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the writer, this low camera angle makes this woman seem powerful. She moves methodically toward Alex and a close-up reveals a look that does not evoke a feeling of victim but a feeling of victor. The Clockwork Orange theme that accompanies this shot is a very powerful piece of music that contributes to this feeling of power. What I think is most telling however, is that the woman bows after she is excused, clearly indicating that she enjoyed what she just did. This is a very different depiction of female sexuality that Kubrick reveals to us. What is important to note is that there is no violence here. But what is equally important to note, is that even without the violence having a woman as a spectacle (whether she enjoys it or not) is somehow dehumanizing. How Kubrick alerts us to this fact is through her similarities with the mannequins making her appearance echo that of an un-human figure reminds us that this is a dehumanizing act.

The closing scene, Alex's dream, is to me, the oddest of all the shots with women in the film. We are led to believe that this is Alex's dream of being applauded for a violent sexual act but I'm not entirely sure I buy that because of one important aspect. The woman in the last shot is on top of Alex and is clearly smiling. It only looks like a struggle in the arms. So, I question the actual violence of the last scene; but is it dehumanizing? Absolutely. The woman is clearly still a spectacle, not just for Alex, but for the others in his dream who are watching this sex act. Like the woman on the stage, I think she is in a simultaneous power/powerless position. Even if she is on top, she is clearly just a desired spectacle. This is obviously dehumanizing.

The dehumanization of women in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is necessary to maintain this idea of spectacle. What is disturbing, however, is that violence is not necessary to dehumanize women as evident by the women in the latter part of the film. It is clear that spectacle and violence are directly linked but by the end of the film I think Kubrick tries to show us that you can get rid of the violence but the spectacle will always be there. When it comes to the idea of women and spectacle, sex always seems to creep its way in there and that leads to both violence and dehumanization. But it is the dehumanization that ultimately keeps the violence and the spectacle linked. A Clockwork Orange examines the identity of women in a revolutionary way as it exposes that women must constantly fight dehumanization because of the ever looming threat of spectacle and violence that is present every day.

Works Cited

A Clockwork Orange. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf. Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates. Warner Bros., 1971.

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