2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Strangelove's ideas mirror the present
Trent Orris
Issue date: 2/23/06 Section: A&E
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"It's incredibly obvious, isn't it?" says the insane General Jack D. Ripper to Captain Mandrake. "A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works."
Mandrake: "Tell me, Jack. When did you first ... become ... well, develop this theory?"
Ripper: "Well, I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love."
It is absurdity such as that at the heart of "Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)." Absurdity, based in truth, that is. In 1964, when "Dr. Strangelove" was made, some right-wingers actually believed that water fluoridation was a Communist plot. No matter how outrageous the characters act, there is a grain of reality in everything they do.
"Dr. Strangelove" begins with Ripper ordering B52s to attack the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons and sealing off his Air Force base. Eventually, word gets around that Ripper is up to something and President Muffley (Peter Sellers) calls for a meeting with his military personnel in the War Room.
He informs the Soviet Premier of the situation and learns of the doomsday machine, a device that will automatically trigger itself to detonate massive nuclear strikes across the world in the event of an attack on Russia.
When asked by the president's right-hand man, Dr. Strangelove (Sellers again), why the Russians did not tell the world of the machine, which could have prevented the current situation, the Russian ambassador sheepishly offers, "It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises."
Meanwhile, Captain Mandrake (Sellers once more) desperately attempts to convince Ripper to give him the code that will recall the bombers, whose crews are convinced that the Russians must have already attacked the USA.
There are no plainly obvious laughs in "Dr. Strangelove", as director Stanley Kubrick did not want his dark comedy to fall into slapstick. Instead, most of the humor lies in the dialogue, with the character's seriousness running counterpoint to the inherent silliness of what they are saying. Some examples:
Mandrake: "Tell me, Jack. When did you first ... become ... well, develop this theory?"
Ripper: "Well, I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love."
It is absurdity such as that at the heart of "Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)." Absurdity, based in truth, that is. In 1964, when "Dr. Strangelove" was made, some right-wingers actually believed that water fluoridation was a Communist plot. No matter how outrageous the characters act, there is a grain of reality in everything they do.
"Dr. Strangelove" begins with Ripper ordering B52s to attack the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons and sealing off his Air Force base. Eventually, word gets around that Ripper is up to something and President Muffley (Peter Sellers) calls for a meeting with his military personnel in the War Room.
He informs the Soviet Premier of the situation and learns of the doomsday machine, a device that will automatically trigger itself to detonate massive nuclear strikes across the world in the event of an attack on Russia.
When asked by the president's right-hand man, Dr. Strangelove (Sellers again), why the Russians did not tell the world of the machine, which could have prevented the current situation, the Russian ambassador sheepishly offers, "It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises."
Meanwhile, Captain Mandrake (Sellers once more) desperately attempts to convince Ripper to give him the code that will recall the bombers, whose crews are convinced that the Russians must have already attacked the USA.
There are no plainly obvious laughs in "Dr. Strangelove", as director Stanley Kubrick did not want his dark comedy to fall into slapstick. Instead, most of the humor lies in the dialogue, with the character's seriousness running counterpoint to the inherent silliness of what they are saying. Some examples: