Nuclear War Movies: Dr. Strangelove and Threads

Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb was released in the United States in 1964. It received a rating of PG by the Motion Picture Association of America. The film is directed by the renowned British director, Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick uses a mostly American cast, with Peter Sellers, a fellow Brit, playing three characters, including the one after which the film is titled. This is a film that is very formal in structure and execution. The aesthetics are very crisp, sharp, and intention. It is this unyielding commitment to form, grace, and order that makes Dr. Strangelove so hilarious and effective as a war film as well as a satire of war films. Drawing from chapter 9 of Benton's American Cinema, American Culture, the paper demonstrates that Dr. Strangelove conforms to the narrative and structural requirements of American war cinema.

Like any alarming dice game, it's odds become more and more harsh and its costs are human life, money and plunder. Now the nuclear button dissuades open conflict and reminds of us of the period of mercenary warfare which reigned 1648, before formal standing armies, until the first World War.

The rise of the Soviet Union (USSR) as a new world superpower brought tension between the USSR and the United States. Although the 1950’s was generally nonviolent, confined to only minor conflicts, there was a threatening, looming tension between the two world superpowers. The tension reached its peak when the US completed its first successful hydrogen bomb test. A second, more powerful bomb was successfully detonated in 1954 by the US. Public fallout shelters were established in major cities, and bomb drills were practiced as frequently as fire drills today. The nuclear war that Lord of the Flies suggested was not out of the realm of possibility at its time of publication

Premier Nikita Khrushchev described it as, “The two most powerful nations had been squared off against each other, each with its finger on the button.” (Nuclear). If this other World War or massive nuclear war would have occurred, just think of where we would be today.

This can be compared to the game of chicken, the credibility of either side is very high and the intentions are clear since alternatives are limited. Credibility has three facets; capabilities, commitment, and communication. In the film, the U.S. has both the capabilities and the commitment, since it is almost impossible to call off the air attack. However, both the U.S. and the USSR are lacking in the communication component. This could led to a perceived lack of credibility on the soviets side; since the first time they speak of the doomsday device is when they are under

Every war will have those who support the war and those who are against the war. In 1965, those who were against the Vietnam War made their views known by many forms of protesting such as forming organizations, rallying, and anti-war protest music. Anti-war protest music was an opportunity to put people’s perspectives into song to hopefully spread their message. Buffy Sainte-Marie wrote the song “Universal Soldier” in 1962 and her message was that “Universal Soldier is about individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all” (Boulanger). The song “Universal Soldier” was used as a protest anthem during the Vietnam War and attempts to untangle one of the paradoxes of life that war never leads to peace through

It is the 20th century, the USA and USSR are at the brink of nuclear war. Nobody knows what happens next…

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.

The event of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. Fifteen years into the cold war, the two superpowers continued the fierce competition to increase their military strength. In 1962, the Soviet Union was desperately behind the United States in the nuclear arms race. Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe, whereas the US missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba which would double the Soviet strategic arsenal and provide a real deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union. The fate of millions

However in Britain the fear on the bomb can be seen as lesser than that of the USA. As Peter Hennessy expresses in his book Having it so good, Britain in the fifties 'The wider, personal implications of the bomb perhaps burnt their way into the collective British psyche more slowly than might have been expected'3. Towards the beginning of the nuclear arms race, a lot of information was not disclosed to the public, such as the amount if casualties caused if the Soviet Union dropped bombs on Britain which was around 1,378,000 people, and the size of the bombs used was around 1.6 megatons of TNT. Although there were some civil defence films that tried to paint a picture of nuclear war none of them captured the threat of war and many films trivialised it as Spencer R. Weart writes 'the stage was dominated by tales of mutant tribes and so forth'4 this caused many people to downplay the threat of nuclear war due to the lack of decent portrayal of nuclear war, Weart writes 'Nearly three decades passed without any technically

There is more than one country or group involved. To the countries who did participate, there would be consequences to their country's health and financial stability.     Knoll and Postol began to describe the hypothetical event of a nuclear war. “ Those who saw the sudden flash of blinding light experienced instant and painless death from the extreme heat long before the noise and shock wave hit them” (Knoll and Postol

Nuclear War, the term known by all but many might not know about the time when the United States came close to a thermonuclear war. This paper will discuss the intelligence failure of The Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Mission Crisis was a true nuclear stand down that could of lead to a massive loss of life. Depending on whom you ask, they would either tell you that it was either an intelligence success or failure. The United States missed many indicators that should have made them take a closer look at the activity the Soviets were conducting with Cuba leading up to this event. This intelligence failure could of possibility cause a nuclear war. Moreover, this paper will discuss what possibly lead up to The Cuban Missile Crisis analysis the

Over the course of time, the way war has been fought has evolved tremendously. From using swords and shields, ships, guns, submarines, planes, and eventually nuclear weapons. These nuclear weapons would prove to change the way the world works forever, as nuclear weapons turned into the ultimate threat.

“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.

The Day After was an effective way of instilling a sense of both fear and respect for nuclear war into the minds of the American people. By portraying realistic doomsday scenarios that are played out in the lives of relatable families in a small city not unlike any other we would find in America, this film contextualizes the events prior to, during, and immediately after nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia was unleashed onto our own soil.