Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove
Kubrick’s film Dr. Strangelove is one of the most influential movies not just because of the theme that its addresses but also due to the artistic spices that the film directors have used to attract the viewers. One of the most salient literary elements that come out is satire. Lindley explains that this involves using words that poke fun while at the same have interesting meanings. This is evident in different scenes within the mentioned film (98).
First, it is necessary to mention that this is a black film that focuses on nuclear weapons. Kubrick’s 1964 film explores military persons’ lives and how they interact with their weapons in warzones. One can easily say that the whole film is satire. It addresses a critical issue in the most satirical manner one can think of. The plot is that an American general is facing serious mental issues orders an uncle bomb attack om the Soviet Union. However, the victims try to fights in the best way possible to survive.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb by Stanley Kubrick’s focuses on comedy and how best it can attract the audience. As noted by Lindley, the film begins with a tale that tries to narrate some truth which the audience can relate to but bends slightly (88). This is one of the best ways film directors and other artists who use the art of satire apply. It also tries to portray what is likely to happen when generals have their fingers on the trigger and the damage a single decision can cause. Dr. Strangelove tries to build a moment from the first scenes as it tries to create satirically-appealing situations. The humour that the film director uses verges from absurd situations. Kubrick’s film depicts war and the related devastating impacts of it in a hilarious fashion. This makes the scenarios created from the start to end a work of pure satire.
The sociopolitical context that the film focuses on further brings out satire in the best way possible. The early years of the Cold War were increased tension, especially between Russia and the United States. The imagery and storytelling used in this film have tried to help reveal how the sociopolitical situation of the 1960s and how the two nations interacted with each other and the impact this had on interactional relations. The Cold War story is brought out in the best way possible.
The definition of the Cold War is presented in the most satirical manner one can think. The film director tries to move away from the conventional or scholarly description to an instead definition that is hilarious and very painful. Lindley explains that the Cold War’s clear definition is that it was a period where there is no active military engagement (109). It is further noted that the use of music creates the mood and advances satire. The filmmaker has tried to consciously choose music for each scene that matches the events experienced in each setting. This is evident in the setting where the B-52 Bomber is shown. The music that accompanies it is effective in creating satire.
. It is more likely that a critic of any given political regime will have luck presenting his views under the guise of a comedy rather than a blatant rejection of the ruling powers. In this lesson, we will consider how the film reflects its sociopolitical context, and how the imagery and storytelling in the film reap the benefits of the genre of satire. Sociopolitical Context Tensions were high in the early years of the Cold War. Following World War II and coming to an end after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, the Cold War refers to a period of conflict in which there was no active military engagements and no outright fighting.
Dr. Strangelove offers considerable criticism against the mass destruction idea experience in Cuba. During the war period, the military strategy did not consider the civilians’ rights and ownership. The outward violation of human rights is an issue that has remained a significant problem. The filmmaker of this film tries to bring out this criticism perfectly through satire. It is further noted that the Cuban missile crisis is an international crisis that many people have failed to criticize. The nuclear weapons brought significant damage and annihilation to both sides. Kubrick’s film is designed not just to tell a story but also to point out challenges that governments experience during a crisis, such as the one that involved communist Russia and the United States of America. The nuclear war has always been a severe threat for a long time, and Kubrick’s film shows how it has been happening since 1964 when Russia and America started to engage in the Cold War.
However, as explained by Lindley, Dr. Strangelove is not just about comedy. Instead, it tries to use art to teach people about some lessons they should learn related to US-Russia relations history (7). The work is designed to narrate a humourless issue in the most comical way that may seem the work entirely satirical right from the first minute to the last. The artistic skills of Kubrick become apparent when looked at from the satirical lenses. Lindley further explains that Kubrick did not shoot this film as a comedy, making it even more satirical (8). The intention was not to create humour but rather to send a powerful message about the military engagement of the US and Russian forces. The action of every character in this works helps advance the art of satire. He tries to exaggerate some situations enough to have the viewers sit back and re-evaluate them.
The humour that the film director uses verges from absurd situations. Kubrick’s film depicts war and the related devastating impacts of it in a hilarious fashion. This makes the scenarios created from the start to the end, a work of pure satire. Satires provide the kind of critical distance that comes with exaggerating a situation enough to be able to step back from yourself and have a laugh at the absurdity of it all. Dr. Strangelove presents a biting indictment of the military. The imagery and storytelling used in this film have tried to help reveal how the sociopolitical situation of the 1960s and how the two nations interacted with each other and the impact this had on interactional relations. The Cold War story is bout out in the best way possible. For instance, the opening credits show airplanes refueling in flight. Do you see how such a visual composition, as depicted in the picture below, could be interpreted as a sexual position? The film’s opening sequence plays on these visual similarities. The phallic imagery connects to masculine pride’s implicit themes within the military side view of an aircraft refueling in-flight aircraft.
Satire is also created through register shifts, which he brings out with the utmost artistic skills. While this film tries to examine and discuss the global threat and annihilation, it uses only three settings, bringing out the satirical tone. Each of the three settings brings out a dramatic scenario that intrigues the audience and keeps them glued on the film. The film’s mood is achieved through the segmentation of the setting, which later results in satire. There is no doubt that satire has been used well in this film from the first scene to the last. It is worth reiterating that this a great film that demonstrates ways in satire, humour, and other literary elements that can be applied in work. Filmmaking is an art that Kubrick seems to have mastered well enough.
Works Cited
Lindley, Dan. “What I Learned Since I Stopped Worrying and Studied the Movie: A Teaching Guide to Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.” PS: Political Science & Politics 34.3 (2011): 663-667.