‘Dr. Strangelove’ is cold rationality
VIDEO VAIXT from Page 10
world, existence on planet earth.
H js satire, and the people exist
as caricatures, but we recognize
them as such and see the humor
jm olv ed because it is r< >oted in the
real world W'c laugh at the charac
ters (Kong’s cowboy approach to
nuclear annihilation, Kipper's para
noid commiephobia, and Man
drakes nervous calm) because
they are exaggerations of person
alities in our own socio-political
exist eiu e.
At the same time, Kubrick
points out that these caricatures,
though created by the situation at
hand, go absolutely nowhere
when it comes to solving the crisis.
Indeed, they make it worse. In the
war room, as President Murkin
Muffley (also played by Sellers)
confers with the Joint Chiefs of
Staff regarding the crisis, someone
comments, “The human element
seems to have failed here.”
The conferences in the war
room are also populated by ridicu
lous characters: the President,
upset and bewildered that such a
thing has happened; General
“Buck'' Turgiiison (George C.
Scott), w ho puts stick after stick of
gum into his mouth as he explains
that Kipper was able to order an
att.u k due to a program of “cred
ible deterrence;" and visiting So
lid ambassador Kissov, who
embodies the ugly, humorless,
stereotypical Russian.
Naturally conflict arises: Tur
gids< >n pr< itcsts the breach <>f secu
rity that Kissov is allowed to see
“the big board,” and accuses him
of taking pictures of the room A
wrestling match ensues, and is
broken up by the President who
exclaims, “Gentlemen, you can’t
fight in here — this is the war
room!"
Although connections with
Moscow are made, and everything
possible is done to recall the
bombers, it is not enough. Kong’s
bomber finds a target and releases
its device which reads ‘‘Nuclear
warhead, Handle with care.” Kong
rides the bomb dowm to the
ground bronco style, detonating
the Soviet’s secret “doomsday
machine” and ending the world to
the musical accompaniment of
“NX e ll Meet Again.”
As the film progresses, it be
comes more and more difficult to
laugh at the characters: if their
altitudes are not so different from
those in our world, is it not pos
sible that the doomed planet on
screen is also our ow n?
Is ours a world where ends have
become separated from means,
where “doublethink” is common
place and humankind has ad
vanced to a stage of existence
beyond that which it is able to
sustain? Kubrick is fascinated with
these themes, and although at
tmics it is undoubtedly funny, it is
dark at the same lime.
Nowhere are the themes so
unified as in the third character
played by Peter Sellers, Dr.
Strangelove, from whom the
movie takes its name. Strangelove
is cold rationality, in which matters
of the survival or death of harth are
reduced to a chess game. His is not
the only voice in this crisis, how
e\er. I here is the nervous Man
drake, who worries about the
impending doom, but does noth
ing.
And then there is Turgidson,
w ho at one point reveals what may
well be the current condition of
humanity. While in conference in
the war room, Turgidson tells his
mistress that one day she’ll be his
wife, but before he hangs up, says
Hon t forget to say your prayers.”
VCe make our plans and say our
prayers that the plans will be car
ried out, but our world is hanging
by a thread. I nless something is
done, the movie suggests, that
thread will someday snap, destroy
ing our plans and our world.
“Dr. Strangelove” should be
av ailable at most video stores. I’ve
discovered that finding it not
checked out, however, can be a
problem.
Do you work well on deadline? Good.
Apply at the Daily Nebraskan and find out what it means to have
lame, fortune and experience before you graduate. Then you can
grow uptobe just like Lisa Donovan ... This
fS *snmh£M mtprma
/***, , ^ kW r
Positions available for news reporters, sports reporters, arts and
entertainment reporters, copy editors, photographers, artists and
editorial cartoonists. Apply at the Daily Nebraskan office, Room
34, Nebraska Union.
l.N'l docs mu discriminate in its academic, admissions or employment programs and abides
by all Federal regulations pertaining to same.
^\r
Tickets: $13, $9
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
TWISTERS!
Everything on Sale!
Posters, T-shirts, CD's, Albums, Tapes,
Jewlery, Sunglasses, Pins, Watches.
STOREWIDE SALE
Sale ends Saturday I
I
1
MUSIC ~ ^-'£0 GIFTS
14010 St. EaStJ5zoP£Za
477-6061 464-8276
