Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a 1964 political satire film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The film depicts a fictional scenario where a rogue U.S. Air Force general orders a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union. It explores the absurdity of nuclear war and the military-industrial complex through dark comedy. The film was groundbreaking in its critique of unchecked military power during the Cold War era of nuclear proliferation and tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union.
The TV Series Quiz was conducted by QMs Anubhav Srivastava and Abhishek Sinha of XQuizzite at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar on December 1st, 2014.
The TV Series Quiz was conducted by QMs Anubhav Srivastava and Abhishek Sinha of XQuizzite at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar on December 1st, 2014.
[Infographic] Marvel vs. DC Lowdown on the ShowdownPhil Vickman
While this infographic may not answer the age old question, it displays facts and figures on the popularity of Marvel and DC superheroes.
BONUS: Vote for your favorite superhero at #lowdownshowdown. Results will be tallied and displayed. Have fun with this!
Kick-Off, The Football Quiz held on 01st March 2015 at K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research by Acumen: The Quizzing and Debating Society of SIMSR
Like us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/acumen.simsr
The Sports Quiz (Prelims)- NSIT Quiz Fest 2015nsitqc
The Sports Quiz (Prelims) at the NSIT Quiz Fest 2015, conducted by the NSIT Quiz Club from 20th-22nd March. See the videos and audios for the questions here- http://goo.gl/Cv1yzP
The second quiz of the Kashipur Quizzing League - the KQL Movie Quiz conducted by Snehanth Nath, Mohit Mohan and Neha Reddy on 17-08-2014 at IIM Kashipur Auditorium.
Presenting 'The Lords of the Rings', the written Olympics Quiz for teams of 3 members or less, which I conducted as part of the 1st edition of the Kolkata Sports Quiz Festival on May 26, 2019 at the Space Circle Club.
The Average Score across teams was 23 (out of a maximum of 52).
The top 3 place holders were:
Gold (47): Deepanjan Deb, Kunal Malhotra, Prithwish Datta
Silver (37): Nikhil Sarkar, Titash Banerjea, Souptik Das
Bronze (35): Bishanka Dassarma, Debasish Mukherjee, Saahil Sharma.
This General Quiz was held in October 2021 and set by Ambika and Jushya as part of our weekly sessions. The set was meticulously compiled and hosted by the QMs.
Quintessence is the Quizzing Society of Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi. The society has been active for 10 years and has been actively holding Intra quiz sessions and quizzes for both school and college students in the circuit.
The One with The Questions - The Friends QuizTamal Dutta
Qilluminati (Baneswar, Apratim, Sayantan and myself) hosted the Friends Quiz at Friends Cafe on July 8th, 2016.
16 teams participated as the registrations were restricted due to lack of space.
When run again at TCS Sahyadri Park, the event saw 150+ teams.
Susan SontagImages referred to inRegarding the Pai.docxssuserf9c51d
Susan Sontag
Images referred to in
Regarding the Pain of Others
*
1. How does Sontag demonstrate the intersection of "news" art, and understanding in the contemporary depiction of war and disaster?
2. How does Sontag point out that pictures can inspire dissent, foster violence, or create apathy, evoking a long history of the representation of the pain of others?
3. According to Sontag, how has the camera transformed vision and sensibility?
4. Explain what Sontag means by: "the understanding of war among people who have not experienced war is now chiefly a product of [war photographers'] images.”
5. How does Sontag present the argument that pictures take on different meanings and interpretations based on who is doing the viewing?
*
3.
4.
Susan Sontag
1933 – 2004A novelist, philosopher, essayist, movie director and playwright.Her essays, which are by far her most complete aesthetic achievement, many are devoted to Film, either to single movies (like Bergman's "Persona", Godard's "Vivre sa vie", Syberberg's "Hitler, a Film from Germany", but also Chaplin's "The Dictator" and Kubrick's "Doctor Strangelove"
Longtime companion of photographer Annie Leibovitz (from the mid 1980s until Sontag's death).
