Dr. StrangeloveThe movie Dr. Strangelove is “the most shattering sick joke I’ve ever come across [and] at the same time, one of the cleverest and most incisive satiric thrusts at the awkwardness and folly of the military that [has] ever been seen on the screen” (Kubrick). This movie came out in the height of the cold war and was meant to ease the tension of its viewers. The use of comedy in the movie was very dark in my opinion making a joke out of what could be the end of mankind, but “comedy can be more realistic than drama because it takes into account the bizarre” (Kubrick). The movie was shot in black and white, which I believe played into the movies dark satiric comedy very well. The way the movie was filmed gave the viewer the feeling that they were there through the filming technique of point of view shots. The movies score was not as prevalent as in other movies that I have seen, but there is one scene where the music set the scene. The best example in the movie where music sets up the scene takes place at the very begging where they are on the plane. The music cues in and makes the viewer feel as if something big is about to happen. The music sets up the pilot’s speech about how they were going to complete their mission no matter the cost. Another filming technique that was used during the course of the film was the use of extreme to medium close-ups. The use of extreme close-up shots in this movie were set in place to show the dominance of the character, this is apparent when the commander is talking to his second man in charge in his office. Overall in my opinion this movie is the starting point in film history where a movie takes a very serious situation and portrays it through the use of comedy.
Works Cited
Kubrick, Stanley, dir Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and love the Bomb. 1964. Columbia Pictures, 2009.
Stillman, Grant, "Two of the MaDdest Scientists." Film History. 20(2008): 487-500. Web. 24 Aug. 2009.
I definitely agree that the up close to medium length camera shots gave the viewer a sense and feeling like they were there in the room talking directly to the character. Its funny how he portrayed the army in a good light in that first scene and then made them look less and less appealing throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteI believe the music of the film was an important aspect of the movie also. I like how you provided examples and express the importance of it. The camera angle and filming technique was also a vital part of the movie. I like how you were able to incorporate the importance of certain scenes and people by the way the camera filmed the actor. The quotes fit perfectly with your critical response. Overall, I believe you’re critical response was very good. You were able to dissect the ambiguous meanings behind the film.
ReplyDeleteThe lighting was something I noticed as well during the screening, although you went more in depth with it than I did. Doing so exposed some deeper meaning to the amount of light used on screen at any given time. Likewise, I appreciated your viewpoints on the music of "Dr. Strangelove," because music in film is something I rarely stop to ponder. Reading a solid analysis of it was quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteAdam, I enjoyed your blog entry on Dr. Strangelove. I am currently working on an article about this film, and I'd like to use the Kubrick quote that you included ("comedy can be more realistic..."), but I need to know the original source. Can you help me out? Thanks in advance, Mark F. Berry (Glasgow, Kentucky). You can contact me through that Facebook thing.
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