A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray

Warner Bros has released ‘A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition‘, on Blu-ray, plus made the film available as a download on iTunes.

A Clockwork Orange is perhaps one of the most-recognised, and most referenced in popular culture, films of all time. South Park and The Simpsons have name-checked the film, and Heath Ledger said that his performance as The Joker was based on the Alex DeLarge. The all singin’ and dancin’ eyeball removal scene in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Reservoir Dogs‘ was a nod to a more disturbing scene in ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

Despite all of this, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ perhaps is one of the least-seen well-known films of all time. It was essentially banned in Britain for 27 years after its release, indeed director Stanley Kubrick himself withdrew the film from distribution. In the US it has veered between X and R ratings, not exactly placing in an area for a wide audience.

Malcolm McDowell stars as Alex, and in minor roles you’ll see Warren Clark (Dalziel from TV show ‘Dalziel & Pascoe’), David Prowse (the body – but not the voice – of Darth Vader), and Carol Drinkwater (‘All Creatures Great and Small’).

Also on sale now, in a limited release, is a boxed set of other films directed by Stanley Kubrick – Lolita, Barry Lyndon, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. The box set will be $69.95 on DVD, and $89.95 on Blu-ray, and a 40-page booklet is included with the 7-film, 8-disc collection.

A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition – bonus features

Disc 1

• Feature film
• NEW – ‘Malcolm McDowell Looks Back’: Malcolm McDowell reflects on his experience working with legendary director Stanley Kubrick on one of the seminal films of the 1970s
• NEW – ‘Turning like Clockwork’ – considers the film’s ultra-violence and its cultural impact
• Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman
• ‘Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange’
• ‘Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange’
• Theatrical trailer

Disc 2

• ‘Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures’ – produced and directed by Jan Harlan the brother of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick’s widow. Kubrick’s career comes into sharp focus in this documentary narrated by Tom Cruise. Footage glimpses Kubrick in his early years, at work on film sets and at home, augmented by candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family.
• ‘O Lucky Malcolm!’ – documentary about the life and career of actor Malcolm McDowell produced and directed by Jan Harlan.