MacArthur Fellow from 1990 to 1995.
2003 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
Honorary citizen of Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia.
National Book Critics Circle Award for the book "On Photography" published in (1978)
*
“Cinema is the most alive, the most exciting, the most important of all art forms…”“Perhaps no work of art ‘is’ art. It can only ’become’ art, when it is part of the pas…”“I think it was rock & roll the reason I got divorced. I think it was Bill Haley and the Comets and Chuck Berry that made me decide to get a divorce and leave the academic world.”
“The youngest of the arts is also the most heavily burdened with memory. Cinema is a time machine. Movies preserve the past, resurrect the beautifil dead; present, intact, vanished or ruined environments; enbody without ironu styles and fashions that seem funny today; solemnly ponder irrelevant or naive problems. The historical particularity of the reality registered on celluloid is so vivid that practically all films older than four or five years are saturated with pathos.”http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814506/bio
One of the distinguishing features of modern life is that it supplies countless opportunities for regarding (at a distance, through the medium of photography) horrors taking place throughout the world. Images of atrocities have become, via the little screens of the television and the computer, something of a commonplace. But are viewers inured -- or incited -- to violence by the depiction of cruelty? Is the viewer's perception of reality eroded by the daily barrage of such images? What does it mean to care about the sufferings of people in faraway zones of conflict?
Her new book is a profound rethinking of the intersect ...
[Infographic] Marvel vs. DC Lowdown on the ShowdownPhil Vickman
While this infographic may not answer the age old question, it displays facts and figures on the popularity of Marvel and DC superheroes.
BONUS: Vote for your favorite superhero at #lowdownshowdown. Results will be tallied and displayed. Have fun with this!
Kick-Off, The Football Quiz held on 01st March 2015 at K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research by Acumen: The Quizzing and Debating Society of SIMSR
Like us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/acumen.simsr
The Sports Quiz (Prelims)- NSIT Quiz Fest 2015nsitqc
The Sports Quiz (Prelims) at the NSIT Quiz Fest 2015, conducted by the NSIT Quiz Club from 20th-22nd March. See the videos and audios for the questions here- http://goo.gl/Cv1yzP
The second quiz of the Kashipur Quizzing League - the KQL Movie Quiz conducted by Snehanth Nath, Mohit Mohan and Neha Reddy on 17-08-2014 at IIM Kashipur Auditorium.
Presenting 'The Lords of the Rings', the written Olympics Quiz for teams of 3 members or less, which I conducted as part of the 1st edition of the Kolkata Sports Quiz Festival on May 26, 2019 at the Space Circle Club.
The Average Score across teams was 23 (out of a maximum of 52).
The top 3 place holders were:
Gold (47): Deepanjan Deb, Kunal Malhotra, Prithwish Datta
Silver (37): Nikhil Sarkar, Titash Banerjea, Souptik Das
Bronze (35): Bishanka Dassarma, Debasish Mukherjee, Saahil Sharma.
This General Quiz was held in October 2021 and set by Ambika and Jushya as part of our weekly sessions. The set was meticulously compiled and hosted by the QMs.
Quintessence is the Quizzing Society of Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi. The society has been active for 10 years and has been actively holding Intra quiz sessions and quizzes for both school and college students in the circuit.
The One with The Questions - The Friends QuizTamal Dutta
Qilluminati (Baneswar, Apratim, Sayantan and myself) hosted the Friends Quiz at Friends Cafe on July 8th, 2016.
16 teams participated as the registrations were restricted due to lack of space.
When run again at TCS Sahyadri Park, the event saw 150+ teams.
Susan SontagImages referred to inRegarding the Pai.docxssuserf9c51d
Susan Sontag
Images referred to in
Regarding the Pain of Others
*
1. How does Sontag demonstrate the intersection of "news" art, and understanding in the contemporary depiction of war and disaster?
2. How does Sontag point out that pictures can inspire dissent, foster violence, or create apathy, evoking a long history of the representation of the pain of others?
