During the opening credits of the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, I begin to notice things I was not expecting. The first thing I notice was the jazz music blaring in the background as the credits scrolled across the page. Being a war movie, you assume that it should be more dramatic, but not this one. Even the font was somewhat child-like which established the tone of the movie. While Dr. Strangelove had many funny and witty scenes throughout the movie, it had many special characteristics that made it completely original.
Since the movie was in black and white with little contrast, the originality came from the camera angle. The movie change from bird’s eye view to close up in the matter of one scene. During conversations, the camera moved quickly from character to character. The camera was always zooming in and out and constantly chasing around important aspects of the movie. While the actual filming of the movie was unique, I believe the message behind the movie made it more enjoyable.
Throughout the 90 minute film, Miss Scott, the sexy secretary, was the only woman making a cameo in Dr. Strangelove. Being a 1964 film about war, I expected women to not contribute a predominate role to the film, but the fact that the only woman involved was used as a sex symbol is expressing an important message about the film. “The screenplay and the film certainly have much more depth and substance that the sources which inspired them, but we can still learn much from those screenplay roots which have their genesis in sources both mundane and esoteric” (Stillman 487). In 1964, Playboy was not as accepted as it may be now. It carried a derogative connotation to the women that did strip their clothes off and posed for the exclusive magazine. Grant Stillman exposed that Miss Scott was not only just seen sunbathing under the lamp. “ Keen eye observers have already pointed out that Miss Scott, the well-spoken Pentagon secretary under the sunlamp displaying ample navel, also pops up as the centerfold in the Playboy magazine being admire by Major Kong in the cockpit” (Stillman 491). While a deeper meaning can describe the symbolism of the 15 minute sex symbol actress, the fact that women were only eye candy could not be any more obvious in Dr. Strangelove.
Overall, I believed Dr. Strangelove was a very respectable movie. It may not be my favorite, but it definitely contained many elements that made it a memorable movie.
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 really like your take on the role of women in the film, I have never really thought about the kind of impact they made in the film before. I'm glad you noticed how the camera angles really contributed to the overall feeling of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brian in that your interpretation of women roles, or role, in the film is highly thought provoking. You certainly seemed to grasp all aspects of the story and come through with your own view of it. The camera angles were something that escaped my notice for the most part, so to read your take on them is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI like how you associate the font's cartoonish nature to be setting up the tone of the movie. I agree with you that the movie did not have a lot of contrast due to the fact that it was shot in black and white. Also I like how you noticed the many different types of camera angles because I also found that to be interesting.
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