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Dichiarazioni di Malcom McDowell al Lucca Film Festival 2025 - Tra Arancia Meccanica e If...
Sep 25, 2025
Malcolm McDowell, prima di diventare il protagonista del cult Arancia Meccanica aveva già recitato in film quali Se... per la regia di Lindsay Anderson (1968) e Caccia sadica, diretto da Joseph Losey nel 1970, ha lavorato, nella sua lunga carriera anche per registi del calibro di Blake Edwards, Robert Altman, Hugh Hudson, Rob Zombie, Michel Hazanavicius e Jay Roach, recitando anche in film italiani quali Mortacci, per la regia di Sergio Citti (1989), Maggio musicale, diretto da Ugo Gregoretti nel 1989 e Cuori estranei, diretto da Edoardo Ponti nel 2002. Candidato al Golden Globe nel 1972 come Miglior attore in un film drammatico per Arancia meccanica, nel 2005 ha vinto un Nastro d'Argento Europeo per il film Evilenko, diretto da David Grieco. Il 16 marzo 2012 gli è stata inoltre conferita una stella al 6714 dell'Hollywood Boulevard sulla Hollywood Walk of Fame, nella categoria Motion Pictures.
L'attore inglese, che nel 1971 impersonò l'iconico personaggio di Alex in Arancia Meccanica di Stanley Kubrick, ha ricevuto – alle ore 21:00 sul palco del Cinema Astra - il Premio alla Carriera. serata dove è stata proeittata la versione ricostruita da Thomas Negovan dalla sceneggiatura di Gore Vidal, del film Caligola: The Ultimate Cut.
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0:15
Thank
0:32
It's it's um
0:35
you know um
0:38
it's the same message you know it's as I
0:41
said before the movie for me is about
0:46
um whether one chooses to be an immoral
0:49
person or a moral one that's it you know
0:53
there's a choice it's a freedom of
0:56
choice so
0:58
in that respect fact the movie is never
1:00
really dated
1:02
and because it was slightly uh
1:05
infuturistic
1:07
for the time 1970
1:10
um it it still hasn't really dated you
1:13
know um parts of it have maybe but um I
1:18
haven't seen a movie in 20 odd years so
1:20
I I honestly
1:23
I mean I remember it very well but um
1:27
uh you know It's It's not in my
1:30
consciousness anymore.
1:32
It's like an old mistress.
1:35
It's somewhere in my past and
1:38
occasionally comes up and and I love it
1:40
again and go that's it.
2:02
Well, you're absolutely right. Um, the
2:04
movies of that period were much more
2:09
revolutionary and and rebellious, I
2:12
suppose. But don't forget, this is a
2:14
time of great rebellion in Europe and in
2:18
America.
2:19
It was a time of the Vietnam War, which
2:22
deeply unpopular not only in the United
2:25
States, but in Europe. And there were
2:28
huge demonstrations
2:31
in Europe about the war in Vietnam and
2:34
about nuclear proliferation.
2:38
Um I I'm speaking really of England
2:41
which is where I grew up and um and what
2:45
I remember the we we used to call them
2:48
the old allo master marches.
2:52
you'd march for the banning of nuclear
2:55
weapons.
2:58
You know, now of course uh we're
3:01
marching
3:03
um to a slightly different drum, but
3:07
nevertheless,
3:09
you know, things are pretty scary, I
3:11
think. And it's really we haven't left
3:15
our children really a very safe world to
3:19
live in, I'm afraid.
3:21
things are pretty bad.
