American Politics & Pop Culture

Stanley Kubrick used black comedy in 1964 with his film, Dr Strangelove or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. In reality, the circumstances of causing a nuclear war which may lead to the destruction of mankind would have been treated as a very serious condition. This film brought black comedy into one of the scariest situation in which the world has to face. If this was serious, drama film I believe it would be a fairly good movie, but the only thing that it would create is more fear. The Cold War was still in effect and a movie the destruction of mankind would only create chaos. I believe that Kubrick’s main objective was to create a movie with the Cuba Missile Crisis still in the minds of the American people. Charles Maland states that this may be a way to “relieve anxiety during a time when the Cold War was intensifying.� Jackson Burgess suggests that this film is not to promote an anti-military approach, but a “concern to public morality.� Who has the right to start a war? The concerned President? The suicidal Army officer? Or the war-loving Air Force officer? Kubrick’s portrayal of the Cold War may have mocked the military and politics, but their judgment on how to deal with situations such as in the film. Dr. Strangelove epic, humorous approach may have led the audience believes that the United States is being protected by foolish, war-loving military. The use of technology in this film is indeed being distributed in almost every scene. The gadget that we all wished worked correctly in time of need was the radio code device used in the B-2 plane. The gadgets that we all hoped would work incorrectly, but of course, became a trustworthy gadget was a pocket watch camera that the Russian Ambassador used at the end and the nuclear weapons, such as the Doomsday Device. Dr. Strangelove may show or represents our society not trusting new technology as it may fail and serve us worse then good.