3. According to Sontag, how has the camera transformed vision and sensibility?
4. Explain what Sontag means by: "the understanding of war among people who have not experienced war is now chiefly a product of [war photographers'] images.”
5. How does Sontag present the argument that pictures take on different meanings and interpretations based on who is doing the viewing?
*
3.
4.
Susan Sontag
1933 – 2004A novelist, philosopher, essayist, movie director and playwright.Her essays, which are by far her most complete aesthetic achievement, many are devoted to Film, either to single movies (like Bergman's "Persona", Godard's "Vivre sa vie", Syberberg's "Hitler, a Film from Germany", but also Chaplin's "The Dictator" and Kubrick's "Doctor Strangelove"
Longtime companion of photographer Annie Leibovitz (from the mid 1980s until Sontag's death).
MacArthur Fellow from 1990 to 1995.
2003 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
Honorary citizen of Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia.
National Book Critics Circle Award for the book "On Photography" published in (1978)
*
“Cinema is the most alive, the most exciting, the most important of all art forms…”“Perhaps no work of art ‘is’ art. It can only ’become’ art, when it is part of the pas…”“I think it was rock & roll the reason I got divorced. I think it was Bill Haley and the Comets and Chuck Berry that made me decide to get a divorce and leave the academic world.”
“The youngest of the arts is also the most heavily burdened with memory. Cinema is a time machine. Movies preserve the past, resurrect the beautifil dead; present, intact, vanished or ruined environments; enbody without ironu styles and fashions that seem funny today; solemnly ponder irrelevant or naive problems. The historical particularity of the reality registered on celluloid is so vivid that practically all films older than four or five years are saturated with pathos.”http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814506/bio
One of the distinguishing features of modern life is that it supplies countless opportunities for regarding (at a distance, through the medium of photography) horrors taking place throughout the world. Images of atrocities have become, via the little screens of the television and the computer, something of a commonplace. But are viewers inured -- or incited -- to violence by the depiction of cruelty? Is the viewer's perception of reality eroded by the daily barrage of such images? What does it mean to care about the sufferings of people in faraway zones of conflict?
Her new book is a profound rethinking of the intersect ...
Explore the multifaceted world of Muntadher Saleh, an Iraqi polymath renowned for his expertise in visual art, writing, design, and pharmacy. This SlideShare delves into his innovative contributions across various disciplines, showcasing his unique ability to blend traditional themes with modern aesthetics. Learn about his impactful artworks, thought-provoking literary pieces, and his vision as a Neo-Pop artist dedicated to raising awareness about Iraq's cultural heritage. Discover why Muntadher Saleh is celebrated as "The Last Polymath" and how his multidisciplinary talents continue to inspire and influence.
2137ad Merindol Colony Interiors where refugee try to build a seemengly norm...luforfor
This are the interiors of the Merindol Colony in 2137ad after the Climate Change Collapse and the Apocalipse Wars. Merindol is a small Colony in the Italian Alps where there are around 4000 humans. The Colony values mainly around meritocracy and selection by effort.
Hadj Ounis's most notable work is his sculpture titled "Metamorphosis." This piece showcases Ounis's mastery of form and texture, as he seamlessly combines metal and wood to create a dynamic and visually striking composition. The juxtaposition of the two materials creates a sense of tension and harmony, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between nature and industry.
2137ad - Characters that live in Merindol and are at the center of main storiesluforfor
Kurgan is a russian expatriate that is secretly in love with Sonia Contado. Henry is a british soldier that took refuge in Merindol Colony in 2137ad. He is the lover of Sonia Contado.
2. r Strangelove or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, the 1964
Satirical comedy noir, directed by the well acclaimed and renowned director
Stanley Kubrick starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim
Pickens and Peter Bull. Has been widely acknowledged as a great movie and
hysterical piece of historical commentary on the cold war and the toxic masculine
nature of combat.