3:26
When it first came out, I was shocked
3:30
that people
3:32
or the press mostly um were horrified by
3:37
the violence in the movie because to be
3:41
honest with you, I I mean, okay, there
3:44
is violence in it. Yes, no doubt about
3:46
it. But it's not like a Sam Peekabbot
3:48
film. There's no blood. It's not a
3:51
slasher movie. It's a highly
3:55
um philosophical movie in many ways. I
4:00
always thought I was making a comedy, a
4:04
black comedy. Yes. But I mean, it's
4:06
funny and and it's really interesting if
4:10
I watch it today with an audience. Well,
4:13
the last time was 20 years ago, but
4:16
they really get the humor and they don't
4:18
take it quite so seriously. But having
4:21
said that,
4:23
um I think when it first came out, it
4:26
was overwhelming. The look was never
4:28
been seen and it was overpowering and um
4:33
it was obviously an extraordinary look
4:36
to the movie because every designer in
4:39
Paris copied it. Um they were all and
4:43
Madonna went around even uh David Bowie
4:48
um dressed as Alex
4:50
and they all did all these bands uh they
4:54
were all you know had the eyelash or
4:56
whatever the bowler they were all doing
4:58
it. So really that film um it really
5:03
seeped into the consciousness um of what
5:07
was going on you know in society as a
5:10
whole and it really did permeate to lots
5:14
of other um art forms you know so it was
5:18
really amazing
5:29
Well, Alex, um, he'd probably be in
5:33
prison.
5:36
That's the first thing. Um, you can't
5:39
get away with things as you could maybe
5:41
in the early '7s. But
5:44
um you know, of course he's a
5:47
fictionalized character, of course.
5:51
And some people think he's a psychopath
5:53
or whatever.
5:56
Possibly.
5:57
But when I read the book, I realized
5:59
that I had to make people like him, but
6:05
not cheat, not
6:07
not be
6:09
sentimental about it. they had to like
6:12
him on his terms
6:15
and that was the fun part of working out
6:19
how I was going to do that and the sort
6:22
of spark you know so I kind of um
6:27
I sort of made him that he's just loved
6:31
life
6:32
now he particularly loved pillaging
6:36
raping and whatever it is beating people
6:39
up but you That's what but he was always
6:43
high you know they were high on drugs
6:46
like they get today I mean gangs you
6:49
know in certain cities in the states
6:52
well I not only the states I think
6:54
London is pretty vicious too you don't
6:58
want to wear a gold watch in London
7:00
that's what I was told uh really weird
7:04
stuff going on but so you know it's it's
7:10
it's going on the same way as it always
7:12
did. Gangs, drugs, you know, whatever
7:15
whatever the criminal activity is,
7:19
just the emphasis changes.
7:22
But there's always going to be people
7:24
that are trying to play the system
7:29
and that's what Alex
7:31
does and did. And what's amazing is that
7:35
um
7:37
he kind of wins. You know, I think
7:39
that's what made it hard for some people
7:42
to stomach was the fact that
7:46
he went back to being his old self. I
7:48
was cured all right is what he says.
7:52
And so, um I think that was really hard
7:56
for some people, you know, to accept
7:58
that.
8:00
But that's what made it really
8:02
interesting for me anyway.
8:15
No, I don't sit down and plot what I'm
8:19
going to do next. You can only really do
8:22
what you're offered. And if you're not
8:25
offered something, there's not much you
8:27
can do about it. Um, I like to, you
8:32
know, there are certain criteria. The
8:35
the part, who's involved with it, the
8:38
location, how much they're going to pay
8:41
you, and if you can get two
8:45
things, uh, then then that's pretty
8:48
good. And I'll tell you who told me that
8:50
was James Mason. A wonderful old actor
8:53
when he was old when I worked with him.
8:56
A wonderful man, a great actor.
8:59
And that's what he told me.
9:03
If you can get two of those things, do
9:05
it. And man, why not?
9:17
Oh my god. I would never tell you what
9:20
my favorite director.
9:24
Um, that would be terrible because I'll
9:27
tell you, All right, I'll tell you one
9:29
of my favorites because he's no longer
9:32
alive.
9:34
Um, and I owe him the most because he
9:38
cast me in my first movie, which was a
9:41
an incredible film called If If If, and
9:44
that is Lindsay Anderson.
