A Look at Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Doctor Strangelove effectively pokes fun at American obsession with the cold war era and ultimate nuclear conflict. By manipulating props Kubrick even goes as far as to compare this obsession with nuclear holocaust to a pubescent boy’s obsession with women and sexuality. This effectively paints an accurate portrayal of the complete absurdity of the cold war while still pandering to many people’s beliefs and fears. Much like a young man experiencing his first sexual encounter, throughout the film America seems to be both fearful and eager to engage in what could possibly end the world as human kind knows it. Doctor Strangelove, through the use of sexual undertones, prop manipulation, and characterization, seems to run the gambit of satire and real political commentary pertaining to the cold war era and nuclear arms race of the 1960’s. Even today its message is clear and strait forward, a message that peace cannot obtained through fear and intimidation.

This film was made and set in the 1960’s during the height of the arms race between the United States and the USSR. It is a loose adaption of the cold war thriller Red Alert, in which an American general goes rouge and sparks a nuclear war between the US and USSR. Kubrick took the story and more or less turned it on its head forming it into a complete satire of the cold war. The story involves an American General, Jack D. Ripper, exceeding his authority and ordering a tactical nuclear strike on the USSR after “discovering” a soviet plot to steal American bodily fluids through drinking water fluoridation. As it were Ripper holds the code that can recall the planes from their attack but he is unwilling to give it up. The military sends in forces to overtake his base and eventually over comes the resistance. Ripper realizing his defeat and fearing interrogation takes his own life sealing the fate of the world to nuclear war. But after his death, the much more level headed Mandrake is able to decipher a cryptic message on his desk revealing the code to recall the attack.

With the recall sent out everyone makes a collective sigh of relief until it is discovered that one of the planes has been damaged and cannot be recalled. The bomber successfully delivers its nuclear payload and the film ends with the powers that be discussing the possibility of a new cold war one hundred years in the future after the earth is once again inhabitable and humans can retreat from protective caves and shelters.

Strangelove achieve its satire not with witty dialogue or unique camera angles but instead with the use of highly devolved and well rounded characters. IT would seem that each of the players in Strangelove sot to represent a different aspect of the American psyche during the cold war. Audiences find it easy to identify with many of the characters and may even recognize some of the others as those they see in the government.

Possibly the most over the top character is General Jack D. Ripper, the general who sends the bombers on their way to the USSR beginning nuclear war. Even his name is a play on words, Jack D. Ripper or Jack the Ripper, of course alluding to the serial killer of early England. On the surface it would seem that the idea behind this was to reaffirm that Ripper was not acting out of just inattentions and was, himself a serial character. But when one looks closer into the history of Jack the Ripper it turns up that he only targeted young prostitutes. Similarly Ripper constantly talks about losing his “essence” a sudo-name for seamen. Ripper is convinced that through fluoridation the USSR has stolen his essence a fact he only realizes after he lies with a women. He talks about how after sex he feels drained and normally falls asleep leaving himself open to attack. This serves two ends first it truly shows Ripper as insane but also showing how paranoid many Americans were during this period of time.

Moving past Ripper as a character he should also be viewed as almost a prop. In some scenes the camera angle is such that he looks larger than life even though he is no bigger than the characters around him. The main camera angle that is used is a low angle with a wide shot lens so as he almost looks like he is looking down upon the audience or other characters around him. In addition to his larger than life appearance Ripper seems to always be smoking a cigar which in its self is a phallic symbol, which represents power and strength. In one particular scene, Ripper sits next to his more meager counterpart, Mandrake, in one hand clutching a cigar and in the other a very large machine gun. In this shot Ripper looks larger than life, as if he could take on the entire world single handedly. Mandrake looks frightened and useless next the colossal presence that was Ripper.

But Ripper soon begins to realize his own down fall and at this point you see without his cigar for the first time, his symbol of power has been extinguished. One way to look at this is that he has lost his power and submitted to the power of the sane, seeing that at this point Mandrake truly attempts to open dialogue with him for the first time since their first meeting. Another way is a bit more abstract. Nuclear war is viewed almost as a sexual climax by Ripper, the ultimate orgasm he could achieve. But after realizing his defeat, or rejection, he disposes of his phallic symbol of sexual power, his cigar. Then to truly express his defeat he takes his own life.

Ripper’s counterpart throughout the mania was the British commander Lionel Mandrake. Mandrake represents the sane minded majority of America during the cold war apprehensive to get to involved but understanding to take action when it is called for. After the Ripper calls for the nuclear strike on the USSR Ripper and Mandrake find themselves in the middle of a siege of their base by American forces. Mandrake serves as the sane minded observer for most of the battle pleading with Ripper to give himself up to hopefully avoid nuclear conflict. But Ripper beign the zelot that he is attempts to get Mandrake to work with him to battle back to hord of soldiers about to overcome their position. Mandrake eventually gives in to Ripper and helps him by feading him bullets for his machine gun.

This scence once again can be taken one of two ways. First by face value, Mandrake seems to be the only sane one left in the base, and the only non American perhaps not by mistake, and represents the role that the sane must play against the overly war hungry zelots. However he is overcome by the moment and the figure that is Ripper and submits to his will aiding him in his quest of distruction. This represents how many of the right minded felt, avoid conflict at all costs but if your own life seems to be endangered follow the one with the largest gun, no matter how crazy he may seem.

Another way that Mandrake’s apprehension could be looked at is with the eye of sexuality that seems to show its face at most every facet of the film. Mandrake represents and adolescent fearful of his first sexual encounter, the sexual encounter of course being nucleaur war. He dose not truly understand the polarity of the activities happing around him and is very fearful of the outcome. He strays away from the actives but is then pulled into them full bore by the excitement around him.