As mentioned this film plays out in the cold war which started at the end of world
war II in 1947 and lasted until 26th of December, 1991 when the soviet union was
dissolved. This was a period of time where there was no active combat or war,
however, one could almost smell war in the air and no one knew if or when a war
might break out.
Since this film explores a very complex theme I will devise this case study into
sections each of which will hopefully, comprehensively look at and dissect what was
done and why it was done.
Also since the title Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love
the Bomb is painfully long, we’ll just use Dr. Strangelove for the rest of this case
study unless using the full Title is beneficial or relevant at the time.
“A film about what could happen if
the wrong person pushed the wrong
button -- and it played the situation
for laughs. U.S. Air Force General
Jack Ripper goes completely insane,
and sends his bomber wing to
destroy the U.S.S.R. He thinks that
the communists are conspiring to
pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of
the American people.”
D
Introduction
3. WHO MADE DR.
STRANGELOVE?
Stanley Kubrick
As mentioned already Stanley Kubrick directed Dr. Strangelove, this was his 10th film and his 7th full length feature film.
Stanley Kubrick was know to spend hours and weeks researching and planning each aspect of his films the Kubrick
archives are the perfect example of this. So it hardly comes as a surprise to hear that almost everything in Dr. Strangelove
was actually true, but we’ll get into that later.To say that Kubrick had a sophisticated filing system would be an
understatement.From test film reels to photo research for movies everything had been meticulously filed. Even fan letters
had been filed, for each city in the world, from positive ones to negative ones even ‘crank’ fan letters that could have a
criminal nature in case someone tried to assassinate him or do something along the lines of assault. Stanley Kubrick was
meticulously precise and everything he composed, filmed and researched had a purpose.
That was his style, a style that was rare when he was making films, and feels as
though is lacking to exist in modern day. It doesn’t matter if his films are about the
Vietnam war, Space travel infused man vs machine or behaviour modified ultraviolent
junkies, the research he conducts to create these films makes them feel plausible and
believable. Further more before he became a film maker he was a photographer working
for the ‘Look magazine’ where he did some editorial style photography which meant that
he learned how to powerfully capture a whole story within a single image.This would
later begin to show in his film work.
Film director and actor Sydney Pollack once said in an interview (talking about Kubrick
and his experience with him while shooting eyes wide shut)
“Its not a violent scene, it’s the most violent scene.
Its not an angry scene, it’s the most angry scene.
Its not a helicopter shot, it’s the biggest, widest, smoothest helicopter shot possible...
He was sort of incapable of working without pushing at the edges.”
4. WHEN WAS IT MADE?
Dr. Stranglove was made when it was the most relevant and arguably most risky.
The comedy satire was made right in the midst of the cold war. During this time relations and tensions in the world and more
specifically between then soviet Russia and the United states of America (and the respective allies of either party) were
extremely high. The cold war was a silent rivalry between the countries, one where both parties knew a war could break out
at any moment it was just a matter of who would be first.
How it all began
The cold war began after the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, the wartime alliance between the United states and the
Soviet Union began to break apart. By 1948 the soviets had spread left-wing ideology and governments all over the countries of
eastern Europe which had been liberated by the ‘Red Army’ (The Russian Soviet Army and Airforce).The USA and Great Britain
were scared by the permanent threat of soviet domination of eastern Europe and the threat of soviet-influenced communist
parties coming to power.The soviets however were set on maintaining control over eastern Europe and to spread communism
world wide largely for ideological purposes but also the safeguard against any possible renewed threat from Germany. By the
mid 20th century the cold war is in full form reaching its peak in 1948-1953,during this period the Soviets tried and failed to
blockade theWestern-held sectors of West berlin; the united states and its allies in Europe formed the NATO, (North Atlantic
Treaty Organization) a unified military command to resist the soviet presence in Europe. In 1949 Soviet Russia exploded their
first atomic warhead, consequently forcing Americas hand to develop their own atomic bombs. During the same time, Chinese
communists came to power on the mainland of china and the Soviet-supported communist government of North Korea
invaded the U.S.-supported South Korea in 1950 setting of a 3 year war between North and South Korea that ended in 1953.
