Dr. Strangelove: A Cinematic Mirror Reflecting Cold War Culture, Politics, and Society - Paper Sample

Movies share a dynamic relationship with culture, politics, and society. For years, films have significantly influenced much of their audiences and have remained a fundamental component of the mass culture that consumes them. Throughout antiquity, motion pictures have often drawn inspiration from social, political, and cultural dynamics to reflect dominant beliefs, attitudes, and concerns. The year 2020 marks virtually half a century since the release of Stanley Kubrick's black comedy, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Grounded on the Cold War context plus the threat of nuclear arms, the film depicts a mentally unstable U.S. Air Force General, Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), commanding a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union without the president's consent. The result is massive controversy. While some of the audiences described the film as dangerous, others compared it to Soviet propaganda. Despite it being a travesty, many critics disapproved of its inconceivableness. Almost six decades later, it is now clear that U.S. military officers at the time were capable of declaring war on their own approval. While the nation today operates under several rigorous safeguards, the risk of unauthorized or accidental nuclear detonation still lingers. Despite receiving mixed responses (criticism and applause in equal share), Kubrick's film highlighted various social, cultural, and political events of the 1950s and 60s by reflecting the dominant conservatism manifested in these areas at the time. As a biting satire, the film also brought to light American attitudes toward the danger of atomic obliteration at the height of the Cold War.

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Anyone with a clear comprehension of American history will contend that Dr. Strangelove typically portrays American society at the height of a global disagreement despite the film being an absorbing blend of American and British standpoints. As a black comedy that culminates with the world's total destruction in a nuclear war, the film follows Pentagon's dilemma following Gen. Ripper's decision to instigate a plan to attack the Soviet Union using atomic weapons – deemed 'Plan R Dr. Strangelove's primary focus includes U.S. regulation of nuclear arms, the concepts of deterrence and mutually assured destruction (MAD), logic or illogic, and the prospect of unauthorized atomic war.

In this film, the events depicted show the U.S. president, Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers), in a dilemma between taking his council's advice and struggling to avoid disaster by pacifying a drunk Soviet Premier. While some might criticize Kubrick's production for being absurd, the film certainly highlights many aspects of culture, politics, and society. In a sense, the film bears a unique characterization as America's storyteller, thanks to its reflection of the wide-held beliefs and attitudes about the true meaning of being an American in the latter half of the 20th century. Consequently, Kubrick's film serves as a vital commentary on America and American attitudes during the Cold War.

The 1950s and 60s were decades of change and revolution in politics, culture, and society worldwide. In the U.S., these were eras marked by political ideologies, civilian protests against the government's involvement in foreign wars, and mounting calls for women's rights. For instance, toward the 60s end, a considerable percentage of the American population protested the Vietnam War, contending that their country's involvement in this war was uncalled for; women's rights activists joined the frontline demanding more rights for women due to the changing gender roles; and the shattering political dynamics such as President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Political Events

Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove satirizes political events in the U.S. More specifically, the film mocks Americans' attitudes toward the threat of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War. At the onset of the 1960s, a culture of fear that had followed the Hiroshima aftermath started enfolding Americans, paving the way for the flourishing of dissension. As Kerman Kahn noted, President Kennedy's 1961 Civil Defense speech during the Berlin crisis quickly followed Herman Kahn's 1960 depiction of the reality of a nuclear war, whereby he contrasted the death toll with the years for economic recovery – raising a considerable alarm. By the end of 1961, the Defense Department had distributed pamphlets titled "Family Food Stockpile for Disaster" and "The Family Fallout Shelter" to millions of Americans, panicking the latter and forcing them to respond by constructing bomb shelters. The culture of fear climaxed during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis shattered the myth of security and invincibility in America. The crisis almost placed the world on a collision course with nuclear war and America's juxtaposition to an apocalypse. The result saw much public dissent descending to chaos.

Throughout Dr. Strangelove, the theme of political ideology prevails. The film pits Americans against the Soviets in a manner that repetitively challenges the 60s political conventions. Fact is, if Kubrick had directed the movie a decade earlier, Congress would have subpoenaed him to respond to charges of broadcasting ideas that went against American ideals and spreading communist mutiny. In an era of Hollywood blacklisting, Kubrick's film high-handedly discontinued American capitalism's standard image and depicted Soviet communism as the devil himself in an unbelievable fashion. The director portrayed neither the U.S. generals nor their Soviet counterparts in an incredibly gratifying perspective, leaving viewers to conclude that capitalist and communist ideologies were eventually the same as long as they forced people to try and convert theory to practice.

