Stanley Kubrick’s black comic masterpiece, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, opened in theaters today to widespread critical and popular acclaim.
The film’s success reflected a shift in public attitudes regarding atomic weapons and the idea of nuclear deterrence.
The narrative centers on a rogue U.S. officer who is convinced that communists are jeopardizing the “precious bodily fluids” of Americans.
Without proper authorization, he commands U.S. bombers to execute atomic strikes on the Soviet Union. Once it becomes clear that some bombers might actually drop their atomic bombs, President Merkin Muffley urgently contacts his Soviet counterpart. The Russian leader warns Muffley that any atomic attack on the Soviet Union would trigger the catastrophic “doomsday machine,” capable of annihilating all life on Earth. Dr. Strangelove, Muffley’s chief foreign policy advisor, provides reassurance that survival is possible even in the face of the doomsday machine by retreating to deep mineshafts.
A detailed examination of the Dr. Strangelove character suggests he is likely a blend of three real individuals: Henry Kissinger, a political scientist known for his writings on nuclear deterrence; Edward Teller, a major player in the hydrogen bomb’s creation; and Wernher von Braun, the prominent German scientist who contributed significantly to rocket technology.
However, Kubrick’s satirical commentary on the nuclear stockpiling and massive retaliation policies of both the American and Russian governments required little analysis to be recognized. The film’s critiques of fundamental beliefs underpinning America’s defense strategy resonated with the public, especially in the aftermath of the alarming Cuban missile crisis of 1962, where the specter of nuclear destruction felt highly plausible, leading the American populace to increasingly question the nation’s dependence on nuclear weapons.