5. Political Climate closer to the time of release of the Film
During the 10 years leading up to the release of the film Cold War tensions relaxed to a degree, this was largely to do with the
death of longtime soviet dictator Joseph Stalin who passed away in 1953; nevertheless,the standoff continued.
The next intense stage of this war motivated by ‘peaceful rivalry’ was between 1958-1962,during this time the US and the Soviet
Union began developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, which was soon followed by the famous Cuban missile crisis.The Cuban
missile crisis (1962) was the result of the Soviets secretly installing missiles in Cuba that could be used to launch nuclear attacks on
the U.S.This confrontation broke the peace and brought the two nuclear superpowers to the brink of war. Fortunately for the world
and the people within it, an agreement was reached to withdraw the missiles, this showed the world that Neither the U.S. or the
Soviet Union were ready to use nuclear weapons as the consequence of the others retaliation (and thus atomic annihilation) was too
high.
The satire film Dr. Strangelove plays devils advocate and undertakes the perspective of what would happen if these two atomic giants
were to engulf in a war that could (and would) end all human and animal life.
The movie actually had to be delayed and re-edited,since its original release date was very close to the assassination of president JFK
the marketing team felt it would be insensitive and financially unwise to release the film that made fun of the president so close to
such a detrimental event.To make matters worse in the film when Major Kong is reading out the contents of the survival pack he
originally said “shoot, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff.” however, since JFK was assassinated in
Dallas they decided to dub over it and replace ‘Dallas’ with ‘Vegas’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5qqfsQGYus
Once the film was finally released, Columbia Films included a disclaimer at the beginning of the film reading:
It is the stated position of the United States Air Force that their Safeguards would prevent the occurrence of such events as are
depicted in this film. Furthermore, it should be noted that none of the characters portrayed in this film are meant to represent any
real persons living or dead.
WHEN WAS IT MADE?
6. WHY DID KUBRICK MAKE DR. STRANGELOVE
Kubrick had been fascinated (and worried) by the concept of a nuclear fallout and Armageddon for a while. Reading over 40
books on the subject, however the idea to make a movie didn’t cross his mind until he read the 1958 novel ‘Red Alert’ written
by Peter ‘Bryant’ George.
This book was a thriller based on the cold war, and was unknowingly soon to be, the basic structure to the film Dr. Strangelove.
Due to the interest in nuclear themes at the time, the film rights to Red Alert were sold in 1959, only to be handed around
until Stanley Kubrick bought them in 1962, for reportedly as little as $3,500.
It was this novel, ‘Red Alert’ , which Stanley used to write the screenplay for ‘Dr. Strangelove’ with help from Peter ‘Bryant’
George, the original author, andTerry Southern.
Originally Kubrick had planned for the film to be a serious drama style film however, he later stated he found comedy and
amusement in the in the idea of mutually assured destruction. Kubrick said:
‘My idea of doing it as a nightmare comedy came in the early weeks of working on the screenplay. I found that in trying to put meat on
the bones and to imagine the scenes fully, one had to keep leaving out of it things which were either absurd or paradoxical, in order to
keep it from being funny; and these things seemed to be close to the heart of the scenes in question.’
He quickly decided that the films story would be better told as a satirical dark comedy.
So, now that we have a rough idea of what the time, political climate and interest behind the film, lets begin to look at the film
itself and break down some themes and concepts.
7. THEMES
Anyone who has watched the film would probably say that the primary theme of the film is the cold war. However, one would find that this is
in-fact not the case. Let me explain this, the theme of the cold war relations between Russia and America in the film are important but non-
essential,you could realistically exchange these two countries and replace them with virtually any other two countries on earth and the story
could stay the exact same.The film is really more concerned with the absurdity and irresponsibility of striving for military (and nuclear)
superiority.
The core theme of the film hinges on this sentence which Dr. Strangelove himself says “Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the
enemy, the fear to attack.”
