History YMMV / AClockworkOrange

* CantUnHearIt: Creator/StanleyKubrick said that this was the reason why he cast Creator/MalcolmMcDowell as Alex; Kubrick had just come off of watching [=McDowell=]'s performance in the film ''Film/{{If}}'' before he read the Creator/AnthonyBurgess novel, and as a consequence, could not get [=McDowell=]'s face and voice out of his mind when reading the narration of Alex.

* {{Fanon}}: Due to the extensive use of FutureSlang, it's never made entirely clear what "vellocet", "synthemesc", and "drencrom" actually are--but fans have near-universally agreed that they're amphetamines, synthetic mescaline, and adrenochrome, respectively.

** The Korova milkbar bouncer standing next to Alex’s droogs in the opening scene is Creator/PatRoach, better known for his various roles in the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' films.

* FridgeBrilliance: When Georgie and Dim (as policemen) are dragging Alex between them, their numbers are 665 and 667. This puts Alex in the middle: [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]].

* DelusionConclusion: The 3rd act has Alex kill himself by jumping out of a window after his Ludovico Technique induced brainwashing causes him to suffer unbearable pain (due to listening to Otto Skadelig's music). The chapter after this has him in a hospital where his parents allow him to live with them again and the lodger is conveniently arrested due to an incident. Then the old men who wanted to use him for political gain end up succeeding in crushing the government's chance at re-election. Then the Minister of the Interior shows up revealed that the government had put them in prison. Alex also reverts back to his old ways which in the film is the ending but in the book is the second to last chapter. In the final chapter, Alex has a government job, leads a new gang but gets bored of violence and is inspired to find a girlfriend and settle down after meeting an old friend and his wife. If all of that sounded overly implausible to you, then it's far easier to believe that Alex died in his suicide attempt and that the final two chapters are his DyingDream where he's free from his brainwashing, gets everything he wants and eventually gets a chance to led a happy life despite doing nothing to deserve a happy ending.

** Were F. Alexander's fellow anti-Ludovico activists also in on the plan to drive Alex insane and/or suicidal? Alex certainly thinks so in his internal monologue, since he's just as if not even ''more'' useful as a dead martyr (and indeed they earlier complained that he didn't look roughed-up ''enough'' to rally the movement around). On the other hand, they seem perfectly willing to forgive Alex for his assault on the Alexanders years ago.

** The Minister of the Interior arguably crosses this by signing off on the Ludovico Technique in the first place. While he ''could'' be seen as well-intentioned here, he's clearly doing it for self-serving reasons, and it's pointed out that the treatment may very well be turned on anyone who resists the government. He's only concerned about crime in the first place because of overcrowding in prisons, seeing as he plans to imprison political dissidents. He's certainly crossed it by the end, when he covers up the whole incident with Alex's cooperation, essentially making a DealWithTheDevil to protect himself.

** The iconic film score by Music/WendyCarlos (performed with Moog synthesizers), particularly her rendition of Purcell's "Music For the Funeral For Queen Mary", which can be considered the unofficial theme music for the movie. And that's not to mention Music/GioachinoRossini, Music/EdwardElgar and, above all, our old friend [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Ludwig van]]. The film's score, as well as its future-shock aesthetic, was a major influence on the PostPunk movement.

* FountainOfMemes: [[IconicOutfit Alex and his droogs' attire in the first act of the film]], the various scenes (the intro, the TeamPowerWalk at the marina and the Ludivico Treatment) parodied and paid homage to in other works, the movie poster, and just about everything that comes out of Alex's mouth.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: When the book was originally brought over to American shores, the last "HappyEnding" chapter was left out, since the publishers didn't think Americans would like it. When Kubrick began writing his screenplay, he was unaware of that chapter's existence; he read it only when he was nearly finished, and he decided to leave it out because he thought it would ruin the film's message. (The chapter was added back into the American version in 1986.)

* FountainOfMemes: [[IconicOutfit Alex and his droogs' attire in the first act of the film]], the various scenes (the intro, the PowerWalk at the marina and the Ludivico Treatment) parodied and paid homage to in other works, the movie poster, and just about everything that comes out of Alex's mouth.

* FashionVictimVillain: Admit it, Alex and his droogs' choice of clothing is rather silly, well... at least in the movie, anyway. In the book, however, their style of clothes is much more stylish and menacing.

* SlidingScaleOfSocialSatisfaction: Categorized as "Peak of Crime". The government founds itself unable to curb the rampant street crime in England. Young people are particularly prone to violence and unhinged, with the protagonist being the boss of a gang, the "Droogs", who terrorize the suburbs.

* HarsherInHindsight: There have been a number of times since the film came out when it became a fad for gangs of youths to record themselves accosting and beating up strangers. Notable instances include "Happy Slapping" in the mid-aughts and "The Knock-Out Game" in the mid 2010s. Whatever the name, it's something straight out of Alex's alley.

** With all the sympathy Alex gets from the media, in contrast to his victims who don't get nearly as much coverage (if at all), ''A Clockwork Orange'' could be taken as a parable against [[SympathyForTheVillain sympathizing with the victimizer]] at the expense of their victims.

* SignatureScene: Either the opening [[TheOner oner]], the Ludovico technique scene, or the "Singin' in the Rain" rape scene.