Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange Screenplay.

KUBRICK, Stanley & Anthony Burgess [Malcolm MacDowell.

Item Number: 136566

New York: Abelard-Schuman, 1972.

Screenplay of Stanley Kubrick’s epic film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ dystopian masterpiece. Quarto, original wrappers. Boldly signed on the front panel, “Malcolm MacDowell Alex.” In fine condition.

The cinematic adaptation of A Clockwork Orange was accidental. Screenplay writer Terry Southern gave Stanley Kubrick a copy of the novel, but, as he was developing a Napoleon Bonaparte–related project, Kubrick put it aside. Soon afterward, however, the Bonaparte project was cancelled and, sometime later, Kubrick happened upon the novel. It had an immediate impact. Of his enthusiasm for it, Kubrick said, "I was excited by everything about it: The plot, the ideas, the characters, and, of course, the language. The story functions, of course, on several levels: Political, sociological, philosophical, and, what's most important, on a dreamlike psychological-symbolic level". Kubrick wrote a screenplay faithful to the novel, saying, "I think whatever Burgess had to say about the story was said in the book, but I did invent a few useful narrative ideas and reshape some of the scenes."