Dr. Strangelove: Or how I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. – A textual and contextual analysis In 1964 with the Cold War at its peak, the Vietnam War about to get underway and the Cuban Missile Crisis still prominent in the minds of its audience ‘Dr. Strangelove: Or how I Learned to Stop worrying and Love the bomb’, was exposed to the world during perhaps, one of the most fragile and tense political climates of all time.
Kubrick’s utterly ironic black comedy that plays on the possibility of nuclear obliteration was based loosely on the celebrated 1958 novel, ‘Red Alert’ by Peter George but differed in the fact that the film was highly satirical. That Kubrick even so boldly dared to make a film that openly mocked the situation between the Soviets and the United States seems absurd. However, Dr. Strangelove is fundamentally an anti war film that plays on the ridiculousness of a nuclear threat by presenting scornful depictions of sexuality and gender principles as well as poking fun at the political hierarchy and the communication between the two sides.
In this essay I hope to undergo a thorough textual and contextual examination of Dr. Strangelove, with specific focus on gender and sexual representation within the inner (within the film text) and outer (cultural, social factors etc. ) viewpoints. As the issues addressed in Dr. Strangelove are somewhat less timely in today’s world, I felt that it was necessary to include a synopsis of the film from which a scene can be set.
Estranged General, Jack D Ripper, commander of the Burpelson air force base becomes increasingly paranoid (towards the point of insanity) that the Soviets have contaminated the US water supply infecting the “precious bodily fluids” of the American people. Ripper manages to bypass normal authentication, launching a globally threatening nuclear attack on the Soviet Union behind the backs of his superiors that include General Buck Turgidson and President Merkin Muffley.
General Ripper is the only one who possesses the three letter code to recall the B-52 bombers and so when his superiors learn of the unconsented attack they attempt to make contact with Burpelson to discover that he has locked down the base, shutting off all communication in order to safeguard his irrational plan. Meanwhile in the war room of the Pentagon; Muffley, Turgidson and a host of superior political personalities including the deformed ex-Nazi scientist Dr.
Strangelove come together to debate the situation. It’s apparent that Buck Turgidson is keen to see that attack through stating “if we were to immediately launch an all out coordinated attack on all their airfields and missile bases, we’d stand a damn good chance of catching them with their pants down”. However the president is a peacekeeper and much more reserved, inviting the Russian ambassador ‘Alexi de Sadesky’ into the war room to warn the Russian premiere ‘Dimitri Kisov’ of the unintentional attack.
Dimitri in response to the threat reveals that the Soviets hold a reserve of atomic weapons or a ‘Doomsday Device’, capable of destroying all life on Earth, which will automatically be denoted in the event of a nuclear attack. An American assault is launched on Burpelson with the intention being to acquire the code from Ripper. The General’s executive officer RAF captain Lionel Mandrake is being held captive in Ripper’s office, Mandrake believes he knows the code if only he can get a message out of the base.
Amidst the confrontation Ripper commits suicide for fear of torture allowing mandrake to pass the code on to the US president. The B-52’s acknowledge the code and return to base except one plane’s radio has been damaged and it continues ahead with the operation. With the end of the world seemingly inevitable, Dr. Strangelove suggests a theory for the survival of the American race, involving hiding them in a mineshaft until radiation levels are safe and via the use of “proper breeding techniques, with ratios of ten females to each male”.
Finally the lone plane drops its catastrophic payload and subsequently the climatic destruction of Earth ensues. Dr. Strangelove, despite being highly ironic as previously mentioned is still a somewhat advisory account of the consequences of global nuclear destruction with emphasis not on what the effects of this devastation might be but more on why they even take place. One might think that in today’s world the fear of communism and of nuclear war was extremely unreasonable but during that era, when the cold war was at its frostiest, America was overwhelmed by the fear of an apparently inevitable attack by the Soviets.
Figures like American politician John McCarthy, renowned for claiming that there were a large amount of Soviet sympathizers within the US government, the entertainment industry, and board of education adding to the intensity of the situation. Kubrick plays on the fear that has manifested within the minds of the voiceless public as all they can do is sit back and rely on important men of politics and war becoming gradually subverted by their tense insecurities and low self esteem. With the paranoia ultimately being channeled into war as a substitute for their own deficiencies.
