Cameron White
This week’s film Dr. Strangelove was a great film. The reasoning for this is how the director, Stanley Kubrick was able to take a very serious issue, in this case being the Cold War and making it somewhat funny.
In the film Dr. Strangelove technology played a large role through out the entire film. I believe that it is portrayed in a sense that without it we would not be able to defend our country and not have world power. It is very apparent that the use of communication from a technological perspective is very important to our society in being triumphant. In present society communication is extremely efficient because of past technological advancements that have helped pave the way for big and better creations. In the reading “Kubrick develops an attitude toward technology in Dr. Strangelove by making use of both machines of destructions and machines of communication� (p. 710). An example of this is how Kubrick emphasizes the importance of communication and if not used properly can result in death. In the reading it talks about Kubrick’s world view, “modern man has made scientific and technological advances inconceivable to previous generations but lacks the wisdom wither to perceive how the new gadgetry might be used in constructive ways or, more fundamentally, to ask whether the “advance� might cause more harm than good� (p. 701). An example of ineffectively using technology through the use of communication is when Mandrake tries to call the President after hearing about the supposed recall code. He tries to get in touch with the President, but he does not have enough money to call him at a pay phone. In today’s society that would never have been an issue because most people have cell phones, which are virtually always reliable.
The film Dr. Strangelove was a movie that portrayed how technological advancements are always being developed for the greater good of society, but if not used properly can do more harm than good.