Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Essay

Some people would say that it is impossible to experience humor while watching a movie about nuclear war. Not until they watch "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Game," a movie directed by Stanley Kubrick. The 1964 masterwork is based on a book the book "Red Alert" by Peter George and generally satirizes the fears of a nuclear war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The movie has beaten the test of time, and one can still enjoy watching it even today. Peter Sellers starred in the film which was produced in the United Kingdom with George Scott and Slim Pickens.

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The movie starts with General Ripper ordering Captain Mandrake to put the base on alert. The General also issue an order to all controlling aircraft to attack the Soviet Union and only to communicate through a system which receives communication only if it is preceded by a secret three letter code. However, Captain Mandrake discovers that the Pentagon did not issue any nuclear attack on the Soviet Union and the general is insane, only after he is locked by the General in his office. Muffley, the President of the United States of America, is briefed on what is going on and how it is impossible to recall the soldiers without a three letter code. The President orders an attack on the base where General Ripper is and asks the Soviet ambassador to call the Soviet Premier so that the Soviets can protect themselves against the impending attack (Maland 710). President Muffley is in for a rude shock when he learns that the Soviets created a doomsday machine which detonates automatically in case of any nuclear attack in the Soviet Union. The device would make the end of all life in the world within two months.

When Ripper's base is attacked by the U.S. soldiers, he commits suicide while Captain Mandrake identifies the three-letter security code, which proves vital in ordering all the bombers to stand down except one. The aircraft is impossible to recall because the Soviet's missile fired to counter the nuclear attack destroyed the radio communication equipment and the fuel tanks. Although President Muffley discloses the location of the remaining aircraft, the Soviets are unable to stop it because the commanding officer of the plane, Major Kong had selected target which was near. A Hydrogen bomb is released while Dr. Strangelove suggests that the United States President should choose several individuals to live safely in underground mines (John 50). The films end with explosions after the doomsday machine detonates.

Kubrick and his co-writer, Terry Southern wanted to share their views about the cold war and the dangers a nuclear war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The movie criticizes cold war ideologies such as the missile gap. The United States believed that it would be in danger of suffering defeat because the Soviet Union had more missiles then itself. But this was not the case, because the data from the CIA clearly showed that Americans were more equipped. The government of the United States took advantage of the missile gap to increase its military strength by increasing the defense budget to acquire more weapons. The film further satirizes the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction which states that in case of any nuclear attack by two countries both the attacking country and the opposing side will be destroyed. The doomsday machine which detonates after an attack on the Soviet Union in the movie is consistent with the Mutually Assured Destruction, also called the MAD theory. As the film end, Dr. Strangelove suggests that important people be placed in underground mines to ensure the survival of humankind. However, the MAD theory suggests there would be no remnants in case of a nuclear war. The underground shelters also mock the attempt by the United States government, led by President J.F. Kennedy to build shelters that would save millions of citizens in the event of a nuclear war. Also, the movie questions the control of atomic weapons by the United States government official (Lindley 665). In the film, General Ripper has the power to order a nuclear attack if all his superiors are dead. Kubrick wanted to show the dangers posed by the cold war and the effects of a nuclear war to all of humanity at the same time incorporating comedy. Kubrick had to tell the story this way because not only was it a matter of grave importance, but it also had to be humorous so that anybody could watch it and identify with it. The movie had to combine the issue of nuclear war and incorporate humor to bring the point home.

Set at the time of heightened tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, "Dr. Strangelove" has a fair part of history to tell. The cold war lasted from 1947 to 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. In the movie, one of the characters played by Sellers is Dr. Strangelove, a former Nazi scientist who now advises the President of the United States of America. In a way, this is a reference to Operation Paperclip, a program by the United States which involved recruiting the best technical staff from Germany after the end of World War II. The cold war references such as the MAD theory and the doomsday machine coincides with what was going on regarding the cold war. Herman Kahn used a doomsday machine to illustrate the effects of the MAD notion in 1960 (Lindley 664). The movie tells about what was going on during the early sixties, on the verge of a nuclear war.

Although the movie was produced over five decades ago, it can still help us understand contemporary politics. The cold war ended, but different countries are still involved in conflicts and political tension between each other. Other countries such as North Korea now possess nuclear weapons that pose a threat to the survival of all life on Earth. The movie can, therefore, help to illustrate the danger of a nuclear war and how to handle conflicts to avoid a nuclear war. When a country owns some nuclear weapons, how they are controlled is of importance to everyone. Several issues have been raised in recent time not only about the power delegated by the President of the United States to some military officials about controlling the nuclear weapon but also about the increased Department of Defense budget (Feaver 170). The reasons why some countries such as Switzerland have spent vast amounts of money on building underground shelters can be seen in the movie. The film is therefore relevant even today.

