Clockwork Orange - Sleeper (1973) Discussion

[–] 21 years ago

[deleted]

[–] chuckmeister03 20 years ago

Ahhh... I see.

"It's a fine line line between clever and... stupid."

reply

[–] le_pooploser 20 years ago

I tought there was more a reference to 2001, there was a robot that talked and looked like H.A.L.

reply

[–] Jordan_Haelend 20 years ago

You're closer than you think. The same guy who did the voice of H.A.L. 9000 in "2001:" did the voice of the "Evil Computer" during the cloning operation in this film as well.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0706937/

"An Archer is known for his aim, not by his arrows."
-Li Chen-Sung (Richard Loo,) The Outer Limits

reply

[–] supersonic1011 20 years ago

You guys have it all wrong. It wasn't taking anything from any Kubrick films. The only reason it at all resembled a clockwork orange or 2001. It just looks similar because it is a film about the future that was made in the 70's. Most "futuristic" films of the 70's have that same plastic, sterile look. Sleeper is just a light comedy from the brilliant mind of Woody Allen.

reply

[–] italianjazzlaughter 20 years ago

No.

reply

[–] Pangborne 20 years ago

supersonic1011, do you think it was an ACCIDENT that Douglas Rain, the voice of HAL in 2001 happened to be the voice of the EVIL COMPUTER in SLEEPER? What about the way Allen cuts to a shot of a green light every time the computer speaks, in (admittedly half-assed) imitation of the red light Kubrick cuts to in 2001? SLEEPER is certainly light hearted, but Allen was obviously throwing in stuff from recent sci-fi movies. However, I didn't notice anything that was particularly a reference to CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

reply

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] PeterNewton 19 years ago

I've watched a documentary about Kubrick, and Woody Allen talks about the anticipation he felt just before the release of 2001. He was a big Kubrick fan and mentioned how much he liked the film.

reply

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] clockwork_orange2001 19 years ago

I've got that documentary, and Woody Allen actually said he found it to be a bore and a disappointment. I don't remember the exact words, but he later said that at a party or something, they were watching it, and there he thought it was pretty good, and I believe it took him a 3rd watch to actually 'get it' and then realize how powerful 2001 really was. Not sure he was a "big" Kubrick fan.

I think that silent films got a lot more things right than talkies. --Stanley Kubrick

reply

[–] hurricanepictures426 18 years ago

yeah i saw that documentary, it was A LIFE IN FILM (I think) And Allen mentions that it took him around three viewing over a span of a few years before he got 2001. He said when he did it was the first instance he had that a film maker was actually well ahead of him.

I believe the same people also did a Woody Allen documentary(under the same title, a life in film) but i never saw it. I did find a book transcript for it on Amazon. I bet its great however, will need to be revised since Allen's film life is far from over.

Besides the use of Douglas Rain's voice for the computer, i didn't find any other spoofs towards Kubrick in this film.

reply

[–] tyurbrner 18 years ago

You could see it as a spoof of the individual versus society and goverment theme in
ACO with the 'brain reprogramming' of the goverment stooges in Sleeper.

reply

[–] jade-stormcloud 18 years ago

In which case, you might say it's also like 1984, or more probably Brave New World, with all the use of sex and drugs to help keep the masses thinking that everything's grand.

reply

[–] ladreamer2707 18 years ago

The first thing I thought when I saw the reprogramming part was how Clockwork Orange like that sequence seemed to be. I thought it was there. And, the two green "eyes" are certainly a reference to the red "eye" of HAL in 2001.

reply

[–] coog7444 15 years ago

The scene where Woody Allen is a servant and he's walking around and people are eating at a glass table is clearly inspired by the scene in a clockwork orange where Alex is eating pasta awkwardly with the writer in his house and the writer's servant is there, just watching. They also eat on a glass table too.

reply

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]