Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Stanley Kubrick’s sexual parody, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, illustrates an unfathomed nuclear catastrophe. Released in the midst of the Cold War, this 1964 film satirizes the heightened tensions between America and Russia. Many sexual insinuations are implemented to ridicule the serious issue of a global nuclear holocaust, in an effort to countervail the terror that plagued America at that time. Organizing principles, such as Kubrick’s blunt political attitudes about the absurdity of war and the satirical genre, are echoed by the film style of his anti-war black comedy, Dr. Strangelove.

Even though Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb screened in the midst of the sobering Cold War, critics were keen on praising the film for its mastery of humor applied to such a sensitive matter. The film is exceedingly loaded with metaphors, innuendos, and allusions that nothing can be left undissected or taken for face value; the resulting effect is understood to be part of Kubrick’s multifarious theme. Kubrick has stated that what began as a “the basis for a serious film about accidental war ” eventually birthed an absurd and farcical classic comedy. The director fuses together irony, satire, and black humor to create a waggish piece but most of all the situation of the times and its

The filmmakers’ main ideas are that the government misled and lied to the people of the U.S. so that they would believe that the atomic bomb would have no effect on their health and security, that we should question if the government should have lied to the American people, and to make us question whether or not the citizens of the U.S. would continue to be as naive as the people of the 1950’s.

Kubrick’s film presented a strong viewpoint on the Cold War. The public’s vast partition on the nation’s current issues as opposed to the general unity in fear of communism and nuclear strike that was being practiced by the United States in the 1960’s was a key factor in the film’s success is the genera and style in which the story is told and in how the movie is filmed. This film can change thoughts about war and weapons growth now. Th film propose a viewpoint of somebody who is against war in a non-threatening way. This is surely why the film is so effective. He was able to demonstrate a satire of the dangerous notion of a nuclear war and the foolish individuals who were coordinating it, and furthermore, addressed the problem of stereotyping.

In this essay I will analyze two Cold War American Films, War Games and Dr.Strangelove. Both of these films portray the cold war era, where it was uncertain when and if nuclear fallout would happen. I will start off by giving a brief summary of both films. Then talk about some cold war culture such as posters, TV shows, and historical events discussed in class, as well as some aspects of plot in the films, such as the leaders in power in each film and finally compare both films to the culture shown and argue that they both accurately portrayed it.

Although it may not be fair to condemn the automated-response doomsday device on the basis of a single slip-up, the film invalidates the wisdom of that machine by highlighting its dangers. Would any state cede control of its weapons to computers and sensors?6So the problem remains: how to make the incredible credible. A fallback strategy is to introduce illogic and uncertainty into nuclear strategy and nuclear command and control. Akin to throwing the steering wheel out the car window when engaged in a game of chicken, delegating to base commanders the authority to issue strikes decentralizes military control and makes retaliation more likely.

He then looked at his shoulder to see it had been bandaged. Later they were surrounded by a group of soldiers and the sniper was ordered to make Donovan dig his own grave, but the sniper had traced the path to where American troops were on the map located on the back of the case for the shovel. As the Marine ran into the distance the North Korean fired two shots blindly to fake Donovan’s death. After returning to camp the North Korean Commander talked about how they had put mines directly in the path in which the sniper had sent Captain Everett. While talking to the commander there is an explosion in the distance and at that moment the sniper offers him a drink from the American’s canteen, and the commander calls for the guards and says “You will pay for what you have done!”, and then the guards drug him away and the book ends (76).

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is a dark comedy film by Stanley Kubrick. The film deals with nuclear war which was a hot topic during the 50 's and 60 's. Americans were very paranoid about communists and nuclear war at this time. This film shows how ridiculous the paranoia about nuclear war through a sexual relationship allegory. The allegory deals with the masculine and the feminine. The masculine is an important part of the nuclear war efforts while the feminine takes a backseat. The feminine is displayed in men as a negative. The sexual allegory becomes funny through

The first scene appears at the bringing

So listen up, I’m only going to say it once. Delta Squad, you will board a shuttle that has been stolen from the Imperial Sovereignty and a pilot will take you to the capital of Venus,” at that moment, a 3D holographic map appears on the table of the capital, “where the General and Leader of the IS is located. Delta Squad, you will be dropped off one kilometer away from the capitol building and will need to figure out where and how to enter the building. With limited intel, all we have for you is that the General is located near the top of the building. Once you find him, eliminate him. After you kill the General of the IS, you must escape quickly and rally here.” General Organa pointed to a flashing position on the holographic map of the city, “code name: Checkpoint Theta. From there an airship will pick you up and bring you home. Delta, if anything goes south, contact command and the Brigadier will take care of it...Major, anything to add?” General Organa asked.

The tension in Dr. Strangelove does nothing but increase for the majority of the film. Right off the bat, the audience is clued into the fact that government officials have less than twenty minutes to recall all planes before they appear on Soviet radar. From here the tension builds, beginning with the realization that the madman who wants to keep the Soviet’s from contaminating his bodily fluids is the only one with the recall code. Then there’s the discovery that there is no way to reach said madman by phone or radio. Troops are then sent to the military base in an attempt to capture Ripper and find the code, but Ripper kills himself before he can be taken, leaving Mandrake to try and piece together the code from Ripper’s rambling notes on

Before lunch, Dr. Armstrong finds the general dead of a blow to the head. The guests meet together and assume that one of them is the killer, considering they have looked about the island for any one person who might inhabit it. The tiring long day soon sends them to bed.

“Dr.Strangelove” is an 1964 film based on the argument of rational; deterrence theory by Kenneth Waltz. Many of the events that occurred during the film also complimented many of the critiques of rational deterrence theory later made by Scott Sagan. Nuclear weapons have been an important issue for debate for years. The spotlight of nuclear weapons was an important factor during the cold war nevertheless the question of nuclear weapons remains afterwards. The question of both the spread and contraction of nuclear weapons remains a strong issue because of the opposing theories that argue against the question of the spread, contraction furthermore the total dissolution of nuclear weapons.

`I am walking into my chamber, I sit down on my chair beside the co-pilot and say over the intercom “Hi this is your captain speaking, we are about to take off so please put your seatbelts on.” I push all sorts of weird buttons and turn on the engine.

Out of nowhere Rainsford shouted, “I have it, Ivan’s keys, there is one that didn’t unlock anything in this house!” The three men looked upon him with astonishment and they all spoke in unison, “What are you waiting for try the key.” Rainsford reached into his pocket and pulled out the key ring. H he tries the first key, it fits but doesn’t turn. He tries the next key, it doesn’t fit. Finally, the last key he puts it in the hole and turns it *click* The three men exclaimed with excitement “thanks to you we get off this island after almost a month of Zaroff’s tortuous ways!” The four men enter the dilapidated room - it had nothing but a radio sitting in the corner. Whitney’s voice beamed across the radio, “Please, if you hear this I beg of you please reply. I have lost a dear friend please answer.” Rainsford runs to the corner and Exclaims on the radio, “Whitney is that you! I am here on ship trap island with three other men who were trapped here. It is safe, if you can send a rescue team!” Within the hour there was a dingy on the islands shore. Once the four men arrived back on the yacht Whitney, Rainsford and the three men exchanged stories as they sailed back to