Your Favorite Scene

[Rev. Rye]

Not sure about my favourite scene of all time, but here's my favourite scene from my favourite movie:





After two acts' worth of stylised violence made appealing, in two long shots, we see violence for what it really is: horrifying. Alex (who by this point has been conditioned against violence, even in self-defence) is being drowned in a dirty trough of some kind, and the culprits are two of his former droogs, beating him as he struggles, for reasons that can only be described as petty revenge, with the line "a bit more, he's still kicking" being a particular twist of the knife. Making it worse is that, when the scene was shot, there was meant to be a breathing aparatus hidden inside the trough, and when the time came to film the scene, it failed, though, contrary to popular belief, Malcolm McDowell wasn't close to death when doing this scene. And somehow, Kubrick's decision to let Walter Wendy Carlos provide the sound of their billy clubs as well as the music helps soften the blow just a bit and keeps it watchable.