The parodying of the male psyche and themes of sexual insecurity are prominent throughout the entire film and lend as a basis for multiple humorous themes for example the naming of the characters. Every characters name expresses or at least indicates a connection between the male sex drive and conflict or, simply has humorous sexual connotations. For example President Merkin Muffley’s name, both “muff” and “Merkin” are considered as offensive, referencing the female genitalia, this might suggest the president lacks male characteristic and ego also indicating that the character is without consequence. Merkin” is also a type of wig, the president is bold and it’s common for most men to feel apprehension towards loosing their hair, this is cleverly reflected in Muffley’s anxious personality. “Buck Turgidson” is another name with certain connotations; a buck refers to an adult animal such as a dear, the character definitely displays multiple animalistic (a doctrine that humans are merely animals with no spiritual nature) attitudes towards the soviets (he particularly dislikes the Russian ambassador), describing them as “commie bastards”, perhaps not something you might expect to hear in the War room of the Pentagon.
The name “Buck Turgidson” also insinuates a dominant male no longer masculine or able to perform. Then there’s the obvious, “Jack D Ripper” referencing the notorious serial killer that cut the throats of prostitutes from the slums of London, In an interview for the guardian newspaper Stanley Kubrick once stated that “the great nations have always acted like gangsters and the small nations like prostitutes” this is relevant to the characters status and how he retains the power to destroy a country at the push of a button.
Finally, Captain Lionel Mandrake; Mandrake is a plant with a root used for medicinal purposes, applied by some to increase sexual fertility, this can be found to relate to the captains role in the film as he is the only person who can stop the mentally ill General Ripper, constantly trying to resolve the situation whilst the other is determined for conflict. The identity of each character and the name assigned to them is vital to the film as they emphasize each individual’s role and purpose.
Figure 2 Figure 2 Figure 1 Figure 1 As the characters play out their roles in the picture Kubrick’s perhaps more complex references to the repression of homosexuality become more and more prominent. In perspective with the current affairs of 1960’s American culture, no one in the film is directly gay however Kubrick’s indications of suppressed homosexuality are basically unmissable. The characters with the most sexual frustration are seemingly routing their emotions into acts of violence and war.
The 1960s bought a sexual revolution to the United States of America with the act of sex becoming more acceptable outside the limitations of marriage, as well as significant advances in female contraception with ‘the pill’ becoming available to women in 1960. These were just a few changes to public norms but despite this time of social change The American psychological association, the worlds largest scientific professional organization of psychologists, classified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1952 and again in 1968 in publications of its ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’.
Being gay was considered as a ‘syndrome’ that evolved from a varied awareness of gender distinctiveness and from mixed up affiliations between and among individual family members. Being homosexual in America during the this period of time was dangerous and overtly detested and by labeling homosexually as a mental illness meant that the minority of openly gay individuals were unable to demand legal and social rights as representation within their culture. It was not until 2003 that the Supreme Court deemed it unlawful to ban homosexual intercourse.
The huge amount of controversy surrounding the subject of homosexuality at this time and how detested it was accounts for the sexual frustration of characters Buck Turgidson and Jack D Ripper, both of whom we discover have an inability to perform with a woman sexually. During one scene in the film, where ripper and mandrake are sheltering under the desk in rippers office, we learn that the deranged general actually came up with his reasoning for the attack whilst in bed with a woman, after he was unable to perform sexually.
Mandrake asks Ripper when he first developed this theory and for the first time, we see a break in the generals concentration, he stutters his words on the topic, “Well… I… I… ff… f-first became aware, Mandrake during the… er… physical act of love. Yes, a… er… pro- found sense of fatigue and feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I was able to interpret these feelings correctly, loss of essence”. Not only does this line tell us that Ripper considered the act of making love to a woman unfulfilling but could also be an indication of when Ripper first became aware that he was infact homosexual.
Because of the controversy around the matter, he could of interpreted his homosexual inclinations as madness, which explains his highly outlandish actions. Similarly we see Buck display incapability to perform sexually when his scantily clad secretary insinuates that she wants to partake in sexual intercourse with him by saying, “Buck honey… I’m not sleepy either” to which Buck replies after a suggestive hesitation, “I know how it is baby, tell you what you do… You just start your countdown and ol’Bucky will be back here before you can say BLAST OFF”.
