Wait…”A Clockwork Orange” had a happy ending??

[Thomas Veil]

You Brits may be familiar with this, but I suppose this will come as news to many of us Yanks.

A Clockwork Orange: The Original Ending Controversy Explained

The final chapter changes everything.

screenrant.com

The novel ends with Alex pondering Pete's apparent happiness, telling the reader that he has grown up and intends to start seeking a wife of his own the next day.

For those of us who are fans of the book and movie, that is just mind-blowing. Heck, “Clockwork” was one of the first movies I ever saw that didn’t have a typical Hollywood happy ending. I remember it was a little hard to wrap my mind around, but the ending “as is” forces you to really think. It doesn’t sound like this ending would’ve been nearly as good.

 

[MEJHarrison]

Interesting. I had no idea! I might have to check that out again some day. It's been a while since I've seen it. I just need to get my timing right. I love critiquing a good movie. Most of the people I come across however, even in the house I live in, like critiquing my taste in "good movies". Guess I'm some sort of weirdo because I don't mind black and white, foreign, artsy, etc.

Makes me think of Brazil and the Love Conquers All version of the movie. That edit completely changed the original movie. Not a few tweaks here and there. The whole thing was vastly different. They turned Brazil into a happy love story as I recall. Another one I'll have to add to the pile to rewatch.

 

[Alli]

I had no idea there were two versions of the book, which I originally read for a psych class in undergrad. How wonderfully naive of Burgess to believe that Alex had to change after everything he’d gone through. Reminds me of my uncle who has decided (in a similarly optimistic but naive way) that if you simply explain to people why they should get vaccinated, they will go out and get vaccinated and we’ll hit 100% in no time.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I had no idea there were two versions of the book, which I originally read for a psych class in undergrad. How wonderfully naive of Burgess to believe that Alex had to change after everything he’d gone through. Reminds me of my uncle who has decided (in a similarly optimistic but naive way) that if you simply explain to people why they should get vaccinated, they will go out and get vaccinated and we’ll hit 100% in no time.

Neither had I.

I remember reading it as an undergrad, and I also recall that a good friend (the same friend - still a good friend decades later - who arranged for me to be able to piggyback on his account so that I could watch Hamilton last Christmas) had given it to me as a birthday present.