A Clockwork Orange

The motion picture A Clockwork Orange was a blockbuster by Stanley Kubrick when it came out in 1972. The controversary about the impact of the graphic violence in the plot, however, lives on. 

An article in UK's Camden Gazette noted in 2005 that a play based on the story was stirring up thoughts about its effect, especially since 12-year-olds were part of the production.

The article overviewed the plot: "A Clockwork Orange sees teenage misfit Alex and his cronies delighting in 'ultra-violence,' dishing out beatings and sexual attacks before Alex is made to participate in a brutal Government-backed scheme to force him to be good."

The copycat effect that followed in the wake of the film was very real. As the British Camden Gazette mentioned: "The film version was withdrawn by Kubrick in 1973 after allegations of copycat killings and violence. It was not re-released until 2000 - a year after Kubrick's death."

The withdrawal of the film discussed is what is specifically the "British withdrawal."

It is also interesting to see where it was banned in the USA. As Wikipedia notes,

In 1976 A Clockwork Orange was removed from an Aurora, Colorado high school due to "objectionable language". A year later in 1977 it was removed from high school classrooms in Westport, Massachusettsfor similar concerns with "objectionable" language. In 1982, it was removed from two Anniston, Alabama libraries, later to be reinstated on a restricted basis. Also, in 1973 a bookseller was arrested for selling the novel. Charges were later dropped. Ironically, each of these instances came after the release of Stanley Kubrick's popular 1972 film adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, itself the subject of much controversy.

That's right: Aurora, Colorado!

See The Copycat Effect, pages 221 and 224, for more on A Clockwork Orange and how Oliver Stone felt about Kubrick's withdrawal of the film.