Ultraviolence
- For other uses, see Ultraviolence (disambiguation).
Ultraviolence is a term from the novel A Clockwork Orange, which refers to acts of extreme violence — often random, with no clear justification or motive (e.g. attacking a defenseless old man for fun).
In the novel by Anthony Burgess, the main character, Alex DeLarge, robs, rapes, and ultimately murders without a twinge of conscience. Ultraviolence is similar to the phenomenon of thrill killing, although unlike thrill killing, the taking of life is not required — and if it happens, it's incidental to the act of brutality. Ultraviolence is treated almost as an extreme sport; violence for violence's sake.
This sense of aesthetic violence has led to the use of the term in media criticism, referring to the representation of violence as an enjoyable spectacle. The term has been applied to films and television series such as Elfen Lied, Kill Bill, GANTZ, A Kite and Sin City . An underground culture has seen the release of popular Japanese films and TV series such as Audition, in which ultraviolence has grown into a subgenre.
Uses in popular culture
- The band New Order used "Ultraviolence" as a song title on the 1983 album Power, Corruption and Lies.
- The band Sigue Sigue Sputnik used both the word "ultraviolence" and samples from the film on their single "Love Missile F1-11" in 1986.
- The Welsh Oi! band The Oppressed has a song called "Ultraviolence."
- The Dutch Oi! band Evil Conduct has a song called "Ultraviolence."
- There is a UK Industrial-Gabba band called Ultraviolence.
- In 1988, the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen released a concept album Ein kleines bisschen Horrorshow (a reference to Alex's Nadsat phrase a bit of [the old] horrorshow [ultraviolence]).
- There was a synth/dance/techno/pop band from the Flint, Michigan area known as UltraViolence. They released songs entitled (Can't Get) Enough and Savage Heart.
- In the Spider-Man 2 video game, when the player comes across a gang of thugs fighting each other, one can hear the exclamation "Time for the old ultraviolence." This is a quote from A Clockwork Orange.
- In the computer game Doom, the second-hardest skill level is called "Ultra-Violence."
- In the role playing game "SLA Industries", the Frothers use a drug called "Ultraviolence."
- The professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) uses the term ultraviolent in reference to their brand of hardcore wrestling.
- In Douglas Adams' Life, the Universe, and Everything, a cavern is presented in the cruelest colors, including ultraviolent and infradead (puns on the words ultraviolet and infrared).
- Ultraviolent was used by the progressive intrumental band 4Front as a song name in the album 'Gravity'.
- Charles Bronson 's 80s film work is usually called ultra-violent by detractors and fans alike, specially the Death Wish series and the movie Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
External links
- Screening Violence Film theory appoach to ultraviolence in the media.
Categories
Violence | Sociology