Dr.Strangelove Film Analysis Essay example - 2420 Words

Introduction In 1964, Stanley Kubrick released Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb to both critical and commercial praise. The historical context surrounding the film’s release was at the height of the Cold War, just over a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis as the Vietnam War was beginning to escalate. While based on a more serious book, Red Alert by Peter George, it was soon transformed into a black comedy that parodied the absurdity of global nuclear destruction and the mentality of the Cold War. While not as overtly anti-war as his third film Paths of Glory, Kubrick still manages to show the ridiculousness of nuclear war while linking two basic male instincts together, sex and the desire to kill.†¦show more content†¦Ripper’s paranoia about denying women his ‘essence† clarifies the connection between war and sex. While Strangelove admits that women are essential to the survival of mankind, the motivations of women are suspic ious. Ripper’s decision to attack Russia when he was unprovoked is symbolic of his fear of being attacked. He has become paranoid that the same infringement he performs on others might fall on him. The constant waiting creates a life of its own within his mind and a sense of deep apprehension that the same people he has abused will take their revenge. In his office, Ripper is usually shot in high contrast lighting. A lighting effect that is shown largely in melodramas and tragedies to show, evil, fear and the unknown, all of which the character embodies. The overbearing masculinity of most of the characters is balanced by Mandrake and the Presidents, who are decidedly feminist when handling the conflicts and attitudes about war. Mandrake plays a passive role when dealing with Ripper. He listens to Rippers outrageous ideas, being careful not to upset him. He is also very reluctant to help fire Rippers machine gun and tries desperately to convince him to recall the planes or ha nd over the code. The President tries every possible diplomatic solution to quell the military problem. He speaks to the Russian Premier in a feminist manner to try and avoid confrontation. His approach to the