In 1964 Stanley Kubrick directed a black humor film entitled “Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Kubrick drew his inspiration for what is arguably one of the best political satires of this century from the subtle and unstable “Balance of Terror” existing between nuclear powers (Soviets and USA) and its intrinsic paradoxical character. Dr. Strangelove continually makes fun of the numerous cold war attitudes and fears such as the missile gap and the arms race. The end result is that Kubrick hopes to show us the follies of nuclear weapons and their threat to a rational society.
During the Cold War, Americans justified their possession of the atomic bomb by rationalizing that it was necessary to have the bomb in order to deter other nations from using their own weapons. America needed these weapons in order to deter Russia from attacking the United States without fear of retaliation, “Deterrence is the art of producing in the enemy the fear of attack” is Dr. Strangelove’s explanation for the "Doomsday Machine". In the movie, Russia had created what they considered the ultimate deterrence called “the doomsday machine”. A weapon so powerful, that it would destroy all human and animal life on earth, and produce a lethal cloud of radioactivity that would encircle the earth for 93 years causing massive fallout. The rationale for this comes with the flawed logic behind the idea that no one would attack a country knowing that it meant the end of the world would come. However, this ultimate system of deterrence is also quite flawed because it leaves itself open to the possibility that human or technical error in turning the doomsday device on could result in a world wide nuclear holocaust and the end of life as we know it. The joke behind this paradox is one of the main themes that we see throughout the film. The other flaw behind the idea of this ultimate deterrence was stated best by Peter Sellers (who is awesome!!! He played 3 of the main characters in this film):
During the Cold War, Americans justified their possession of the atomic bomb by rationalizing that it was necessary to have the bomb in order to deter other nations from using their own weapons. America needed these weapons in order to deter Russia from attacking the United States without fear of retaliation, “Deterrence is the art of producing in the enemy the fear of attack” is Dr. Strangelove’s explanation for the "Doomsday Machine". In the movie, Russia had created what they considered the ultimate deterrence called “the doomsday machine”. A weapon so powerful, that it would destroy all human and animal life on earth, and produce a lethal cloud of radioactivity that would encircle the earth for 93 years causing massive fallout. The rationale for this comes with the flawed logic behind the idea that no one would attack a country knowing that it meant the end of the world would come. However, this ultimate system of deterrence is also quite flawed because it leaves itself open to the possibility that human or technical error in turning the doomsday device on could result in a world wide nuclear holocaust and the end of life as we know it. The joke behind this paradox is one of the main themes that we see throughout the film. The other flaw behind the idea of this ultimate deterrence was stated best by Peter Sellers (who is awesome!!! He played 3 of the main characters in this film):
Dr. Strangelove: “Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you *keep* it a *secret*! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?”
Ambassador de Sadesky: It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises.
The idea behind a Doomsday machine is so "terrifying and yet so simple to understand while at the same time completely credible and convincing". Who would attack a country knowing that the repercussion of this would be the end of the world? It is the ultimate hand in a poker game which was essentially how the cold war was played out, in a series of bluffs between the United States and Russia.
A side note to all you Star Wars fans out there, James Earl Jones plays the role of Lt. Lothor Zogg in Dr. Strangelove. If any of you are looking for an incentive to see this masterpiece. If not you all should see it anyway!! Much of what we've discussed in class concerning the Cold War is presented cleary throughout the film.
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