Both men outlet their frustration into war to generate false masculine auras, they likely know that homosexuality is considered an illnesses, and this is apparent on screen, when both men are in a constant struggle with their own inferiority complexes, their reactions to disruptions in the equilibrium of the plot are useless but only protect their own self esteem by placing the blame for failure outside of their own control. Some decades earlier, during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, gay men and lesbians were two groups that were ultimately among victims of the holocaust.
Starting in 1933, the Nazis murdered any homosexual member Figure 3 Figure 3 within its party, they banned any existing gay organizations and intellectual books on homosexuality and sexuality in general were burned. Throughout the film it evident that Dr. Strangelove has an association with Nazi Germany, on more than one occasion he bursts into a Hitler salute via his nervous tics. He also refers to the president as “Mein Fuhrer” which translates to ‘My leader’, again; this is associated Nazi Germany and the negative connotations related to Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship.
His name alone, ‘Strangelove’, is likely an indication of his sexuality. His eerie on screen presence and the fact that he is bound to a wheelchair and riddled with physical disability is also symbolic of repression, which again can be interpreted through his name as sexual. The only time we come across Strangelove in the film is in the war room location, which is occupied by men, its possible that the characters Nazi salute is symbolic of phallic imagery, suggesting that only men stimulate the character. It quickly becomes apparent that in the fictional world of Dr.
Strangelove males are the primary figures of influence and social control, as well as dominating the roles of political leadership in what is essentially a patriarchal society. Patriarchy or ‘rule by fathers’ is a prominent element in Dr. Strangelove, its clear that the society portrayed, is run by men for men, with Kubrick’s constant stream of subtle homosexual signals making fun of the situation. The gender principles within the film are so immoral and so prominent it’s humorous. Women are depicted in this film purely as sex objects, for the leisure of high-ranking men of war and politicians.
The only woman present in the entire film is Buck’s secretary, ‘Miss Scott’. The first and only time we see ‘Miss Scott’ she is very skimpily dressed, wearing nothing more than a bikini and a pair of high heels baring a great resemblance to that of a stereotypical ‘pin-up’ girl. She appears to be in the General’s dwelling and is lying face down on a bed underneath a tanning lamp. As a character she represents nothing more than an instrument in ‘Buck’s’ sexual gratification. The phone in the room starts to ring but ‘Miss Scott’ seems hesitant to answer, she calls out to ‘Buck’ requesting his permission before picking up.
Upon hearing the voice on the other end she seems to blush somewhat inconspicuously and its evident that Buck isn’t the only man of military rank that the female is involved with, she looks to be the sexual object of another. Figure 4 Figure 4 During the phone conversation she relays messages between the speaker and Buck who is in the bathroom. Buck grouchily tells ‘Miss Scott’ what to say back down the phone and in doing so he can be herd muttering under his breath “Do I have to think of everything around here”, he has no respect for the woman and even speaks to her as if she were a child before departing.
According to feminist scholars, “The objectification of women involves the act of disregarding the personal and intellectual abilities and capabilities of a female; and reducing a woman’s worth or role in society to that of an instrument for the sexual pleasure that she can produce in the mind of another. Although opinions differ as to which situations are objectionable, some feminists see objectification of women taking place in the sexually oriented depictions of women in advertising and media, men brazenly evaluating or judging women sexually or aesthetically in public spaces”. 960s America was still a harsh decade in which to be female, pay was unequal between sexes in the working environment as well as sexual harassment and domestic violence at its all time highest. It was still thought by many that the responsibility of household maintenance and the rearing of children was to be solely the females. However the 1960s also saw a change in the emancipation of women. As previously mentioned new methods of contraception were becoming accessible, preventing unwanted pregnancy and ultimately giving women more freedom in their social lives.
The 1960s male attitudes towards women are frequently touched upon in ‘Dr. Strangelove’ with a strong example occurring in the War room location. ‘Miss Scott’ telephones Buck who seems embarrassed upon learning who has called, “I told you never to call me here, don’t you know where I am? ” there is a noticeable tone of shame in his voice upon the realization that a woman has contacted him in the midst of such a crisis. He then goes on to say “Some day I’m going to make you Mrs. Buck Turgidson” further dismantling what little identity she had in the first place.