9:47
Uh Lindseay Anderson, it was like
9:49
working with an Oxford dawn. He was like
9:52
a great professor and um
9:56
he was a commod
9:59
to temper. Not with his actors, but um
10:03
if things didn't go well in production,
10:05
oh my god, uh look out. He could smell
10:10
from a mile away.
10:13
So um but he was very poetic. He he was
10:18
very uh vulnerable
10:21
and uh he was a very beautiful man
10:25
and I was so lucky to have him as my
10:29
first director in a movie and I didn't
10:32
realize I was the star of the movie at
10:35
first and you know but um I became the
10:40
leader of this gang and and um
10:44
Cubri saw that film and cast me as in
10:47
global courage. So I have a lot to thank
10:51
Lindseay Anderson but I've worked with
10:54
great directors you know Robert Alman's
10:57
I mean one of the great directors and I
10:59
I loved him as a person
11:02
and you know it's a great man and um we
11:07
were very naughty boys together
11:10
um take that as you will
11:13
uh we used to meet in wherever we were
11:17
whatever city you
11:19
I'd get a call from he go, "Hey kid, Bob
11:22
here." I'd say, "Oh, hi Bob. What's up?"
11:25
"Hey, you around? I got a little party
11:28
going on tonight." "Oh, yeah. Where are
11:30
you?" You know, and we'd be in a
11:32
restaurant and go back and I never ever
11:36
got to my car to drive home. It was
11:39
always when dawn was breaking.
11:43
I mean, it was crazy. But he was just
11:46
such a great guy. And you know, we I was
11:50
talking the other day about another
11:52
great director, Blake Edwards.
11:54
I love working with him because he he
11:57
was such a great comedy director. Um,
11:59
fantastic.
12:01
So, I've been very lucky really. And
12:03
I've also been lucky working with
12:05
firsttime directors and I really enjoy
12:08
that. You know, it's um it's it's so
12:12
much fun to see a young director working
12:15
out how he's going to make his mark on a
12:18
movie and what his um you know what his
12:24
real and um
12:27
ideas are, how he's going to put them
12:29
down on film. That's really exciting for
12:32
me. So, I I enjoy that, too.
12:40
You know, um things are pretty weird in
12:44
the United States right now. Who knows
12:46
what will happen? So, um
12:50
I don't I have no idea what's going to
12:53
happen. Um all I will tell you is that
12:57
in the United States, you get four
12:59
years, you get two years before you have
13:03
the midterms. So, they have elections
13:06
for the control of the House and the
13:09
Senate. So if you know the population
13:12
hates what's going on with the
13:14
administration now that is the time to
13:18
say I think the administration their
13:22
figures of popularity have dropped to an
13:24
all-time low but you know I've seen that
13:28
before too. So,
13:30
but it is a bit scary actually
13:33
I think.
13:41
Well, you know,
13:44
I am really pleased to see that um some
13:47
of the
13:50
main countries of Europe uh have
13:53
recognized Palestine.
13:56
uh that is a step in the right
13:59
direction, but they've got to stop this
14:02
bombing of innocent people, you know,
14:05
children particularly.
14:07
And by the way, a shout out to your
14:10
prime minister uh in the Trump White
14:13
House, the rolling of our eyes was
14:19
uh we all kind of cheered that when we
14:21
saw it. remember we're talking about
14:24
that was really great to see. Nobody
14:27
else said a word, but she gave just a
14:30
look. She didn't need to to say
14:32
anything. It's perfect.
14:35
But um let's not get too
14:48
um I like Tito very much. is a really uh
14:53
very intelligent man, very extraordinary
14:57
and I liked him very much. We were
15:00
comrades.
15:02
Um
15:04
I was walking in Soho with him in London
15:07
and you know Soho is so he and he had a
15:11
grally voice. He goes, "This is why I
15:15
love Soho because it has sex, cinema,
15:19
and food."