Kubrick showed in the movie that sometimes the fate of the whole world lies in the hands of the most influential nations. After a Hydrogen bomb strikes the Soviet Union soil, a doomsday machine is automatically activated, which ends all life on earth and make the planet inhabitable for over ninety-three years. A nuclear war would destroy the world, even countries without a single nuclear weapon, or countries with nothing to do with the cold war rivalry. The world is therefore not safe, as Ripper, a mad general, manages to start a war that ends the world, apart from few individuals held in underground shelters. The truth from the movie coincides with the dominant reality, in a way that a nuclear war between two opposing countries could see the end of life on this planet as we know it. In recent times, countries ruled by dictators have acquired nuclear weapons (Gray 280). Despite efforts by organizations such as the United Nations to control the nuclear weapons, a chance of a nuclear war occurring in the future cannot be ruled out. In case of such a war, some people will be saved in underground shelters while this could mean the end of the lives of all citizens from countries without a single underground shelter.

The movie involves the uses of the Game theory, criticizing the use of the approach when the risks of the moves are too high. Initially, the Game Theory involved one person gaining as a result of the other opponents' failure and a state of equilibrium only occurs when one person is aggressive, and the opponent is not. When one player makes a move, the other one is forced to stand down, in a rational world, to avoid extreme repercussions of retaliating. The opponents already know the dangers of making a move. From the film, the result of a nuclear war between the Soviets and the United States is an apocalypse, the end of the world. Humanity, therefore, cannot be depended on to make rational choices. The decision by the Soviet Union to build a doomsday machine would have worked in avoiding a nuclear apocalypse only if the rest of the world knew about it. General Ripper made a move by ordering a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, except that he did not know the Soviets would react. The Soviets responded by detonating their automatic doomsday machine, resulting in the most dangerous outcome; an end to all life on earth (Belleto 340). "Dr. Strangelove" used the Game Theory to show the payoff in case of a nuclear war during the cold war.

The film symbolizes the power held by political leaders in the world, how the political leaders control other aspects of life such as the survival of all humankind. The film sarcastically criticizes the safety of the people, with an individual enough to start a nuclear war. The people with political powers have so much at stake; hence madmen such as General Ripper should not be allowed in any leadership position (Lindley 663). The film further mocks the political system of the whole world and seems to ask; how can the fate of the earth be held in the hand of one person? Unfortunately for us, nothing much has changed since the cold war era. Governments still spend a lot of money on acquiring nuclear weapons. The situation is worse now with more countries owning nuclear weapons.

Conclusion

"Dr. Strangelove" tells a story about the views of some people regarding a nuclear accident during the cold war. Kubrick was first obsessed with an idea about making a movie about a nuclear war between the superpowers, before deciding to adopt the novel "Red Alert." The masterpiece is filled with sarcasm and would be impossible to watch the movie without an occasional laugh. Great performances by Peter Sellers, who played three roles instead of the Kubrick's intended four, are likely to keep every comedy lover glued to the screen. George Scott was at his best, with incredible facial expressions. Despite the moving having great performances, Kubrick could have ensured there was no dialogue after the first explosion from the doomsday machine, suggesting an end to all humanity. Otherwise, the fantastic movie is worth every minute of anybody's time.

Works Cited

Belletto, Steven. "The game theory narrative and the myth of the national security state." American Quarterly 61.2 (2009): 333-357.

Feaver, Peter D. "Command and control in emerging nuclear nations." International

Security 17.3 (1992): 160-187, muse.jhu.edu/article/447036/summary

Gray, Colin S. "Gaining compliance: The theory of deterrence and its modern application." Comparative Strategy 29.3 (2010): 278-283,www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01495933.2010.492198

John, A. Andrew, Rowena A. Pecchenino, and Stacey L. Schreft. "The Macroeconomics of Dr. Strangelove." The American Economic Review (1993): 43-62, www.jstor.org/stable/2117495#metadata_info_tab_contents

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 (2001): 663-667, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/what-i-learned-since-i-stopped-worrying-and-studied-the-movie-a-teaching-guide-to-stanley-kubricks-dr-strangelove/03BDCA1AE7A6A802DCC2C0DBD68B1BBE

Maland, Charles. "Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare comedy and the ideology of lib...