"Just as the X-ray revelation of underlying sketches behind an old master's painting only enhances our appreciation of the final work, the discovery of these roots in no way diminishes the overall intellectual and artistic achievements of the screen play."
Basically, we can have our own interpretations to a particular piece; no analysis is right or wrong. If we don’t interpret it ourselves it won’t mean as much. This is like the young/old lady; some of us see the old lady first while others see the younger one.
I actually saw this movie when I was younger, my dad made me watch it. I never understood what they were talking about in the movie until now. The main basis of the plot is the cold war between the USA and USSR. Kubrick, the director of the movie, throws so many things at us; it is hard to catch some of his pieces the first time watching it. Stillman’s brings up that Kubrick had all these pieces that made up his scrape book and that’s what his movie became. He threw in things that were going on in the world then, but he was very subtle about it. Kubrick at first didn’t want to use some of his ideas because they were ludicrous, but in the end he found they were most truthful.
One of my favorite things that he Kubrick does is the subtle words and phrases he pastes on the set. One was “Peace is our Profession”, it was on the air force base and it was funny because it kept popping up, especially in the shooting scenes. Another one was on Turgeson’s notebook and it said “World Targets in Megadeath”, which is funny because that’s what they were talking about doing with the bombing. I also like how he uses play on words, Peace on Earth and Purity of Essence for the code to stop the bombing was crazy.
Even the way that Kubrick does certain cinematography aspects is impressive. For instance, anytime Ripper is presented he is made into a headstrong, authority figure. The lighting and the position of the camera make this apparent. Also the way that he always plays the “t-rah” song when scenes in the plane are shown; it’s like a reminder that they are still going on to do the job they were told to do.
Some of Kubrick’s ideas are just so interesting. Sydney Pollack quotes it best in Stillman’s article, “I remember watching it the first time, seeing Slim Pickens riding the bomb, thinking, how does somebody think that up?” He just had all these great ideas and thoughts that somehow he was able to incorporate them into his entire movie. In 90 minutes he was able to put a humorous spin on the cold war that had been taking place. If we can’t laugh about it, what can we do?
Interesting post and analysis of the article. Do you think the "t-rah" song represented unyielding subordinate belief that their leader is sane and correct? That their mission is just and necessary? Such use of score made me question the true meaning of something that is "fail safe." Nice visual support.
ReplyDeleteI think what Russ said about the "t-rah" is true. We often regard our leaders as more than human and fail to realize that human is all that they are, making them capable of making mistakes. I believe that our government and lawmaking is severely limited by the binds of human nature, and that Kubrick was commenting on that aspect when he made Dr. Strangelove. The pilots of the bombers unflinchingly obeyed their commanders to the point where Slim Pickens rode the bomb while cheering all the way to his death and the possible end of the world. The imagery of that scene is truly original and definitely not what the average director imagines when making a movie. I think i finally see why my mother is so crazy about this movie.
ReplyDeleteI love the introduction of your blog, how you stressed that people interpret aspects differently. The example of the old/young woman photo was a key form of evidence for this. When I watched the movie, I noticed the "Peace is our Profession" banners as well throughout the film, so I thought that was a good common ground we shared. I liked how you concluded your blog as well, stating that if we can’t laugh about the war, what can we do. I totally agree!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa, great start to the post. The gestalt picture of the old/young woman has been appearing all over the place lately; it really is in the eye of the beholder, both the picture and the movie. I also enjoyed the "Peace is our Profession", especially when President's men were attacking the airfield and the fighting was happening within feet of it.
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