Do you enjoy a little Beethoven with your ultraviolence? Stanley Kubrick’s controversial A Clockwork Orange has arrived on Blu-ray Hi-Def (as the TV adds now like to call our BD format). Often imitated, sometimes misunderstood, A Clockwork Orange is a classic no matter your opinion of the film. Personally, this isn’t my favorite Kubrick film (that would have to be 2001), but it’s essential viewing nevertheless. Whether you choose to view it on this Blu-ray might be another?story….

Based on a novel of the same name, and set in a futuristic London (well, futuristic from the 70s), Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his droogs spend their time committing crimes of ultraviolence such as rape, gang beatings, etc. What is shocking about their behaviour is not that they committed these acts, but that they enjoy them, with no sense of moral consequence or responsibility. The film paints a clear picture of teenage rebellion which was a growing concern in the 1960s.

The second act of the film results in Alex’s capture and imprisonment. After getting in the good graces of the prison’s chaplain, Alex is allowed to enter into an experimental treatment which is meant to cleanse him of his evil ways, and in fact completely prevent him from acting out his ultraviolent desires. This begins the “clockwork orange” segment of the film, which is supposedly based on the idea that Alex is a human (thus organic like an orange) yet his actions are no longer his own (like clockwork, or a robot). After the “cure” seemingly results in a kinder-gentler Alex, Alex is set free.

The third act gives Alex the chance to see what has happened since his imprisonment (his friends and family have all but forgotten him), and at this point, his former victims now have the advantage over him. Now that he is incapable of violence, the older generation can now take their vengeance in various ways which include using him as a pawn for political gain.

Part of what makes the film continually compelling, besides the unique imagery and social implications, is the use of Nadsat linguistics. Nadsat is a combination of Cockney English and Russian that was originally used in the novel and gives the film an otherworldly charm. This, with the ultraviolence set to Beethoven, makes this film unforgettable.

Needless to say, I was very interested to check out this Blu-ray release. I am very disappointed to report this Blu-ray release has a few serious issues that keep it from being a “Must Buy” title.

Video

We’ve generally gotten to the point where most Blu-ray titles these days look quite good, and definitely an improvement from standard DVD, however sometimes we still get some surprisingly sub-par transfers. This is often due to the source material, and we still may be getting the best picture that’s really possible for some films. I don’t know if that’s the case or not for A Clockwork Orange, but honestly, the picture sucks.

While the color saturation is decent, with good black levels, that’s about all the good things I?can say about this 1080p/VC-1 transfer. There have even been reports that certain scenes on this Blu-ray are softer and/or out of focus even when compared to the older DVD edition. If this is the case (which I admittedly haven’t compared for myself), this is a completely incompetent transfer.

Whether the case or not, there are still ample artifacts and noise present to give this film’s transfer a poor rating.

Audio

Thankfully, the PCM 5.1 lossless track helps to make up for the poor picture to some extent. The dialog is crystal clear and balanced well with the Beethoven based soundtrack. The track is generally front heavy, but I imagine this is to be expected due to the age of the track.

This is far from demo material, but decent at least. Just don’t expect too much in the way of dynamics, and surely you will be pleased.

Special Features

If there is a good reason to buy this BD despite the poor picture, it may be for all the extras included.

• Commentary with Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman – this commentary is really interesting, and McDowell keeps it enjoyable and entertaining. Fans will truly appreciate this feature.
• Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange – looks at the history and controversy surrounding the film- also quite entertaining
• Great Bolshy Yarblockos! : Making A Clockwork Orange – a standard behind the scenes extra
• Theatrical Trailer
• O Lucky Malcolm!- an interesting McDowell career retrospective

Overall some decent features that fans of McDowell should particularly enjoy.

Final Thoughts

If you don’t mind a few shocks (that still stand up today- the film was originally rated X) and appreciate Kubrick at all, or just enjoy thought provoking films, you simply must see A Clockwork Orange.

Unfortunately, I can’t say that this Blu-ray release is necessarily the best viewing experience. You may be better off just renting it and deciding whether it’s worth a purchase or not.

Let’s start this review off with a little equation…

E!’s Wild On (- the storyline) + a late night adult infomercial (- clothes) = Bikini Destination

This show, and HDNet original program, is quite useless… in a beautiful kind of way. Bikini Destination places some of the most beautiful swimsuit models (often minus the swimsuits) in some of the world’s most beautiful locals. We get some interview type information about the models, but for the most part, this show is all about eye candy.

This Triple Fantasy Blu-ray release features three unrated episodes of Bikini Destination:

Fantasy: Part One: This episode places the girls on beautiful beaches around the world. The girls are, for the most part, very good looking as they frolic on the beach and in the water. The oceanfront location shoots are the most breathtaking of the three episodes.

Fantasy: Part Two: This episode, shot in the desert, has the most beautiful women (by far) of the three episodes, and has also has a very nice desert landscape with beautiful sunsets. A number of the girls pose in army fatigues (if they can be called that) with a military aircraft.

Lights, Camera, Girls: This is the most useless of the three episodes. The girls are placed in a mansion and shot in various rooms/situations. There is no dialog whatsoever, so the episode is quite boring. The local is a little boring, and the girls don’t get to show any of the personality.

Video

Gorgeous women and beautiful destinations shot HD, how could this look anything other than amazing. This disc, presented in a 1080i 1.78:1 transfer, delivers in spades. The colors are rich, the detail is great, and the content just screams perfection. The one problem with a disc with such detail is the fact that every flaw, from skin blemishes to implant scars, is noticeable. That is not to say that some girls were not flawless, but standard definition seems to be a little more forgiving. Considering that this was only a 1080i (vs 1080p) transfer, I was very impressed with most aspects of this discs video presentation. The one noticeable flaw that the interlaced video introduced was spatial artifacts – but this only happened in a couple of scenes.

Audio

Bikini Destination is unfortunately only offered in Dolby Digital & DTS 2.0 audio tracks. This disc is not about the audio (go figure), but a nice involving 5.1 soundtrack would have still been a welcome addition. The dialog is very clear, and the score comes across nicely. These audio tracks are pretty basic, but still good enough considering the content.

Special Features

Not one extra is found on this disc, which is surprising since the packaging lists High Definition Trailers – I guess someone missed that one detail.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know how much replay this disc will have. The content is quite boring (other than the fine visuals) and the audio and extras are lacking. If anything, this disc can be used as an 18+ demo to show off the video quality of Blu-ray.