Clockwork Controversy: Myth: Anthony Burgess made millions from the film of A Clockwork Orange. Fact: Anthony Burgess sold the film rights to his novel for $5,000, and later had to sue for a tiny percentage of the profits. It is widely believed that anyone involved in a successful film reaps substantial financial rewards. Stanley Kubrick’s […]

Clockwork Controversy: Myth: Mick Jagger once owned the film rights to A Clockwork Orange. Fact: Mick Jagger never owned the rights. But there were rumours that he and the Rolling Stones would play Alex and the droogs. ‘We, the undersigned, do hereby protest with extreme vehemence as well as shattered illusions (in you) the preference […]

Clockwork Controversy: Myth: Anthony Burgess hated Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film of A Clockwork Orange. Fact: Anthony Burgess thought the film was a masterpiece and that Kubrick was a great filmmaker. But Burgess resented having to defend the film on television and in print as it was not his own work. Anthony Burgess had seen Stanley […]

Clockwork Controversy: Myth: Andy Warhol bought the film rights to A Clockwork Orange from Anthony Burgess. Fact: Andy Warhol did make a version of A Clockwork Orange, which was called Vinyl – but this was a pirate film. It was made on a shoestring budget at the Factory in 1965. A Clockwork Orange received mixed […]

Clockwork Controversy: Myth: Anthony Burgess disliked the American ending of his novel, which omitted his final chapter. Fact: Burgess was unsure about how to end his novel from the beginning. He liked the American ending and authorised its publication. It was only later in life that he preferred the British ending.   Anthony Burgess’s 1961 […]

Clockwork Controversy: Myth: Anthony Burgess wrote A Clockwork Orange in only three weeks. Fact: Burgess composed his novel over a period of more than 18 months, during which time he visited Russia, devised a new slang, and crafted the book very carefully. It is a complex and intricate work, which continues to be read all […]