Last week in my film studies class, we researched and then watched the classic movie Dr. Strangelove. The movie is set in the 1960s, after nuclear weapons were introduced in World War Two. The conflict arises when an Air Force general, Jack Ripper, overrides his power, and sends his planes on a secret mission, without asking the president for permission. General Ripper was feeling threatened by those darn Russian commies, and chose to attack the greater part of Russia with atomic bombs. The movie flashes between the bomber pilots, slowly heading towards their targets, the War Room, housing the important political figures, and the Air Force base where it all started.

General Ripper has completely cut off all contact with outside parties, including the president in the War Room. (Fun fact: Ripper and President Muffley are played by the same actor.) President Muffley refuses to listen to any of the reasoning that Air Force General Buck is trying to spoon-feed him. Buck is trying to tell him that all this would have happened eventually; Russia can't be trusted. Buck says there's no way to really get a hold of these B-52s, so why not just let them run their course? However, President Muffley will not stand for that. He invites the Russian Ambassador into the War Room, in efforts to make peace with Russia, and get them to understand his predicament. He ends up aiding the Russian military in shooting down and diverting as many American Air Force planes as possible. President Muffley ends his conversation with the Russian president, feeling accomplished, until he finds out that one of the American planes had been flying so low that it was off the radar. That plane succeeds in dropping one atomic bomb over it's target in Russia, which President Muffley fears that he has set the president of Russia into a fit. The political figures consider hiding out in an underground bunker, to save most of the American race, but the movie is cut off with a series of bombs, leading you to believe that Russia has already retaliated.

This movie is chuck full of symbolism. Every single character represents a stereotype. There are the army generals, ready to attack anyone who dares to look at them funny. Then you have the Russian president and the Russian Ambassador, who swear they're there to promote peace, however the ambassador proves to be a spy, and their president was already sending bombs America's way, before they knew whether America's planes could be stopped. The American president was somebody who was ready to betray his soldiers, by helping the Russian military shoot them down, making him appear as a traitor. Not only that, but let's look at how sexist the political figures in our country were made out to be: "of course there will be ten women to each one man, and they have to have the right genes, and we'd have to allow polygamy of course." Bring up the fact that each man gets at least ten women all to himself, and suddenly the government is ready to pick the most attractive girls in the country and throw them underground.
The movie is also very anti-war. It pretty much showed how much of a disaster we get ourselves into when we shove our nose in other countries business. I noticed the motto "Peace is our Profession" shown in multiple places in the Air Force Base. It was visible in all of the rooms in the Air Force Base, including the room that General Ripper was in when he ordered the attack.However, as the movie wore on the motto seemed to disappear. In the last hour of the film I couldn't find it anywhere. And you know, speaking of symbolism, Jack Ripper? The same name as the infamous London serial killer, who ended the innocent lives of almost 300 people. Just consider that as food for thought.

In my own opinion, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie. I thought that there was too much exposition, and not enough climax. I got sick of the idiotic public figures in the War Room bickering, and wanted to see what was going to happen to Russia. Here you're waiting for Russia to get inahilated, and the only thing you get to see is some bomb falling from the sky at an itty bitty target, and boom. That's pretty much it. I thought the script was funny, and I was impressed by how well Peter Sellers played all three of his characters, but it was just not my cup of tea.

two of five cups of tea