In Stanley Kubrik’s 1963 Film, “Dr. Strangelove”, a nuclear war crisis plays out between the United States and the Soviet Union. The movie is a comedy that pokes fun at the Atomic Bomb, which was still a relatively new thing at the time of the films production.
I noticed a few things while watching the movie. The first thing was that setting, lighting, camera angles and the overall cinematography were taken seriously in this movie. Kubrik was sure to open the movie showing two characters talking on the phone in separate rooms. Ripper was in his office, a dark room, while he smoked a cigar. This created an obstructed perception to the viewer. The focus was on him as to indicate that nothing else was important at the time.He was playing a subjective role. The other character, Mandrake, was in a room full of gadgetry and machines in operation. This setting gave off an information type vibe, making him an objective character. At another point, Ripper is shown from an elevated angle, which also appeared to put him in power over Mandrake. He appears to be in command not only over Mandrake, but also over the audience at this point.
Another thing I notice about the movie was all the instances in which Kubrik used a sense of symbolism. When Piolot, T.J. Kong recognizes that this possibility of nuclear war was becoming reality, he puts on a cowboy hat. I think this s
hows the “no holds barred” feeling. He puts the hat on as if to say, he’s not messing around, or that he means business. Also, Dr. Strangelove’s character wearing a black glove on one hand stuck out to me. In an article about the movie by Grant B. Stillman, he points out that “ [A black glove ] would look rather sinister on a man in a wheelchair.” I found that interesting because I thought Strangelove had a strange sinister look in the movi
e as well. Kubrik must have known what he was doing when he created the character, but it is still a relative mystery to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if thats what he wanted the audience to feel like.
Stillman also shows us that “ Kubrik confusingly explained to Alexander Walker that, Strangelove’s accent was probably inspired by the physicist Edward Teller, who became known as the [loving?] father of the H- bomb...” This tells us where the character came from, adding a little more background to help us understand him a bit more.
The movie was full of themes and little elements of genius in film making. I thought it was very funny, making light of the whole Atomic Bomb situation. What does everyone else think?
Works Cited
Kubrick, Stanley, dir. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb. 1964. Columbia Pictures, 2009.
Stillman, Grant, “Two of the MaDdest Scientists.” Film History. 20 (2008): 487-500.
Web. 24 Aug. 2009.
I thought it was good you brought up Mandrake and Ripper in their different scenes. It does show their personalities and gives the viewer insight on who they are. I also thought Dr. Strangelove had a sinister look.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree about Ripper and Mandrake. I feel as though it was logic arguing with insanity throughout the movie. Their personalities couldn't be farther apart and it really showed. It's very cool how the different scenes were set up between these two.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a very good job going into detail and describing some of the important scences in the movie. I was very confused during the movie, so your comments helped kind of clear it up a bit. I too agree that Strangelove had a sinister look. I like your title too because Dr. Strangelove was a veryyy strange character.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis of Strangelove's character, especially his "Nazi hand" and his accent. I also think your blog template accompanies the pictures well. Next time you post, try putting spaces between your paragraphs and maybe use larger text.
ReplyDelete