In 1963, one could say that the world was truly going to hell. The United States was in chaotic turmoil as it tried to keep the world together while fighting communism from the Soviet Union. The Cold War had almost turned into a blazing hot one the year before with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Schools were still practicing the classic “duck and cover.” Nuclear arms had suddenly advanced faster than almost any technology in the world. Worst of all, no one could make a large enough statement to reach the masses.
Until Stanley Kubrick came along.
Kubrick, considered the greatest filmmaker of all time by many (including myself), has directed some of the most thought provoking and visually engaging films ever made, including A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Full Metal Jacket. His films manage to be precise in shots and structure for every single second.
In 1963, Kubrick began working on a script about the danger of nuclear arms. He was going to adapt the novel Red Alert from Peter George -- a serious, quick-paced thriller about the possible breakout of World War III. But as Kubrick worked on the script, he apparently found the situation “too funny” and began to create his film as a comedy.
It’s this ingenious trait of Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb that makes it such a successful film. For one, it’s ridiculously hilarious. Roger Ebert states in his 1999 essay on the film that the comedy is effective not because these people are trying to be funny, but because they don’t know they are being funny. Sterling Hayden’s Jack D. Ripper seems convinced he is protecting America by stopping the fluoridation of water. It’s a straightforward performance, but it’s hilarious to hear.
For another, Kubrick has the comedic genius Peter Sellers in a triple role. Each one of his characters are put in situations that none can comprehend, yet because their characters are so shallow-- save for the good doctor – their timid reactions come off as funny. There’s a preposterous scene in which Sellers plays the president of the US and has to call the Russian Premier to inform him that his country is about to be bombed to hell and back. It’s an improved conversation that feels so contradictory to a possible reality that it is side-splitting. Then there’s George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson. Scott’s performance is just a marvel to behold. His laid back attitude to the whole thing just couldn’t feel funnier. In one scene, Scott explains how good his pilots are, reaching almost insanity, only to back up and have his realization.
Kubrick directs this as a Cold War thriller. At no point does the film feel like it’s comedy is comic. It’s simply presented accidentally on screen. The paranoia should take over in the viewer’s mind -- but the absurdity of the comedy keeps the viewer distanced from the reality. It’s this use of the Verfremdungseffekt (a distancing of the audience from the characters) that makes us realize the utter disconnect of the situation and the Cold War in general.
Satire is a brilliant way to get a grip on a situation that seems beyond individual control. As you view the comedy of Mr. Kubrick’s work, realize what he is saying about the Cold War. This was a direct attack about America’s first instinct to use the bomb But even with the Cold War over, Strangelove’s satire is still relevant in America today: just turn on the news. The film’s continued relevancy is also a product of its genius, its ability to simultaneously caution us and entertain us. A frightening tale about those in power and human nature, a powerhouse warning about the dangers of nuclear arms, Dr. Strangelove, like all good things in life, also makes us smile and laugh.
Peter Labuza
Film Club
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