Alex is walking with his Droogs along the canal when a fight breaks out between them during which Alex seeks to regain the upper hand. The sequence evokes a power struggle. Granted, it is the fight of one man against three, but the scene unfolds in a series of individual combats. Kubrick slips in a few motifs from cloak-and-dagger films: the cane with which Alex slashes the air or the chain that Dim swings above his head, evoking the maces used by knights. Finally, Alex seems to remember the rules of chivalry and holds out a helping hand to his adversary who is down (or, more precisely, in the water), but all the better to conceal new treachery and wound him with his blade. Although everything suggests a duel, it is a depraved duel that no longer obeys any rule of courtesy.
The use of slow motion transforms the brawl into a perfectly choreographed ballet, contrasting with the rapid rhythm of the music, Rossini's joyous Overture to La gazza ladra. This "musical agitation" (1) seems to translate the character's inner seething and follows Alex's thoughts: a passage in minor accompanying the explanation of his torments in voice-over, then a more joyful passage in major when he acts on his threats. (2)
The combination of the slow-motion and this music echoes another scene, which concludes the sequence of the attack on the catlady. Leaving the house, accompanied by this rousing music, Alex is, in turn, treacherously attacked by his Droogs, who hit him over the head with a bottle before abandoning him on the landing. The bottle of milk shatters in slow motion, while the music becomes more sombre.
(1) Vivien Villani, Guide pratique de la musique de film: pour une utilisation inventive et raisonnée de la musique au cinéma, (Paris, Scope éditions, Maison du film court, 2008), p. 156.
(2) Ibid., p. 78.