So you will quickly find that the theme of the film is more deep-rooted in the absurdity and utter strangeness of war and nuclear weaponry.
The clues are placed all throughout the film, for example the phone conversations between the President and ‘Dimitri’ the supposed enemy,
that sounded more like a son trying to speak to his mother, than two world leaders talking about the imminent global threat of nuclear
annihilation.Or the huge buffet set up in the ‘war room’ with a butler.All these little nuances combined to really push this away from reality
into absurdity while still managing to have something that feels believable. When designing the set for the war room, Stanley Kubrick asked
the production designer Ken Adam, if he could cover the big 22ft wide round table in the war room with green material.Ken Adam said, of
course but we are shooting on Black and white film so why does it matter?To which Kubrick reportedly responded“I want it to feel like
they’re playing for the fait of the world like a poker game”
When the film was released this message deeply connected with almost everyone who saw the film.Audiences loved the dark satirical comedy
however, they also appreciated the absurd truth behind the motif of the film, as Elaine Dundy very eloquently states in her 1963 interview
with Kubrick,“You do laugh – at moments you laugh out loud reading it, but all time it never lets you stop thinking,‘Yes, this could happen’”.I
think this was the most powerful aspect of the film. Since there were these extreme tensions between Russia and America, the public felt the
threat of a third world war breaking out at any minute, so this film, not only projected Kubrick's own beliefs and vision, but it also gave the
audience something to hold onto. It allowed the audience to realise the absurdity and irresponsibility which was at the core of the world they
live in.
8. As I mentioned briefly earlier, Dr. Strangelove is and was about Kubrick’s perspective of the cold war, after all that’s what
sparked him to make the film. Kubrick felt that the constant back an forth ‘arms race’ between the two military giants was silly
and dangerously irresponsible. Furthermore he felt that in this tension and exaggerate display of conflict, there could be a slip
up that would change, or even end the lives of the people of earth.
Kubrick cleverly builds this plot around subtleties, little hints here and there that drive the story to a place of
absurdity.This is what Kubrick wanted to do, its why he decided to make the film a comedy rather than a serious drama. He
realised that to tell this story, show his perspective on the cold war and the arms race, he would have to make it larger than
reality and take it to a place where the audience can appreciate what he is trying to say without taking it too seriously.
Kubrick said to Jack Nicholson, that “in movies you don’t try and photograph the reality, you try and photograph the
photograph of the reality.” This is perfectly evident within this film, he takes a step back and looks at the story, and then
proceeds to take another step back to give us the full scale of the picture he is painting.
Another unmissable theme within the film is the theme of sexuality and a plethora of phallic symbols.Within the
film there is only one female role,‘Miss Scott’ which is played byTracy Reed. Her role is to put it simply General ‘Buck’
Turgidson’s mistress, and the cover photo of the ‘Miss Foreign affairs’ playboy style magazine. In addition to this, women are
only added to the story when in relation to sexuality and sex. For example when ‘Miss Scott’ calls him at the pentagon, or
when talking about the ratio of ‘10 women per male’ with all the woman being chosen by their ‘fertility’ and that they must
have a ‘highly stimulating nature’ But why was this done?This approach of overly sexualising women worked fantastically in
portraying them as second class citizens, and to again exaggerate the truth, to show the audience how strange it is that these
26 men in the ‘War Room’ have the power to choose what will and wont happen to humanity and who can and can’t live
based on their ability to stimulate men.
THEMES
9. Further more it greatly helps to showcase once again, the ‘toxic masculinity’ that caused the situation in the first place.The
constant battle between these two countries to be the one with the biggest most powerful bombs and missiles, and needless
to say missiles are one of the most recognised phallic symbols. However this is not the first sexual inuendo we meet in the
film.We are greeted with it as soon as the film begins, footage of two B-52s refuelling mid air, bumping into on another with
the kerosene hose extended into the plane below it is specifically used to portray the act of intercourse. Furthermore there
is a lot of wordplay within the film where innuendos are used within the names of the characters. For example President
Merkin Muffley, the first part of his last name is a slang term used to describe the female pubic hair (Muff) and Captain
Mandrakes name is the same as the name of a herb, believe to increase sexual fertility, Dr. Strangelove’s name by no means
needs explaining.
