Dr. Strangelove
Dr.Strangelove
Dr.Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, is one of Stanley Kubrick's greatest works and the best dark comedy to hit the silver screen. Kubrick perfectly captures the tension caused by the Cold War and boldly produces this film at a time when the Cold War was at it's height. By using a comedic voice Kubrick is able to portray a very serious subject manner, such as nuclaear war, in a way people can understand through comedy. So incredible was this story that it could only be taken in, and absorbed as a satire. Kubrick knew this, so he turned to the novel Red Alert, by Peter George, and transformed it into a screenplay, and added a certain degree of absurdity. By enlisting the talents of hit author Terry Southern, whose sharp wit and brazen mentality was exactly the edge Kubrick was looking for (Inside). Together, they were able to come up with a winning combination by taking the over-all plot of Red Alert and adding comedic elements. Such as Dr. Strangelove, a character that did not exist in the original novel. The mixture was just right and translated extremely well to film. In my opinion this is why Dr.Strangelove has been recognized as number 26 of the 100 most important films by the American Film Institute (IMDB). Unlike Fail Safe, a melodrama tackling the same subject and released around the same time, was not. Kubrick's mastery of his art is seen through out the film. In addition to Kubrick's talents, the brilliant performances of his stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, make Dr. Strangelove a film that will withstand the test of time.
Formalistic in nature, the film retains the qualities found in classical cinema as do most comedies, applying aspects of both formalism and realism. As such, the film is told in a classical narrative structure. We are overtly aware of jumps in time to keep us up to speed but they are subtle enough that we are not jarred and don't feel the need to inquire as to
Dr.Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, is one of Stanley Kubrick's greatest works and the best dark comedy to hit the silver screen. Kubrick perfectly captures the tension caused by the Cold War and boldly produces this film at a time when the Cold War was at it's height. By using a comedic voice Kubrick is able to portray a very serious subject manner, such as nuclaear war, in a way people can understand through comedy. So incredible was this story that it could only be taken in, and absorbed as a satire. Kubrick knew this, so he turned to the novel Red Alert, by Peter George, and transformed it into a screenplay, and added a certain degree of absurdity. By enlisting the talents of hit author Terry Southern, whose sharp wit and brazen mentality was exactly the edge Kubrick was looking for (Inside). Together, they were able to come up with a winning combination by taking the over-all plot of Red Alert and adding comedic elements. Such as Dr. Strangelove, a character that did not exist in the original novel. The mixture was just right and translated extremely well to film. In my opinion this is why Dr.Strangelove has been recognized as number 26 of the 100 most important films by the American Film Institute (IMDB). Unlike Fail Safe, a melodrama tackling the same subject and released around the same time, was not. Kubrick's mastery of his art is seen through out the film. In addition to Kubrick's talents, the brilliant performances of his stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, make Dr. Strangelove a film that will withstand the test of time.
Formalistic in nature, the film retains the qualities found in classical cinema as do most comedies, applying aspects of both formalism and realism. As such, the film is told in a classical narrative structure. We are overtly aware of jumps in time to keep us up to speed but they are subtle enough that we are not jarred and don't feel the need to inquire as to