Hello, all! In this “series,” we’ve recently looked at a few films from the Korean War and the Vietnam War, but since both of these were fought during the so-called Cold War, I thought it was worth checking out a couple of films that really encapsulate [for me] the spirit of that mostly ideological conflict. Maybe because I was born in 1976, I’ve got a particularly patriotic “Bicentennial Baby” bent. And maybe not. Regardless, I grew up hating the Soviets with every fiber of my being, and celebrated the fall of what Reagan called “the evil empire,” particularly its most notorious symbol – the Berlin Wall – as much any kid could. Now that my bona fides are out of the way, let’s take a look at the first of the two Cold War films, which ironically began in script form as a serious film only to quickly shift gears in later drafts to being a full-fledged black comedy. As you might have guessed, the film is DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB [hereinafter, “DR. STRANGELOVE].
I freaking love this movie, and I’m really glad that it took the tone that it did rather than being more serious-minded. Other films did just fine with the serious take on “What would happen if the bombers got through?” topic, from FAIL-SAFE to BY DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT and so forth, so another film of that ilk really wasn’t necessary. By pursuing a topic as nuclear annihilation using a more comic tone, DR. STRANGELOVE managed to be as horrifying as any of its more serious counterparts, if not even more so.
The premise of the film is pretty basic, so the genius is almost all in the execution, particularly in the performances of Peter Sellers, who portrays three characters in the film: British Captain Lionel Mandrake, US President Merkin Muffley, and the titular Dr. Strangelove. Other characters are memorable, particularly Sterling Hayden as Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper, whose pursuit of protection of “our precious bodily fluids” is not only a classically bizarre scene, but also the catalyst for the film’s plot. In short, he believes that putting fluoride in water [and, thus, pretty much everything] is a giant Communist plot. As a result, he orders a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union. It’s all fairly preposterous until you remember that the Able Archer 83 exercise was a war game that very nearly led to the real thing. Maybe we should have sent VHS tapes of DR. STRANGELOVE to the Soviet Union. Regardless, the rest of the film deals with the powers-that-be attempting to call off the strike, and the results are equal parts horrifying and hilarious.
After the catalyst of the film sets the plot into motion, the action of the film takes place in three main locations: the base controlled by Ripper and defended by his soldiers, the lone B-52 not to receive the recall order, and the War Room located in the Pentagon.
To give away too much about this film would be criminal, but it’s worth pointing out that the premise of the film isn’t just something conjured up by Kubrick for the script. In fact, many of the elements of the film turned out to be rooted in historical truth, which makes a lot of sense given how much research Kubrick did prior to writing the script. I’ll leave it to you to determine just how far down that particular rabbit hole you’d like to go, but suffice it to say that it wasn’t at all implausible that some rogue general could have steered the two superpowers to nuclear war. If you want a fact-based movie about how close we came to nuclear war, I’d recommend something like THIRTEEN DAYS. If, instead, you want a fact-based movie about close we could have come to nuclear war, I’d recommend DR. STRANGELOVE. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut); Day 2 - GLADIATOR; Day 3 - TROY; Day 4 - SPARTACUS; Day 5 - BRAVEHEART; Day 6 - MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD; Day 7 - GLORY; Day 8 - GODS AND GENERALS; Day 9 - GONE WITH THE WIND; Day 10 - CAPITAINE CONAN; Day 11 - ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; Day 12 - GALLIPOLI; Day 13 - PATHS OF GLORY; Day 14 - SERGEANT YORK; Day 15 - DAS BOOT; Day 16 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; Day 17 - PATTON; Day 18 - CROSS OF IRON; Day 19 - SCHINDLER'S LIST; Day 20 - FURY; Day 21 - MASH; Day 22 - TAE GUK GI: THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR; Day 23 - PLATOON; Day 24 - FULL METAL JACKET; Day 25 - GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM; Day 26 - WE WERE SOLDIERS]
I freaking love this movie, and I’m really glad that it took the tone that it did rather than being more serious-minded. Other films did just fine with the serious take on “What would happen if the bombers got through?” topic, from FAIL-SAFE to BY DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT and so forth, so another film of that ilk really wasn’t necessary. By pursuing a topic as nuclear annihilation using a more comic tone, DR. STRANGELOVE managed to be as horrifying as any of its more serious counterparts, if not even more so.
The premise of the film is pretty basic, so the genius is almost all in the execution, particularly in the performances of Peter Sellers, who portrays three characters in the film: British Captain Lionel Mandrake, US President Merkin Muffley, and the titular Dr. Strangelove. Other characters are memorable, particularly Sterling Hayden as Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper, whose pursuit of protection of “our precious bodily fluids” is not only a classically bizarre scene, but also the catalyst for the film’s plot. In short, he believes that putting fluoride in water [and, thus, pretty much everything] is a giant Communist plot. As a result, he orders a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union. It’s all fairly preposterous until you remember that the Able Archer 83 exercise was a war game that very nearly led to the real thing. Maybe we should have sent VHS tapes of DR. STRANGELOVE to the Soviet Union. Regardless, the rest of the film deals with the powers-that-be attempting to call off the strike, and the results are equal parts horrifying and hilarious.
After the catalyst of the film sets the plot into motion, the action of the film takes place in three main locations: the base controlled by Ripper and defended by his soldiers, the lone B-52 not to receive the recall order, and the War Room located in the Pentagon.
To give away too much about this film would be criminal, but it’s worth pointing out that the premise of the film isn’t just something conjured up by Kubrick for the script. In fact, many of the elements of the film turned out to be rooted in historical truth, which makes a lot of sense given how much research Kubrick did prior to writing the script. I’ll leave it to you to determine just how far down that particular rabbit hole you’d like to go, but suffice it to say that it wasn’t at all implausible that some rogue general could have steered the two superpowers to nuclear war. If you want a fact-based movie about how close we came to nuclear war, I’d recommend something like THIRTEEN DAYS. If, instead, you want a fact-based movie about close we could have come to nuclear war, I’d recommend DR. STRANGELOVE. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut); Day 2 - GLADIATOR; Day 3 - TROY; Day 4 - SPARTACUS; Day 5 - BRAVEHEART; Day 6 - MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD; Day 7 - GLORY; Day 8 - GODS AND GENERALS; Day 9 - GONE WITH THE WIND; Day 10 - CAPITAINE CONAN; Day 11 - ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; Day 12 - GALLIPOLI; Day 13 - PATHS OF GLORY; Day 14 - SERGEANT YORK; Day 15 - DAS BOOT; Day 16 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; Day 17 - PATTON; Day 18 - CROSS OF IRON; Day 19 - SCHINDLER'S LIST; Day 20 - FURY; Day 21 - MASH; Day 22 - TAE GUK GI: THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR; Day 23 - PLATOON; Day 24 - FULL METAL JACKET; Day 25 - GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM; Day 26 - WE WERE SOLDIERS]