Looking at Mandrake through the eyes of the camera he is very mush the opposite of Ripper. Contrary to Ripper Mandrake seldom has close up shots, many times he seems meager and small in comparison to the rest of the set, this gives him the look of background an objective observer. Only when he joins in the fighting does he seem to be even comparable to Ripper in stature or size. This was effective and making Mandrake seems as the everyman how any normal person would react in such an extreme situation.

Another striking character is the pilot of the bomber Major T.J “King” Kong. This character was simply a slight at the way that the world views Americans. He was a large man with a southern accent blindly following every order that came to him without question. The stereotypes become a bit ridiculous when after the call comes through to bomb the USSR Kong removes his combat helmet and dons a ten gallon hat completing his cowboy persona. He even goes as far as to ride the nuclear bomb down to the ground giving a good old cowboy cry of “heehaw!”.

Another two characters that serve as sterotypes are the two soviets, ambassador Desadeski, and the Soviet premier Dmitri Kissof. Desadeski looks and talks like most Americans believed that Soviets did, he was large rude and very rough around the edges. He wore a black trench coat and looks the part of some super villain playing directly into American stereotypes of soviets. Demetri on the other hand is more or less an idea; the audience never hears his voice or sees him once throughout the film. Even in his absence he is portrayed as a drunk and a crazed soviet.

Sexuality was a huge played a large role in portraying the complete absurdity of America’s almost sexual attraction to nuclear war. The opening scene of the film shows the mid air refueling of a bomber. This refueling looks as though the two airplanes are mating and sets the sexual tone for the rest of the film. From that point on the airplane is seen as a sexual being representative of a penis on its journey for the ultimate climax. Between scenes there are shots of the bomber flying over landscape, the shadow cast by the plane gives at a very phallic look. Another reacquiring sexual symbol seen throughout is the use of cigar to imply sexual power or prowess. Much like Ripper many of the generals smoke very large cigars giving them a much greater presence in the scene; it is not coincidental that most of these cigar smoking characters feel that a full nuclear war is inevitable.

The bombs themselves are seen as sexual objects, representative of the seed that the US is attempting to plant in the USSR. One of the bombs even has “dear john” written on its head, referring to Dear John letters that a lover will leave a partner to end a relationship further fueling the idea of a sexual tension between the USSR and US. All of this sexual tension comes to a head after the bomb has been dropped and the US higher ups are talking about what to do to prepare for the Soviet retaliation.

The scene starts with a mid range shot of Dr. Strangelove, an ex-Nazi scientist brought over after the Second World War to advise the US military in respects to nuclear warfare. Strangelove looks sickly and is bound by a wheelchair; he begins to talk of his plan for after the nuclear war. As he talks however he seems to be overcome by what could only be described as sexual gratification. He is the only actor illuminated and the shot is about mid range. HE talks about his plans and his body contorts in a very sexual way. There is a strait cut to the president and a higher general to which Strangelove is addressing. Strangelove’s plan includes retreating to mineshafts before the response from the Soviets. Once again it is a medium shot and the two are illuminated. The general looks like a parent consoling a child with one arm around the president’s shoulder, who is very nervously clutching a drink. This gives the impression that the president is not comfortable with the ideas being presented to him, or possibly feeling the sexual tension that is apparent in the room.

The president asks Strangelove how long they would have to stay underground. There is a strait cut to Strangelove once again illuminated making him seem as the only important one in the room. This time however it is a much closer shot but not a close up, behind doctor strange love is a man smoking a cigar deep focus. As Strangelove talks his face continues to contort with what could be described as either sexual pleasure or pain. The closer shot serves to bring Strangelove’s facial expressions out with greater detail. He answers after a time telling them it could be as long as one hundred years. He face and movements throughout this shot make him look as though he is building to an outburst possibly climax.

Once again there is a straight shot to the general and president on the couch the general obviously not happy with this news retreats his comforting hand away from the president. This shot gives the feeling that neither the president nor the general feel comfortable with Strangelove’s plan. At this point the two begin to question Strangelove’s plan realizing its absurdity.

Another strait cut to Strangelove and he begins to defend his plan as he talks he becomes even more excited now shifting in his wheel chair. He seems completely unable to control one of his arms; it seems to have a mind of its own moving on its own accord as Strangelove talks about his plan. Once again the shot is mid range and Strangelove is illuminated. As his plan comes to a head Strangelove gives a Nazi salute signifying an erectoin, proof of the sexual gratification he is receiving. His face continues to contort and truly resembles someone mid coitus. There is a straight cut back to the men on the couch that stare with disbelief, not at the way that Strangelove is acting but at his next part of his plan.

The final part of Strangelove’s plan involves breeding and recreating the human race by assigning at least ten female partners to each male. When this is announced the faces of disbelief change to excitement and most everyone in the room seem to rally around Strangelove’s idea. IN addition as Strangelove is talking the man before smoking the cigar in the deep focus of the background before is now holding the cigar parallel with the ground once again representing a penis, erect after hearing of Strangelove’s plans.

The entire scene comes to a head when Strangelove leaves his wheelchair and begins to walk representing his ultimate climax as he has convinced the higher powers to continue on with his plan. The movie then ends with multiple scenes of nuclear bombs exploding representing nuclear conflict and the end of the world.

Doctor Strangelove set out to attack America’s obsession and fear of the cold war. The use of ridiculous characters, sexual innuendo and prop manipulation seemed to do the job very nicely. Strangelove was very successful in harnessing the true fear that many American’s felt during this time in history in a very amusing way. More over than that many of the themes and ideas still seem to ring true to this day making Strangelove a classic for the ages. With conflicts now in the Middle East and most everyone with nuclear stockpiles with their fingers on the button it is probably not to long before cowboys are riding bombs onto out enemies.