While the director takes passing shots at contemporary attitudes throughout the film, he primarily concentrates on the MAD theory, wherein the likelihood of a disastrous outcome was supposed to dissuade the U.S. and Soviet Union from attacking one another, notwithstanding who emerged victoriously. In the film, General Buck Turgidson's (George C. Scott) remark to the president reflects the war's outcome – "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, … depending on the breaks." Similarly, Dr. Strangelove's (Peter Sellers) posthoc plan aimed at sustaining humanity's existence – following the MAD policy's creation and organization – lampoons the MAD doctrine's strict advocates. The latter ideologically opposed the creation of fallout shelters before the onset of nuclear war. As a film revolving around nuclear armament and subsequent war, Dr. Strangelove portrays the growing skepticism surrounding America's nuclear armament's motives and accompanying morals. Hilariously, the film subverted Americans' criticism of their nation due to the threat posed by nuclear arms.

Social Events

Kubrick's film also highlights significant social changes related to the mid-20th century. Following the Second World War, scores of civilians started working hard and respected societal values. Many people deemed the 60s an era of rebuilding and recovery. However, many young people exhibited doubtful attitudes toward these values. The former protested against society's mainstream aspects. For instance, protest singers composed songs that highlighted social ills. Young people also believed in sexual freedom, as exhibited by their random selection of partners. Another significant social phenomenon witnessed in this period was second-wave feminism, which gained momentum in the early 60s. The baby boomer generation (particularly the youth) that came to age during this period expressed cynical attitudes toward their patriotic elders and demonstrated fierce resistance toward institutional authority.

Unlike the first wave witnessed in the early 20th century, which focused on women's right to vote and upsetting de jure disparities, the second wave was motivated by the need to change social and cultural standards and de facto disparities affecting women. For instance, themes surrounding a sexist society and strict gender roles prevail in the events depicted in Kubrick's film. By exploring what happens when the world's fate is essentially in six angry men's hands, Kubrick introduces viewers to a novel gender roles interpretation. The scenes depicted in this film highlight the representation of women only through the soundtrack and sexual imagery. The film, through its main characters, is entirely masculine, sending a message of patriarchal ideals. However, this is not what Kubrick intended; instead, the director wanted to discourage sexism by highlighting the harmful effects that could stem from alpha male macho and misogynistic cultures.

Another essential social element portrayed in the film is the relationship between civilians and the military. Understanding this relationship is crucial as it influences who controls the army and the scope to which the latter controls the country. Generally, modern-day Americans have little to fear from reprobate military action or military coups. Nonetheless, Kubrick's film depicts poor relationships between the masses and the military, which demonstrates the unfortunate events following the Cuban crisis. The film evokes several questions, such as the president's control of the nation's nuclear arms and whether Ripper and Turgidson respect him. From the events depicted, viewers can see how Turgidson exhibits disobedience while the president cannot control Ripper.

While Dr. Strangelove – unlike patriotic war films – highlights America's involvement in foreign wars that drew massive antiwar sentiments from the masses who criticized their country's political policies, it also portrays the adverse effects of war on survivors. Often, many people think of the mid-20th century as a time of white picket fences and relative peace. But what most do not understand is that this period was marked with school children hiding under their desks when practicing nuclear attack responses. Thus, Kubrick's film bears a negative portrayal of the military establishment and does away with sharp differences reflected in the "us versus them" mentality of patriotic war films. By watching this film, one develops a sense of defeat and lack of closure felt by most Americans after the nation's involvement in the Vietnam War, plus the psychological and emotional wounds throughout the country's psyche.

Many contemporary viewers of Kubrick's films will not comprehend the level of social awareness witnessed in the U.S. during the Cold War. Kubrick uses Turgidson's character to illustrate Americans' Cold War paranoia, suggesting that the film's defense posture does not exaggerate the situation on the ground that much. At the time, many Americans were paranoid, and the nation's political and military leaders were close to triggering nuclear destruction using airborne planes.

Cultural Events

Lastly, Dr. Strangelove parodies and reflects on Americans' shifting cultural attitudes toward the Soviet nuclear threat. The film highlights certain commonly-held beliefs about American culture and tries to show the cultural effects that stemmed from the atomic bomb invention. Following the Second World War, America witnessed two distinct cultures: a "culture of dissent" and a "culture of consensus According to Henriksen, the first culture arose after the atomic bomb's first blast during the Second World War; it highlighted Americans' persistent inquiries about "the corruption inherent in atomic power" and the mainstream American repression. On the contrary, the second culture supported the federal administration's policy of security and stability.