As Alex Delarge’s twisted, grinning face appears on the screen and the haunting opening music begins to play, a feeling of intensity and excitement falls over the theatre. On Wednesday November 7th, The Flying Monkey screened one of the most infamously cult films of all time, A Clockwork Orange.
Over forty years after its initial release, the film still stands as a milestone in film regarding the topic of violence in cinema. It was nominated for Best Picture and numerous other Oscars upon its release, it holds a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is considered by many critics and film fans to be amongst Stanley Kubrick’s finest works. So why then, did hardly anyone show up to see it Wednesday night?
The film was shown as a part of a cult movie night that has been taking place throughout the semester at the Flying Monkey on Wednesday nights. Over the past few months, various films that enjoy a cult following have been screened including Repo Man and The Rocky Horror Picture show. While it has been going on, the event has enjoyed an attendance rate that in the words of organizer Dr. Paul Rogalus has been, “Hit or miss.” Unfortunately, lasts night screening fell into the latter category.
The lukewarm interest emits a certain level of sadness. The event is really making an attempt at giving Plymouth residents a chance to take in films that have survived on the shoulders of die-hard fans long after their initial release. Cult films contain a special level of fascination as they are proven to have made a profound impact on audiences of a certain taste. The hesitation of some film fans may be understandable. As cult films tend to give off the impression that they are too far out in left field to be enjoyed on a casual level, many people assume that it is a film that only certain people of certain tastes will be able to enjoy.
There is some truth to this. After all, the definition of a cult movie is a film that has a foreign quality that has enabled it to garner a dedicated following long after its initial release. The far out nature of the films shown may sound off putting at first, but if one were to stop for a moment and consider that the film has to have an endearing quality to it (be it a unique level of depth or the fact that it’s incredibly stupid) in order for it to have a following. In a way, cult films are sort of a sure shot.
The cult movie night at the Flying Monkey is a rare chance to enjoy films such as A Clockwork Orange (a film that was not shown for over 27 years in England due to its controversial nature) in a cinematic experience. With more interest shown in the event, it will continue to screen films that deserve to be recognized for their staying power. Otherwise, they will have to continue to rely on the already dedicated fans that keep them alive