The_Film_That_Changed_My_Life

72 John Dahl
My only other criticism is that Burgess made a futuristic universe, but
Kubrick had set it squarely in the ’70s with the giant ceramic penis.
Dahl: Even that scene with “William Tell Overture,” where he’s having sex
with the girls from the record shop. That was pretty bold for that time.
There’s a great Kubrick quote: “When you think of the greatest moments
of film, I think you’re almost always involved with images rather than
scenes, and certainly never dialogue.” When you think of A Clockwork
Orange, what does that become in your head?
Dahl: Certainly that scene where he’s been confronted by Georgie Boy, and
they’re walking along the huge slope, and some Beethoven music is coming
out of the window. He slugs one guy, and he cuts his friend’s hand. I guess
that scene was pretty powerful.
What I was struck with watching it this time—and I’ve always liked this
about the film—is that every now and then there’s a close-up where the sky
is very bright behind somebody and there’s a close-up of a person. There’s
just sort of surrealism to the film in a way.
In your career, have you ever run across or met anyone associated with
the film?
Dahl: No. I never have because Kubrick’s world is pretty small. I have met
actors that have worked on other movies with him, and I’m always trying
to collect Kubrick stories. Matthew Modine, who starred in Full Metal
Jacket—I’ve met him. When I was in college at the AFI, the man who did
the score for Barry Lyndon came and spoke. Everybody wanted to hear his
Kubrick stories.
He told the story about a piece of music that they recorded ninety-nine
times. It’s rare when you actually have the orchestra go through the piece
three times. These people are so good. Many times it’s one, maybe two takes.
If it’s three or four takes there’s clearly something missing. So he keeps doing
it over and over again because it’s Stanley Kubrick, and then finally he just
says, “Why am I doing this ninety-nine times? What is wrong? You’ve got
to tell me.” This would have taken probably six hours. It would have been a
huge expense. These are professionals who do this every day. Kubrick was
sitting there with a stopwatch and he wanted it to end at an exact spot on the