Last Wednesday, December 2nd, the Philadelphia Film Society kicked their filmadelphiaCLASSICS series back into high gear with a 35mm screening of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. One of director Stanley Kubrick’s most highly regarded films, it was the perfect choice for one of two installments showcasing Kubrick’s work in the Classics series, the other being The Killing, which was Kubrick’s breakout film, and will be shown on Wednesday, December 16th at 7:30PM in the Prince Theater (tickets here).
As much as the Classics series is about seeing your favorite classic films projected in their original 35mm format, it is also about discussing those films with others and sharing your appreciation for them. As always, there was engaging discussion immediately following the screening, featuring a specific moderator. This screening’s moderator was Professor Gregory Wolmart, a professor in the film department at Drexel University. Wolmart began the discussion by providing some interesting background information on the development of Dr. Strangelove, such as the fact that Kubrick initially intended it to be a very serious adaptation of Red Alert, the thriller novel by Peter George who worked on the screenplay with Kubrick. When Kubrick came to realize the sheer ridiculousness of a nuclear doomsday, he approached the film as a black comedy, bringing on writer Terry Southern to give the script a more satirical tone. Additionally, Kubrick felt intimidated by another nuclear disaster film that was being made, Fail-Safe, which was serious in tone and had big talent attached and would have hurt (at least Kubrick thought) Strangelove’s box office, so he filed a lawsuit against the film, citing that it plagiarized Red Alert, which effectively delayed production.
Wolmart then opened it up to discussion, and those in attendance spoke on how the film seems to have a universal appeal despite being specific to the Cold War era; there are general humorous comments on how politicians and governments work, along with the relationship between men and weapons and violence, and how it closely ties into sexuality for them. Similarly, the film has a very specific humor pertaining to those that understand the context in which it was released. Which, shockingly enough, was at the height of tensions within the Cold War – making the fact that the film was a comedy even more astounding to both people today and people then.
Perhaps the most interesting discussion point touched upon was the sexuality present in the film. From the opening scenes of two planes seemingly mating in the sky to the tune of “Try a Little Tenderness,” to Dr. Strangelove’s last scene in which he suggests the male-centric fantasy of a ratio of ten women to each man in rebuilding society, to the naming of such characters such as Jack D. Ripper, Mandrake, Premier Kissov, President Merkin Muffley, and Buck Turgidson, the film is dense with sexual innuendo and suggestion. This largely makes the connection between men’s fascination with violence and war and how it almost serves as an aphrodisiac, especially in the case of Turgidson and Ripper.
What are your thoughts on Kubrick and Strangelove? Is there more to the sexual wordplay and innuendo in the film then just humor? Do you think Strangelove has a general appeal or is more specific to an older generation that understand the context in which it was released? Continue the discussion in the comments section below!