Clockwork Satisfies Censors

It may have been decried in its time for graphic violence, but A Clockwork Orange lacks the power to shock modern audiences, according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). In an announcement today, the BBFC gave the Kubrick movie an 18 certificate, with no cuts. A Clockwork Orange was given an X certificate when it was first released in 1971, but was taken out of circulation by Stanley Kubrick in 1973, when death threats were made to his family. Since then it has surfaced only in art-house cinemas and in under-the-counter copies. But with the death of Kubrick earlier this year, Warner Bros announced their intention to seek a certificate and re-release the movie. 'Despite the notoriety, the Board does not consider that concerns expressed at the time of the film's original release, about its possible influence on young people, are a serious issue now,' explains the statement. 'The Board is satisfied that the scenes of violence depicted in the film are acceptable under the Board's guidelines.'