Filming techniques of this particular video may defiantly be considered different in comparison to the standards of what people may expect out of a film today. First off "Dr. Strangelove" was filmed fully in black and white, setting the somewhat dreary mood of the story-line, while clearly stating the current time period. The camera tended to focus on the different gears and gadgets found in the US warplanes. Whenever a scene changed to the sight of the warplanes or a war scene, patriotic music was always playing in the background. Highlighting war with specific visuals and music in this case stressed the seriousness of the situation at hand as well as giving the viewer a hook of interest of what may come about next.
The plot of “Dr. Strangelove” was frankly obvious, but intricate as well due to the metaphors and hidden messages found throughout the film. An example being when General Turgidson and the Ambassador begin to fight, and President Muffley states that they are not allowed to fight in the war room. This is a twisted metaphor in the sense that they are in the "war room", and should not fight.
I think it is safe to say that the audience already had an intended synopsis of the film, since most are familiar with the USSR and U.S. battles. The film provided the audience with basic history, relative scenery, costumes, and characters. In addition the film provided the audience with insight on the status of women during this time. The only female character in the film was the commander's secretary. Miss Scott was no ordinary secretary; for her first appearance in the film she was wearing lingerie, while casually reading a magazine. If this degrading image was not enough, she also had an appearance displayed in a Playboy issues Major Kong was admiring while on duty. This not only shows that the woman in the workforce was not taken seriously, but also how it wasn’t considered inappropriate for a woman to work this way. The other female character briefly mentioned in the film was Turgidson’s girlfriend. She called while the general while he was in the war room. Throughout their conversation she was nagging him about their relationship, blaming him for not showing interest in her, just their physical attraction. This scene was a form of comic relief on Turgidson’s part, but also stressed the careless respect for women. With these two particular examples of woman in “Dr. Strangelove”, the viewer develops the idea of woman for the 60’s era.
Bomb. 1964. Columbia Pictures, 2009.
Stillman, Grant, “Two of the MaDdest Scientists.” Film History. 20 (2008): 487-500.
Web. 24 Aug. 2009.
I like how you included the commentary on women in the 1960's. I think that Kubrick was probably trying to criticize gender roles at the time of the film. The Playboy issue, in my opinion, was trying to get across the point that in the 60's, women were not considered as valued members of the workplace. The only female character being a secretary is most likely a commentary on how officials in that time period did not trust women in positions of power, such as having a say in the nuclear war. This is still somewhat relevant, although we have made huge advances such as Hillary Clinton running for president. I still think that we can look to Kubrick's ideas regarding gender roles as a questioning look at how we treat women in society.
ReplyDeleteI like the first quote..."the adventure of surprise can be overwhelming". I agree that the filming of this movie is a lot different then today's filming, where it is all about special effects and computer animation. I like the metaphors in the movie as well, it really adds to the plot and underlying meaning that everyone perceives differently. I agree completely that they degrade women in the film and women were not respected, but that's how it was in those times.
ReplyDeleteGreat examples from the film and the critical article. I especially like your analysis of gender in the film. Also, nice addition of the embedded video clip. Nice work!
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