As I mentioned before Dr. Strangelove proposes the plan of re-building the world from the inside of deep mineshafts, with a
ratio of 10 women per 1 male, all of which would need to be highly fertile and sexually stimulating. Remarking that “top
government and military men” must be included, ensuring that he himself is included in his perverted masterplan.
Again here Kubrick hints at the absurdity that the lives of the general public are simply a game of chess to the world leaders, a
message that subtly but undoubtedly resonated with the audience.
The most memorable scene within the film encultures all of the themes that this movie was built upon, the scene is the direct
result of the untamed testosterone fuelled competition between the USA and Russia, to see who was more powerful,
wealthier and militarily superior. Of course I’m talking about the scene were MajorT.K.‘King’ Kong rides the nuclear missile to
an atomic orgasm and with it the end of all human and animal life on earth.
THEMES
10. Another theme that is very present in the film is
the theme of Good vs Evil, in that it very much
skews the lines of who should be trusted and
who shan’t.
For example, Dr. Strangelove himself, clearly a evil
mastermind who's right arm still seems to be a
Nazi, his sinister plan to preserve human life by
creating what is essentially a sexual paradise for
men underground is simply ludicrous, yet, he is
listened to and respected by all the persons in
the war room, and the only one to suggest
(however ridiculous they may be) solutions to
what should be done in the case of nuclear
Armageddon.
THEMES
I would say that this is a very
simple nudge at the general
public.As after all how many
people really know who the
big decision makers of their
country are next to the
president/prime minister. In
this case suggesting that ‘it
could be a rogue Nazi master
mind for all you know’
11. THEMES
So the lines of good vs evil are relatively blurred.It doesn’t take long
before we don’t know who is good or bad anymore which is cleverly
done as this clearly showcases the absurdity of war.
Kubrick incorporates the phone call between President Merkin Muffley
and Dimitri or Premier,the Russian president.This works to stop the
audience from feeling as though the Russians are bad, by establishing
that the President of the USA and the president of Russia are
seemingly relatively good friends or at least pretend to be.
Furthermore,General Jack D Ripper,though he initiated the warfare,
he is clearly a psychotic who believes that the Russians are infiltrating
the US water supplies because he once lacked sexual performance.
This leaves us unable to pin point who is really at fault for all this and
it brings the audience to the only reasonable argument,which is that
it’s a broken and silly system.And within the film, in the effort for the
‘Good’ to fight the ‘Evil’ both sides created so many loopholes and
systems to combat the other that even though they were seemingly
pretty happy with one another, they had put systems into place that
terrified the other.
Ultimately leading to the ridiculous,funny and terrifying situation.
13. ANALYSIS
• This shot is the first time we are introduced to Dr. Strangelove, and within a
split second we can tell that he is different to the rest of the military men and
politicians who are sat around the table.We can only see half of his face and
he covering a large majority of the screen.Though the camera is only
shooting up slightly his eyeline his above the height of the cameras putting
him into a position of power.
• Furthermore he is the only person we can see who is dressed and
accessorised very differently to the rest of the people in the war room.The
first thing that we notice is his facial accessories, his sunglasses that he's
wearing indoors in a room that is already very dark, it makes us, the audience,
feel uneasy and makes him look sinister and secretive, it makes us feel like we
can’t read him or depict what he is thinking.We then notice that he is wearing
one leather glove, this again, is strange on several levels, the fact that he is
only wearing one glove, that he is the only one in the group to be wearing any
gloves at all and that he is wearing them indoors. It again adds to the sinister
nature of his character.We do later find out the glove symbolises a harsh
fascist Nazi regime, as the hand goes rogue leading to some comedic
moments as the hand hails and tries to strangle Strangelove.When he pushes
himself away from the table the camera quickly moves backwards out of his
way.This shows how he has clearly separated from the group and we quickly
realise that he is a separate entity, this is cleverly done by creating a leading
line and we subconsciously scan down this line looking at all the faces
realising they all look similar except for Strangelove.This is a very quick but
extremely powerful shot.And pays great testament to Kubrick's skill and
renowned attention to detail.
