A Clockwork Orange allows the audience to venture into the issues with Spectatorship, the idea of Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’ is apparent throughout. Her theory states that ‘Film language is controlled and dominated by men. I agree with this to a degree, I think that this is a view that will have data to back it up but it is a typical feminist view. Mulvey asks questions like ‘What colour dress was the woman wearing’ and then when you cannot reply she points out that it is because you were looking at the woman. The idea of ‘Male Gaze’ is apparent throughout A Clockwork Orange. The scenes when this is extremely visualized are in the graphic rape scenes, such as the ‘singing in the rain’ scene.
Another section of Mulvey’s theory contains the aspect of scopophilia; this is the idea that Men would enjoy watching the rape scenes to gain a sense of undeserved power. The fact that men can sit and watch the film with no repercussions from the actions allows the audience to enjoy the scenes more than usual and remain emotionally unattached from the victims in the situation and view them merely as objects.
‘To be de-humanized, a woman may also be equated with in-animate objects. For example, in the movie A Clockwork Orange we see a “milk bar” where the milk dispensers, tables, chairs, etc. are all statues of women. These women are perfect female specimens, according to modern day standards set in place by patriarchal film directors. They are thin, anatomically correct, nude, and plastic. These female statues are literally bound by servitude. The coffee table is comprised of two women situated in “reverse crab positions”, their arms and legs supporting them, front sides facing the ceiling. They are joined at the legs and the tops of their bodies serve to support beverages, magazines, propped up legs, or whatever else coffee tables are commonly used for. These same statues hang in all corners of the bar, seemingly captured and frozen in time for the viewer-ship of all males who visit this area. The hair of these female statues is long, flowing, and curly. It exists in all colors, including unnatural tones such as pink and purple, one color for every flavor of woman.’ Also later on in the milk bar we see ‘Dim’ gain some of the milk from the Woman’s breast, again backing up the fact that in Stanley Kubricks world of The Clockwork Orange women are there to serve men.
As much as I agree with Mulvey’s theory, I do have to take a contrary view. When it comes to feminism I believe that they are too complicated when it comes to the connotations of some scenes, the only way that Kubrick can present a sexually abusive scene without presenting Alex as a homosexual is to use a woman. The aspect of spectatorship in The Clockwork Orange comes from the shock that occurs from the film.
