Dr. Stangelove Film Review
HIS 102
December 7, 2012
Film Review of
Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and Love the Bomb
Plot Summary: The class was asked to review the film Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and Love the Bomb. The movie was a satirical comedy about nuclear weaponry and what could happen if the wrong person pushed the wrong button. At the core of the film was the story of top-ranking men of the United States and the Soviet Union who had become so destabilized by their inferiority complexes, they dared to use nuclear war as a way to supplement their short-comings.
Ironically, the movie was made during a time when the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was, perhaps, at its worst. To the politically-aware, the film could have seemed rather untimely. The film was a ridiculously exaggerated take on Cold War attitudes, with the primary focus being the satirical theory of mutual assured destruction (MAD). Even though MAD was a realistic threat during the time, the film made it seem trivial and funny.
The film opened with the mid-air refueling of a long-range bomber with obvious sexual overtones. After that, the movie shifted into gear when General Jack D. Ripper became mentally unhinged and sent bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The subject of the movie was Dr. Strangelove, a mysterious, wheelchair-bound German scientist whose mechanical arm was always on the verge of a Nazi salute. Loaded with thermonuclear weapons, a U.S. bomber piloted by Major T.J. "King" Kong was on a routine flight near the Soviet Union. There, he received orders to commence “Wing Attack Plan R,” best summarized as "Nuclear combat.” The Major relished the thought of going “Toe to toe with the Russkies." On the ground at the Air Force Base, General Jack D. Ripper calmly informed Group Captain, Lionel Mandrake, that he had given the command to attack the Soviet Union. His reason was that he felt it was
December 7, 2012
Film Review of
Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and Love the Bomb
Plot Summary: The class was asked to review the film Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and Love the Bomb. The movie was a satirical comedy about nuclear weaponry and what could happen if the wrong person pushed the wrong button. At the core of the film was the story of top-ranking men of the United States and the Soviet Union who had become so destabilized by their inferiority complexes, they dared to use nuclear war as a way to supplement their short-comings.
Ironically, the movie was made during a time when the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was, perhaps, at its worst. To the politically-aware, the film could have seemed rather untimely. The film was a ridiculously exaggerated take on Cold War attitudes, with the primary focus being the satirical theory of mutual assured destruction (MAD). Even though MAD was a realistic threat during the time, the film made it seem trivial and funny.
The film opened with the mid-air refueling of a long-range bomber with obvious sexual overtones. After that, the movie shifted into gear when General Jack D. Ripper became mentally unhinged and sent bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The subject of the movie was Dr. Strangelove, a mysterious, wheelchair-bound German scientist whose mechanical arm was always on the verge of a Nazi salute. Loaded with thermonuclear weapons, a U.S. bomber piloted by Major T.J. "King" Kong was on a routine flight near the Soviet Union. There, he received orders to commence “Wing Attack Plan R,” best summarized as "Nuclear combat.” The Major relished the thought of going “Toe to toe with the Russkies." On the ground at the Air Force Base, General Jack D. Ripper calmly informed Group Captain, Lionel Mandrake, that he had given the command to attack the Soviet Union. His reason was that he felt it was