Dr. Strangelove

"Dr. Strangelove/ or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, seems to me to be this kind of work. For years now, not only the premise of this film has been lying," this was stated by Jack Richardson in his article Strangelove and The Silence.

The quote above helped to intruque my thoughts about the film because it makes you think about the idea behind the film. The idea that the idea of the bomb was a joke. There were many metaphors relating the film to a game throughout the movie for instance when an M-6 was pulled out of a golf bag during a fight scene. Jack Richardson discussed his ideas about the film in his film critique; he discussed ideas that the film isn't very artistic and that a true attempt to go beyond the old paradoxes. He also makes comments like, "General Buck Turgidson distrust of commies is dragged around the block one to often." I disagree with Richardson I think this idea added to the film because in the end of the film when General Turgidson was right I think it creates a bit of irony. I think the film is making statements towards the idea to stop loving women and love war. Below is a picture that Richardson discussed that agrees with this idea.

"Now , occasionally, in Dr. Strangelove, there are amusing, truly amusing moments.
The openning sequence, in which two bombers copulate in mid-air by means of a refuelling tube while the song
"Try a Little Tenderness" plays, is a brilliant, quick statement of the film'smanner and intention."

I would also like to talk about Grant B. Stillman's article, he talks about the hidden meanings in some of the ideas in Dr. Strangelove. He wants to know things like where the name came from, or the hidden connection between the magazines ad film. He states, "keen eyed observers have already pointed out that Miss Scott, the well-spoken Pentagon secretary under the sunlamp displaying ample naval, also pops up as the centerfold in the Playboy magazine being admired by major Kong in the cockpit." Stillman looked at the all the majors connection in the film. He also looked at metaphors and other ideas, I think these refrences to the metaphors affected the scene. One of my favorite matephors that Stillman makes is, " Perhaps he also noticed with impish relish that the charecter actor who portrayed Dr. No was non other than Joseph Wiseman (quite literally a nuclear wiseman indeed)!
My opinion of the film varies on what aspect is being referred too. The setting was one of my favorite things about the film, especially because of the war room. The war room was very interesting and I also thought it was very interesting that the board only showed Russia and North America. The music that played in the plane that was repeated also had a strong effect. One of the most interesting parts of the cinematography was one Ripper was talking about bodily fluids, and the camera was from below him.

General Jack T Ripper as he is talking about bodily fluids.

Kubrick, Stanley, dir. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb. 1964. Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Stillman, Grant. "Two of the MaDdest Scientists." Film History. 20 (2008): 487-500.
Web. 17 May. 2010.

Richardson, Jack. "'Strangelove' and 'the Silence.'" The Hudson Review. 17.2 (1964): 250-255.
Web. 17 May. 2010.