Why the vast difference from 1951 films to 1971 films

To figure out how Gene Kelly's performance of "Singing in the Rain", transformed so drastically over a twenty year period on the clips we saw of A Clockwork Orange, I really tried to find out what had changed in the movie industry between 1951 and 1971.





In 1951 the Motion Pictures Production Code PROHIBITED films concerning abortion or drugs. Just from that fact it is clear why there were never films with Clockwork Orange's content made back then. But then in 1953,at the height of the Red Scare, movies about murders and kidnappers began come about. Still, there was no cursing, drugs or abortion but we can already see a shift in the content of films. Later on in '53, the film From Here to Eternity tested these restrictions by including corruption, violence, prostitution...but the film was deemed unsuitable for audiences.





By the mid 50s, around 1955, Frank Sinatra starred in a successful film The Man With the Golden Arm, which was a controversial film for its time. Fortunetly, the success of it helped the Motions Picture Association of American loosen its rules and allowed prostitution, adbortion and light curse words, to be used in films.





A little over a decade later, 1967, Bonnie & Clyde, had the slogan, "They're young. They're in love. They kill people." This movie glorified beautiful people and the act of killing. Also in the same year, The Trip, came out which showed for the first time on film, the use of taking LSD and narcotics.





So by the time A Clockwork Orange was filmed, a lot had changed since 1951. Kubrick's movie still brought a lot of controversy, due to its extreme violence. But because of the progression and freedom films were begining to allow, it is now easier to understand why A Clockwork Orange's rendition of Singing in the Rain was so drastically different.

dates and facts came from http://www.filmsite.org/milestones1970s.html