15:21
And it's true. Soho is the where, you
15:25
know, the editing of the movies happen.
15:28
It's where there's great restaurants,
15:29
and it's where the vice trade.
15:32
Prostitutes are all over the place. So,
15:34
he loved that.
15:37
He's a He was I loved him. is that it
15:40
was my partner, you know, and I I really
15:42
enjoyed working with him. He's a
15:45
terrific man really. And it's sad he's
15:48
not well and we wish him well, but um
15:52
you know uh I don't think he's seen this
15:55
version,
15:57
but it's close to what he and I made.
16:02
So,
16:14
Last
16:15
done a western a western last train to
16:19
fortune which which I like which you're
16:22
in. You did the music. He did the music
16:23
for it. Uh and I I've never made a
16:26
western so that was fantastic. It's real
16:30
fun to do.
16:32
And then I have a movie Kevin Walker
16:35
directed uh wrote. It's called
16:38
PsychoKiller.
16:41
Oh, they changed the title from Psycho
16:44
Killer to PK
16:48
because they would go to people's houses
16:51
to try and rent the house and they'd go,
16:54
"What's the name of the movie?" Psycho
16:56
Killer. No.
17:00
PK. Oh, yeah. come in.
17:03
And so that's that's why they changed
17:04
the title. And that's got to open. I did
17:08
a movie called Summer House that's ready
17:10
to um open in a few months.
17:14
Son of Son of a Christian.
17:16
Oh, son of a No, that's not a movie.
17:19
What's What I know there's another movie
17:22
somewhere. I can't remember what it is.
17:24
We tend to do a lot of movies.
17:26
And which characters do you do you play
17:28
in these movies? In which one?
17:31
Okay. Well, in one of them, it's called
17:33
Summerhouse.
17:35
It's a charming movie made, it's shot
17:38
supposed to be 1970
17:40
on the east coast of the United States.
17:44
Uh, this young boy is 1819.
17:48
He's waiting to be called up to Vietnam.
17:52
He's the draft. He's got a number. So he
17:55
takes a job um looking after the
17:59
patriarch of this
18:02
noble family supposedly, but the
18:07
patriarch is an out and out alcoholic
18:12
and it's his job to look after him and
18:16
measure out the alcohol and make sure
18:20
that uh he doesn't go crazy. Well, you
18:23
can imagine
18:24
uh things, great things happen, lots of
18:28
good things and bad things. Um so that's
18:31
a movie I really enjoyed. It's very well
18:33
written. And I don't I think that's it.
18:36
Um I'm about to do a Jane Austin movie,
18:39
North Anger Abbey, but it's been um
18:44
we're not doing it they're not doing it
18:46
as a period piece. They've updated it to
18:50
now. And actually, it's a very
18:51
interesting script.
18:53
So that's cool. Um, and that's it. Last
18:58
I just said that they ask you whether
19:01
Oh, what was the character in in Last
19:03
Well, Last Train to Fortune is about
19:07
it's about an English school master that
19:10
is uh thrown out of his school job for
19:17
striking the headmaster.
19:20
um it comes out during the film. Why? So
19:24
he decides to go to the west of the
19:28
United States
19:30
to be the master at a tiny town called
19:34
Fortune
19:36
um where he will be the school master
19:39
and he thinks a complete break with
19:42
state old England.
19:44
But he gets
19:47
he gets to somewhere like Albuquerque or
19:49
a small town and he's missed the train
19:52
to fortune.
19:54
Um he's stuck there on a baron one
19:58
track, one little shack
20:01
and he's robbed by a gunslinger
20:05
and uh you know he's a school master.
20:08
never stops talking and manages to talk
20:12
this gunslinger into guiding him on
20:15
horseback to fortune.
20:18
And there's many things that happen on
20:21
that journey and that's what it's about.
20:24
And it's a really nice film. Charming.
20:27
Yes.
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