Dr. Strangelove Reflection
I think the portrayal of the soldiers was a bit over the top but I think it was necessary to be so extreme to add to the overall satire of the piece. I think the many different military characters in the movie helped to show some of the ridiculous ideas about the war. Of course I do not think anyone who has not been a part of the battlefield would not get it but this was the director’s way of showing that we were waiting for nothing. The way the soldiers acted when they were patrolling around in the airplanes shows that there was nothing for them to do. They were waiting around for nothing to happen. These soldiers were fine people just doing their duty but the base commander and the General were nuts. Now I also do not think that is what the military is like but these characters were there to show how outrageously stupid this war was.
As far as General Ripper and Cornel Kong are concerned, I do not believe they were loveable characters. General Ripper was a nut case. The fact that he sent the United States into war just shows how crazy he was. Then when the other base came to get the code, he told his men to fight. He pinned American against American. He thought that the few lives that would be lost there would benefit the greater good of American. I thought his character was disgusting. Even his name suggests that of Jack the Ripper, a murder and lunatic (Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare Comedy and the Ideology of Liberal Consensus). As for Cornel Kong, he was not loveable but at least he added some comic relief. He did a good job of at least portraying some reality to the military. He was a smart leader who did a great job on his mission. He may have been somewhat crazy but he loved his country and was willing to have fun defending it. I think these to characters show important ideas within our society at the time. General Ripper represents the people who think that communists are everywhere and that they are taking us over any way they can. As for Cornel Kong, he represents those in our society that are willing to die for our country and place trust in our duty as Americans. Grant Flatgard