Which Kubrick film was originally rated X in the United States?

Which Kubrick film was originally rated X in the United States? The answer is A Clockwork Orange.

Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange received an X rating from the Motion Picture Association in its original United States release in 1972. The rating reflected the film’s explicit sexual material and graphic violence, both of which are presented through the experiences of Alex DeLarge and his gang of “droogs.”

Kubrick later removed approximately 30 seconds from two sexually explicit scenes to secure an R rating for a re-release. This change is why discussions of the film’s rating can mention both X and R, but the original American release was indeed X-rated. At the time, an X rating did not automatically mean a film was pornographic; it could also be applied to serious adult dramas.

The film was adapted from Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel and became one of the most controversial movies of the early 1970s. Its violence also sparked public debate about imitation and responsibility. In Britain, Kubrick eventually withdrew the film after copycat-crime controversies and threats, though that was separate from its original U.S. rating.