custody

i love this shot. it is, of course, a still frame taken from stanley kubrick's wild masterpiece 'a clock-

work orange.' here we see the 'reformed' alex in unfortunate police custody. this is the start of one of the movie's most genuinely terrifying scenes. i don't want to give away too much of the plot, but i love this part. it illustrates that even the most calcified, steeped psociopath can feel panic and fear (and perhaps, even morality) when it comes to the taking of his last breath. this is one of the rare points in the story when alex is not in Control. its bleak and lonely and hard to watch. but i love it. it seems to suggest there are forces at work above and over our small mean population; laws and fates that bend themselves according to an Eternal Universal Standard. its scary because alex is no dummy; he knows the laws can and must apply to himself. unfortunately for his jailers, however... no Sentence is legitimate without a proper hearing. this is the saving grace that grants his escape.