What’s also very detectable throughout the film is that when the male personalities talk about women they do so in hushed voices, as oppose to the loud, bold voices they adopt when debating topics of war and destruction. ‘Dr. Strangelove’ even speaks under his breath, as if to tell a secret, when he talks about his plan to regenerate the American race “women selected for the breeding process must me of a highly stimulating nature”. It implies that the men of this high status are more confident in discussing topics of war and domination than they are of sex.
Additionally, a shot of a pilot observing a playboy magazine in one of the B-52 bombers reinforces the point that women (or the references to them) in the film are merely victims of sexual objectification. Right from the offset Stanley Kubrick provides a string of wonderfully thought-out sexual innuendos and puns that reflect the1960s attitudes towards gender, sexuality and the role of man and woman in society. The picture opens with a fairly dramatic prelude that you might expect to foreword a serious war film. A shot from above the clouds pans slowly forwards towards a group of mountain peaks in the distance.
An unidentifiable voice with a British accent talks of rumors among ‘high level’ western leaders of ‘Doomsday device’ being built by the soviets. The narration is highly factual and informative with a direct mode of address, similar to that of a television newsreader. This stern, explanatory beginning is immediately juxtaposed with the following scene depicting lubricious phallic imagery. Two B52 bombers seemingly engaging in a mockingly erotic act of mid air refueling in which one plane effectively ‘mates’ with the other.
Accompanying the comical screenplay is a charmingly romantic song that suggests the scene is an interpretation of foreplay for the approaching orgasm that is global destruction. The link between war and sex has never been so strongly symbolized than in ‘Dr. Strangelove’. The male act of intercourse involving the penetration of the body with the penis and the ensuing ejaculation can easily be related to the action of stabbing and shooting bullets from a firearm (or semen from a phallus). With objects of warfare including missiles, torpedoes, cannons and rockets all bearing somewhat resemblance to the form of the male genitalia.
As the film draws closer to its inescapable ending Kubrick delivers perhaps one of the most iconic moments in motion picture history. The legendary ‘riding of the bomb’ scene in which maverick ‘Maj. ‘King’ Kong’, due to a malfunction with the bomb doors, embarks on a kamikaze mission, opening the doors manually and physically riding the nuclear bomb down to Earth. The actor yowls at the top of his lungs whilst falling from the plane, straddling the bomb as if he were a bucking bronco with the phallic symbolism being utterly unmissable.
The scene is clear interpretation of the associated acts of war and sex in one final symbolic image before the chaotic destruction of the world. Figure 5 Figure 5 What continued to play on my mind whilst writing this essay was the substantial difference between the attitudes of a modern audience compared to those of an audience in the 1960’s. Sure enough the latter was a decade of social and political change, but could Stanley Kubrick really have been so ahead of his time that he was able to identify problems within the so called ‘social norm’ and poke fun at them through the medium of film?
Personally I think the reaction to the film upon its release was that of panic towards how frightfully real the prospect of nuclear war had become. The fact that the Strategic Air Command (SAC) developed a 17-minute propaganda film, shortly after the release of ‘Dr. Strangelove’ showing that there was absolutely no hazard of some mentally deranged General being capable of such devastation reinforces that the public reaction was likely fear.
Formal elements to the film such as ‘jerky’ camera work (as if it were handheld), the very serious narration at the opening and the written warning at the start of the film give it a sense of realism. It’s this sense of realism amalgamated with Kubrick’s ideologies that generate a sense of belief within the audience, allowing them to relate and giving them the potential to be persuaded into the same ideologies. However in actuality ‘Dr. Strangelove: Or how I Learned to Stop worrying and Love the bomb’ is a cleverly disguised Anti-War film that only focuses on the paranoia of those on a military and politically powerful level.
Not once does in depict any form of distrust and obsession from the point of view of the general public, however it could be argued that Stanley Kubrick’s intention behind the film was to make the audience (the general public) identify with their existing paranoia, to question it, and to realize that nuclear war was very real. Bibliography Green, Carol. Linden-Ward, Blanche. American women in the 1960s: Changing the future. (Twayne Pub, 1993) Falsetto, Mario. Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis. (Praeger 2001)
