American Psycho and A Clockwork Orange
I saw a connection between the two films we have watched in class: more recently A Clockwork Orange and American Psycho. I saw them both as an allegory, a “what-if,” when people become disillusioned with society and find some sort of outlet to act upon their estrangement. The similarities between these two films are striking. Both Alex from Clockwork and Patrick Bateman from American Psycho have a taste for something finer than what they already have. I think that they were both searching and searching for something but they just didn’t know what it was. They were both fed up with everyone around them and acted out. Homicide and rape, complete disregard for human life. The films were chilling and put me in a state of unease. It made me fear the future because we already live in a society where many people are quite disillusioned with the government, economy, standards of living, and etc. It’s unsettling what the disorganized mess can do to affect others.
What I find interesting about A Clockwork Orange (and possibly American Psycho, as well) is that the movie and its characters are now fad or trendy. It’s the “cool thing” to like Clockwork and to even look and dress like Alex. In fact, there is one particular rock band that comes to mind and they are very popular. They are called Panic At The Disco and their look earlier in their career quite resembled the gang of Clockwork.
My point is that films like these have such tremendous cultural impact that I fear they will lose their novelty and people may become desensitized to the true meaning behind the films. That screams dystopic to me!
(Now they’re ripping off Beatles and the Sgt. Pepper era, but I won’t get too far into that).
Feel free to combat me on this issue. And I am not ripping on Panic! I actually enjoy their music and their look. I'd dress like them were I a dude. And gay. :D
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