A Clockwork Orange Turns 55; The Book Got An Idaho Teacher Fired

Filming for one of the most controversial movies ever released began 55 years ago throughout London and spawned a cult following across the globe. Idaho fans of the film and book, which were banned in numerous countries, might not know that a state teacher was reportedly terminated in 1978 for adding it to a class reading list.

I'd be lying if I said I never toilet-papered a house in high school dressed like a character from the movie.

The first time I saw A Clockwork Orange was in high school in the early nineties. I was probably 16 or 17 years old, and to say it left an impact on me would be an understatement. The film was an adaptation of a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess and was directed for the big screen by Stanley Kubrick.

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The novel is about a group of friends who raise hell and commit a number of crimes. The film is controversial for its elements of sexual abuse and nudity. Some classmates and I once did a report on the movie, which made our teacher incredibly uncomfortable. I'd be lying if I said I never toilet-papered a house in high school dressed like a character from the movie.

If you read any banned book list ever created, the Burgess' novel will be included in 99 percent of them. Filming for the movie began in September of 1970 in the United Kingdom and it was released a few months later in the United States, according to kubrickfandom.com. People lost jobs and faced fines for promoting the book in the 1970s.

One Utah bookshop owner was run out town in 1973 for having the novel in stock, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Google AI alleges an Idaho teacher was fired in 1978 for having it on the class reading list.