14. This image is a perfect example of Kubrick's photographer side, within this one frame,
enough information is conveyed to tell us everything that we need to know in this
scene.There are no pointless objects in the scene that shouldn’t be there nor is it
lacking anything that would make it easier to read the contents of the scene, other
than a text description.
15. ANALYSIS
• Within the scene at approx. 2 minutes there is a very interesting use of
blocking and camera, the president and Russian ambassador are placed right
and left of the frame and the camera is at hip height of both them. Now once
again, we have only been introduced to Dr. Strangelove a few seconds ago,
which is why I find this shot so interesting. Strangelove establishes himself in
the scene, he starts of at the same size and eyeline as the politicians and
military men sat at the table, but slowly grows in the scene until eventually he
has almost taken up all possible space on the screen.Yet even though the
ambassador and the president are towering over him in the frame, he is still
shot from a low angle and his eyeline is far higher than that of the rest of the
military men in the background. Furthermore as he establishes himself in the
scene, the military men and politicians turn around to look at him until
eventually all eyes are upon him.
• This suggests a 3 way hierarchy, Strangelove is answering to the president and
the Russian ambassador, however he is not intimidate by them as he is
smarter than both of them combined and has the intellectual high-ground.
While the officers and political/military men in the background are irrelevant
to him, so much so that he has his back turned completely to them, while
they are all locking at him. Everyone in the scene is listening to what he has to
say. So though he is in a wheelchair and therefore physically inferior in size, his
sheer charisma and intellect make him the biggest and most powerful
character in the scene, which is fantastically accomplished with these 3 layers
of hierarchy using one camera angle and mise en scene.
16. ANALYSIS
• Since with the previous two shots the power dynamic and on
screen relations have been so clearly established and the audience
has been intrigued by Strangelove and who he is. Kubrick can use
fairly standard conversational shots (standard shot, revers shot, two
shots) to convey some of the vital information that this scene
carries.
• This combination of the two more complex shots and the very
simple conversational shots (the two shot and the close up) allows
the audience to be intrigued and then follow Peter Sellers
performance as Strangelove closely. Enticing the viewer even more,
with Strangeloves creepy constant smile and vacant stare.
• These simple shots allow Dr. Strangelove (Peter sellers) to shape his
performance and suck in the audience and the main cast/extras with
his intellect, charisma and onscreen presence.
17. However,Dr. Strangelove is removed from the rest of the commanders and
displayed as a separate entity even further,using very simply focus.
This is very simply achieved and brilliantly contrasted in these two frames.
Kubrick shot most of the film extremely wide,on 14.5mm lenses with a few
28mm shots here and there to be exact.Often showing the audience plenty of
characters without forcing you to focus on anyone specific but rather allowing
you to choose who you thought was the focus.
However,not in this scene.
As you can see, Strangelove fills the frame and we can just grasp at the hint of
the blurry figures behind him,but they are so out of focus they don’t in anyway
shape or form distract us from the Strangelove.He controls the scene and the
audience,Kubrick wants us to see and focus on him and only him.
Compare this shot to virtually any other shot in the scene if not even the movie
and you’ll find that there are very few cases where Kubrick has made this
choice.
As you can see in the other two examples there is lots of detail in the
background,even in the two shot of the president and the ambassador the
ceiling has lots of detail,even though it is not necessary.
Again reinforcing that Strangelove is different,he does not blend in with the
background,he sticks out,maybe not even belonging there at all.
Adding to the satiric comedy of the film as audiences can so clearly see he does
not belong into this environment yet the president himself is getting advice from
him.
18. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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19. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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