Dr. Strangelove - the Power of Propaganda - Essay

 

            The 1960’s were a time of national unrest in the United States. With the protests against the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement citizens were challenging traditional values and the power and authority of their Government.  It is in this cultural milieu that the movie Dr. Strangelove was conceived. 

Using a well crafted, formalistic, classical dramatic paradigm, director Stanley Kubrick has painted a metaphorical world of black and white, morally speaking. In this highly efficient, mechanized, polarized world of the Cold War, it is “us” versus “them”.  The “us” in question is the United States government and the “them” is the Russian government.  Strangelove was filmed in black and white, a choice which allows us to focus on the characters and the story rather than peripherals, as well as emphasizing the polarities in the movie. Kubrick also effectively uses dark, shadowy, film noir lighting as well as extreme camera angles to illustrate these themes. Examples of his use of camera angles to create a point of view are the low angle close ups of the renegade general which highlights the dominant role of the general.  The government is portrayed as a hierarchal system with the president at the top and the military below. The government and military are portrayed as those who wield life and death power over our planet.  This is suggested by the whole drama unfolding in the War Room and on the military base, without outside, media or even civilian voices.  All decisions come through this massive government system of organization. Apparently, there are extensive safeguards set in place to avoid any kind of potential nuclear catastrophe.  Some of these safeguards involve delegating key decisions to computers and military heads in the event of a nuclear attack on Washington.  The irony of this modern world is that we are in danger of becoming so efficient that we risk destroying ourselves by accident. 

 Strangelove successfully shows how this organization of power can actually create the catastrophe it was meant to avoid. For the purpose of this movie, the system has failed and a renegade general has initiated an unwarranted attack on the Soviet Union. As the president of the United States is rendered helpless by the delegation of power to the General, we see how the system of hierarchy and the employment of technology can limit our goals rather than improve them. The system fails humans when it is infallible, because humans are fallible and therefore sometimes need to recant their decisions. A perfect computer technology may not mimic and allow for human error and recall. Therefore, the dangers of vesting our power in technology are made apparent. 

            Strangelove also addresses the hypocrisy of government and the dangers of jingoism.  The soldiers fight on a base surrounded by posters that claim “peace is our mission.”  The irony of this situation is very effective.  How can a government proclaim peace while training soldiers to kill?  In fact, the government is portrayed as an instigator and aggressor attacking without cause, rather than a tool of national defense. The subtitle of the movie, “how I learned to love the bomb” leads the viewer to new questions and insights about the role of the government in creating this extreme nationalism. What exactly does this mean?

            In Strangelove, soldiers have been trained to follow authority to the extent that their inner voice goes unheard.  In fact, the soldiers are so brainwashed that they are actually delighted to finally have an opportunity “get” the “Ruskies.” They have internalized the propaganda and made it “real.”  A general believes the American propaganda about Russia so intensely, that he ultimately instigates the destruction of the world. There is a scene where the bomber pilots, although running short on fuel, elect to take out the primary target rather than try to save themselves. In yet another scene, the manic Texan pilot euphorically rides the bomb to its target. His patriotism is so extreme that he delights in dying for his country, literally becoming part of the bomb. There are other ‘run-ins” and themes about authority and rules.  In the scene where Mandrake attempts to phone the Whitehouse we see him struggle against the “rules.” The operator cannot make an exception and put him through for a national emergency, rules must be followed.  In that same scene, Mandrake instructs a soldier to shoot a Coke machine so he can get the coins to call the Whitehouse. The soldier is more concerned about breaking the rules by shooting the machine, than averting a catastrophe. This is a world when people lack initiative and they have lost the ability to think for themselves.  They have become so brainwashed in this black/white, right/wrong world that they follow rules unquestioningly, even if those rules seem contrary to their common sense. There is a message here about critical thinking.

The message is that we need to be careful about what we believe.  We need to be responsible and think for ourselves instead of blindly following rules and accepting propaganda from authority figures. Although Mandrake and the other characters in the War Room tried to use initiative, their struggle against the all powerful system was so great that in the end it was not enough to avert disaster.  Strangelove is a glimpse of what could happen if we do not think for ourselves.  We cannot afford to delegate critical thinking to our government, to our technology or to a higher authority. Eventually, our power and ability to act will be neutralized and our very lives and death will be in the hands of strangers. This message, of course, can be extended to the movie itself.  After all, this is Kubrick’s fatalistic propaganda about our future.

Ella Quent 2010