In a day when everyone was living in
constant paranoia, and nerves were being tested by the possibility of nuclear
war, I admire how Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove took a lighthearted stab at
what seemed like such a serious issue at the time. Kubrick uses comedy, suspense and a lot of
symbolism to help contribute to the overall theme of the film. During the opening credits, the audience is
treated to a B-2 bomber being refueled mid flight to a fifties lovemaking instrumental. This, bookended with a bevy of nuclear
explosions at the end, is a telling sign.
More symbolism of this sexual nature exists throughout the film in the
form of cigars, machine guns, and even a cowboy fighter pilot who rides an
atomic bomb between his legs all the way to the ground. Kubrick uses these
symbols to show the ridiculous nature of war room politics as well as spotlight
the masculine overtones of battle.
Kubrick decided that humor was the most effective way to portray his
view of the existential fatalistic view of the nuclear threat of the
1950's.
The plot originally came from the
book Red Alert written by Peter George.
Kubric loved the book, but also thought documentary or drama on a
threatening subject like nuclear war could have a negative effect on
viewers.
Dr. Strangelove is full of colorful,
hard headed but passionate and outrageous characters. The names chosen for
these characters, were an obvious attempt at the aforementioned symbolism, and
also added to the films comedic effect. During
the first scene we are introduced to two characters who could be described as
polar opposites. Ultra-masculine
Airforce General Jack Ripper tells Captain Mandrake, a stuttering flight
commander with a broken leg, his decision to destroy Russia with multiple
simultaneous nuclear attacks. Throughout the film, Mandrake ignores multiple
opportunities to dissuade the maniac Ripper.
He just isn’t masculine enough. In the next scene, there is American
President Merklin Muffley. Muffley is a
small, bald man who can’t seem to commit to anything, even when he is told his
planes will be attacking sites within Russia in under 25 minutes. Muffley argues with one of his subordinates,
General Buck Turdgeson over how to handle the situation. Muffley then has a
hilarious exchange over the phone with the Russian president, where they argued
with one another about who was the most sorry out of the two. The amazing thing is Captain Mandrake,
President Muffley and Dr. Strangelove were played by the same actor, Peter
Sellers.
The film wasn’t an exact depiction
of the government and military, however it probably was a conscious choice by
Kubrick to show the contrast between ordinary humans and the qualities of
humans who rely on machines and technology to serve the purposes they were
programmed for. The way Kubric portrays
the use of technology sticks out in this film with constant scenes that focus
on large mechanisms that surrounded these central figures. Whether it was in the war room or cockpit of
the air force plane. Ironically, all communicative devices always failed to
serve their purpose except to lead mankind to doomsday. I.E., when the R.A.F
officer tried to contact President Mufflin though a public payphone, the
destroyed radio on the plane that made it impossible to recall the order. Even
if the use of these communicative devices were successful, it often had
ridiculous conversation that just strayed the characters from their original
purposes (like the conversation between the US President and the Russian
Premier). Ultimately technologies can only carry on what they were programmed
to, but how they are used, are up to those who are capable of logical thoughts,
such as human beings.
The film also does a good job
blending genres. During the war room
scene, the war table resembled a massive poker table with the country’s top
officials partaking in the action. The
camera shots were slow and methodical, milking the suspense out of every shot. It was as if Kubrick wanted this scene to
seem like a poker match was taking place with the fate of the world in
balance. The theme of impotent leaders
of society leading to the earths destruction was so in your face, that I think
the level of ambition is quite high. The
entire film was not shot the same way either.
The ground battle scenes had more of a documentary feel, and when the
plane was dodging a Russian missile, the cuts were quick.
Peter Sellers performance as
multiple characters in the film adds greatly to the humor element, but detracts
from the plausibility of the message of the film. While the message could have
been delivered more accurately with a full ensemble cast, it would detract from
the greatness of the film as it is. Sellers performance is a quality and charm
by itself that is an element that makes the film historically great.
I enjoyed the film greatly,
especially in regards to the time it was made and what was considered to do
that was "acceptable" as contemporary cinema. Kubrick's characters
and imagery have seeded many homages since the time of the films release. It is
a prime example of it's genre.
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