Work in Pro- gress, by a group investigating new directions in theatre. DEC. 7, 8, 9-8 P.M. EAST QUAD AUDITORIUM Donation $1.00 FIFTH FORUM 210 S. FIFTH AVE. ANN ARBOR 761-9700 ELLIOTT KASTNER presents A ROBERT ALTMAN film ELLIOTT GOULD in "THE LONG GOODBYE" )RA NGE Stanley Kubrick's Thur. & Fri. at :n 6:55 & 9:10 WEEK:30 by BERNARD SHAW WITH PATRICIA JAMES SHELIA GAGE VALENTINE HAN EY directed by EDWARD GILBERT . . the effervescent Show Festival Company . " -DETROIT FREE PRESS "An enormously winning, refreshingly civilized delight." -DETROIT NEWS DECEMBER 6-9 8 P.M. (Sat. & Sun. Matinees 3 P.M.) Ticket Information available at PTP Ticket Office 764-0450 Presented in MENDELSSOHN THEATRE I- C I I I HIT R-11 6 16- 9 P.M. OPEN 12 45 SHOWS AT 13,5,7, 9 p m. Z ~ - J CC~-N9~,jO~-.Tf I '(~~Q (~ ~r v 3 HELD OVER BECAUSE 9~ j YOU LOVED IT! I DISNEY meets Beethoven, Bach, Tchoikovski and other musical Giants I' ,