DR. STRANGELOVE: OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB

US, 1963, 98 minutes, Black and white.
Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, Keenan Wynn, Peter Bull, Tracy Reed, James Earl Jones.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Dr Strangelove began a long line of satirical anti-war comedies that climaxed in 1970 with M*A*S*H and Catch 22. It was a breakthrough in its time when it had a strong point - Berlin 1961, Cuba 1962 and the Disarmament Treaty in 1963. On a serious level, other films, show the same dangers: military paranoia in Seven Days in May, the exceeding of the failsafe limit in Fail Safe, nuclear attack and retaliation in The Bedford Incident, nuclear explosions in Panic in Year Zero and These are the Damned.

Dr Strangelove has brilliant performances by Peter Sellers in three roles and George C. Scott anticipating Patton (bluster and calling on the Almighty). Situations are absurd but generally make a point at the expense of our conventional attitudes, behaviour and prejudices, and the dialogue is quite clever.

Dr Strangelove offers nothing very constructive, but it is a black satirical analysis of much of what is wrong with us. Stanley Kubrick attacked war in Paths of Glory (1957) and commented on social brutality in Spartacus (1960). Here he is quite pessimistic, but everyone knows that he changed his pessimism to some kind of optimistic and religious sense in h.1s next film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he spent at least three years making, 2001 is an interesting comparison for the points of view of many contemporary films; for those interested in Kubrick and modern trends both Dr Strangelove and 2001 must be seen.

1. What tone does the title give to the film - also the exaggerated lines of the credit titles?

2. Is there any sense of realism in the film or is it all set in a remote and unreal world? How does this affect the satirical effect of the film?

3. Comment on the satire of some of the names - Mandrake, Jack D. Ripper, General Buck Turgison, Dr Strangelove, the slogan 'Peace is our profession',

4. Consider each of the major characters and ask what aspects of politics, military strategy, religion, science, contemporary attitudes and human behaviour each is satirising;
- Mandrake: stiff upper lip British amiability and ineffectiveness (Ripper suicides, the 'phone call to the President, although he actually gives them the code).;
- the President: cold efficiency and self-security, menacing his opposition, having complete control over strategy;
- Dr Strangelove: mad scientist caricature, Nazi doctor and ideals-the survival of the most needed (selfish hedonism) the love of destructive weapons for their own sake;
- General Turgison: right-wing patriot, nominally religions (his prayer of thanksgiving), but casual with his girl-friend secretary;
- General Ripper: mad, rightwingism, fear of communist conspiracy paranoia about the fluoride in the Water (the satirical sexual overtones about bodily fluids and energy), the satire on security and the power of the General Staff and generals, the emergency plans that cannot be countermanded;
- the soldier who follows orders (fighting his awn men) , the coins for the phone and the respect for public property as he shoots the Commander in Chief
- the secretary and her 'take-off' of the charming, unruffled secretary;
- the Russian ambassador: spying, the hits at the alcoholic Russian president;
- the bomber pilot: jingoism, the Wild West attitudes to World problems.

5. Is the exceeding of the fail-safe limits a possible situation? How frightening is it? How important to the world is human error?

6. Is such an exceeding of power by a General a possible situation? How frightening is this?

7. How is War satirised in the film?

8. How are Americans satirised?

9. When the emergency arises, many of the old cliches about power, domination, enemies seem irrelevant or ridiculous. Does this mean that they are ridiculous all the time but we notice them only in arises?

10. The film had a strong impact and point in 1963/4, Is it dated now? Why?

11. What is the effect of the irony of Vera Lynn's singing "We'll Meet Again" as the world blows up? What points are being made? Is the film absolutely pessimistic?

12. Was Peter Sellers' playing three roles successful? Was it merely an acting tour-de-force or did it contribute to the meaning of the film?