Clockwork Orange's 'Dancing In The Rain'

An interesting note: http://collider.com/malcolm-mcdowell-a-clockwork-orange-singing-in-the-rain/

Following five days of shooting, changing the furniture, trying every which way to inspire a drought of creativity, the question was asked..."can you dance?" Immediately spawning, an improv singing performance of "dancing in the rain" as a humorous joke, leading to, in the words of Malcom McDowell "perfection".

Sick and twisted perfection indeed, the addition of the song to such a stingingly graphic rape scene adds phenomenal contrast and memorable shock value.

"Singing In The Rain" originally entered the stage in 1952 in a light heartfelt American musical comedy. Although the film received minimal recognition, the song took off and transformed into a timeless piece that has followed every generation as an immediately recognizable tune connotating pleasure and happiness.

McDowell's decision to take such a wholesome song and use it as a tool in an incredibly vile scene only enhanced the audience's uncomfortably, which I believe was his main goal. Although I've never seen the movie in full, everything I have heard and seen depicts a very dark plot line. From the snippets we watched in class I was able to get a better feel for the context of the era and the outlandishness of McDowell for creating something so original and bravely, disturbing. His inclusion of this song in a way was a test of humanity and power of the scene; to take everything the public knew of the song, everything wonderful, beautiful and wholesome and ENTIRELY taint it in it's inclusion of a horrid rape. It's like commanding the brain to fight off two extremely different impulses; one of comfort in recognizing a familiar tune and the other in disagreement and disdain in the horror of hearing this song in a new light, just like classical music is used against one of the characters in his psychological treatment, connecting it to the crimes he committed and the pain that is inflicted upon him, scarring him to the point where he can never enjoy the music, let alone hear it, in the same way again.