The similarities between the representations of youth in “A Clockwork Orange” & “Kidulthood”

When watching both “A Clockwork Orange” & “Kidulthood”, their portrayals of youths contrast and compare in different ways.  Both of the openings of the films introduce the concept of ‘gangs’.  The concept in the film “Kidulthood” is more the social status within a school, where the social hierarchy results in different students in different leagues within their school, which is reflected in the way which they treat each other.  In the film ACO, we are firstly introduced to their violent gang, the leader being a boy named Alex.  The differences between both off these members are quite extreme, but this is mainly due to the time period.  For example, Sam in Kidulthood typifies our expectations and the stereotypical ‘chav’ or ‘hoodrat’.  Despite the fact he is on a school premises, without uniform but instead in is in a hoodie, which enables the audience to immediately relate this appearance of the character to violence.  Although we later discover he is in Sixth Form at the school, or initial reaction is dependent on our knowledge and understanding of the primary thoughts of this character.  In comparison, the specific bizarre features which Alex has for example, the false eyelashes on one of his eyes create a distinctive appearance of the leader of the gang.  In order to associate his ‘droogs’, who are all dressed in white suites with his gang, their appearance is vital in the introduction to show the audience who he is associated with. As well as this, there is a language which is invented within the film which is suggestive of the future.  The film insinuates a reflection what the 90’s could be like, being a futuristic response to that particular year in which the film was produced.  Similarly, Kidulthood includes language which can be interpreted by the audience, and understood due to the local dialect, particularly those from London.  The different audiences viewing this would be able to interpret the language and therefore relate to the film more because their understanding of the specific dialect would enable them to engage more personally with the characters.

The introductions to both films both incorporate the use of violence and nudity.  Although nowadays, this is commonly used in films of the 21centruy, particularly in ACO it is clear that this would have been an extreme shock to the audience in the 70’s.  The mass medias label upon youths in society nowadays is completely different to what it would have been then, therefore making the acceptation of this film difficult at the time.   In Kidulthood, Sam’s representation would definitely be seen as more acceptable today due to the constant exposure from media, and negative biased in which the youths are portrayed in.

There are some clear similarities in both films.  By watching both, I understood that there was a definite obliviousness to the parent’s recognition of their child’s social neglect.  In Kidulthood, this was recognised earlier in the introduction of the film.  This allowed the audience to sympathise with different youths of the society in this particular film, and understand that there is an opposing side to managing/not managing  life in a society which fails to accept those classified as ‘individual’ or ‘different’.  We see a school girl, Katie, who is a stereotypical victim of an innocent girl being bullied.  She is not only being abused by other girls at her school, but also by a boy – Sam.  Although I think this challenges the expectations of a stereotypical teenager boy; abusing a girl, I feel that it is believable and I would not question today a boy doing it.  Her physical appearance shows her father that she has been hurt in some way, with a bruise on her face and her being pushed on the floor by Sam as her dad pulls up to pick her up from school.  Her father is still unaware of the fact that she is suffering from a very physical attack from those in her social surroundings.  These contributions later results in her committing suicide by hanging herself in her own bedroom, the mise en scene is deeply effective here, being in her own home gives a realistic view of reality and it is a hard hitting scenario to the audience, specifically those of a similar age who could be suffering from bullying or being bullied.  Her innocence is portrayed through a flower which she has taken the time to draw on the side of her suicide note; this shows the audience her sensitivity and weakness, and much like child behaviour. 

Similarly, in ACO, we see how the parents from the 70’s of Alex seem to be oblivious in a similar way.  Although alex is infact on the opposing view, and is the bully within this society, his parents never fail to let him takes days off of school when he claims that he is ‘ill’.  They do not question his lifestyle, and what he is doing socially in the evenings, there is an apparent trust that the parents seem to have, but suggests a sense of carelessness. His behaviour results in him ending up in prison, which therefore an outcome is produced to show that people suffer from their actions, there are always consequences.  There is a similarity between both parents in the film, and their awareness is lacking.  If action was taken, there could have been a prevention of both outcomes from two completely different situations, but have been rooted from the same circumstance.