What Is The Moral Of Dr Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Atomic Bomb
1. I used Mike Martin’s definition of morality in the movie review analysis and I think it is again appropriate to reference it when talking about how morality is defined in the case of Dr. Strangelove. Martin says. “Morality is a matter of respecting human rights; morality is fulfilling our duties to others; morality concerns the most important values, which should override all others; morality is obeying God's commandments; morality centers around the happiness of self-fulfillment of all persons” (Martin, An Intro to Applied Ethics, Feb 9, 2006). Even though Dr. Strangelove is a satirical comedic look at the strained relations between the United States and the Soviet
I think when analyzing the fictional and dramatic elements of any film, it is important to make a checklist and see if the film fulfilled or did not fulfill the major points of emphasis or elements that are fairly common in film. Boggs and Petrie make a point that I think is a perfect talking point when discussing Dr. Strangelove. They say on page 42 in their book, "A unified plot focuses on a single thread of continuous action, where one event leads to another naturally and logically." (Boggs and Petrie, 42) The interesting and unique thing about Dr. Strangelove is that it contains elements of this theory that there is a unified plot (The conflict between the USA and Soviet Union) but on the other hand there are certain events within the film that betray this idea and make for a totally different film altogether. As I watched this film it was clear that it was in a word different. Most films that deal with the possibility of an outbreak of war would focus on the military strategy and subsequent military action. The entire convention of a unified plot becomes irrelevant the moment the American President Merkin Muffley brings what would seem to be his Russian enemies into the war strategy room to discuss the ongoing conflict. There is a particular quote from the film that lends credence to my view that this is not a conventional film with a unified plot. The American President Merkin Muffley after inviting the Russian Ambassador to negotiate over the potential conflict,
Strangelove, this is an appropriate point to utilize. There were definitely points where I was unsure if what I was watching was actually real or not. Obviously this was a dark comedy meant to make the viewer question their beliefs and conventions on the fly as expectations certainly changed immediately as the movie progressed. I think that Stanley Kubrick was able to keep the viewer intrigued by changing things up on the fly. A part of me expected a more conventional USA vs. Soviet Union rah rah war film but when the President invited the Russian Ambassador in for negotiations, that idea was immediately thwarted. I was left guessing if the United States would send an atom bomb into Russian soil, if the Russians really did have an automatically triggered civilization ending doomsday device and if Dr. Strangelove was a secret spy of some sort, hell bent on world domination. The point is that Kubrick’s odd but effectively unique vision allowed the viewer to keep guessing and imagining what direction the film would take