Dr Strangelove: How does the title critique the Cold War

period?
The black and white film Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying
and love the bomb directed by Stanley Kubrick is a satirical comedy that was
released in 1964, just two years after the Cuban missile crisis. The films first
impression comes from the highly unusual layout and structure of the title which
leaves the audience curious to know more. Especially, the audience during this
period would be puzzled by a film title that satires the weapon of mass
destruction when they were in complete fear of it. It is remarkable in the sense
that it sets up the satire that not only criticises the period of Cold war but also
the core of human nature itself.
To begin with, the Cold War itself was a period of massive political and military
tension contributing to civil unrest. It was the ideological struggle between world
powers each supporting either the agenda of capitalism or communism. During
this period, there was an event called the Cuban missile crisis. There was a 13
day stand-off between US and the Soviet Union after the US found out that
nuclear armed Soviet ballistic missiles were being supplied to Cuba and their
trajectory was set at the United States. In response, the US set up naval
barricade around Cuba and threatened the Soviet Union to take back their
weapons. This was a significant period in the Cold war because the world would
have almost plunged into nuclear war, had there not been logical agreement
between the two opposing powers.
Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb is unique
in how well it imitates this Cold war period and yet, it mocks it. In fact, the name
of the film itself, becomes the first insight into this parody framed during the
Cold war. The clause, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
introduces this film as a parody of the period of civil unrest established by the
threat of nuclear warfare. For one thing, the state of minds of people during the
cold war was constantly filled with fear of uncertainty and an unstoppable threat.
And even though the world was not at war, many nations were in the
possessions of deadly nuclear weapons and that saw to heighten the agitation of
the time. As a matter of fact, people had seen the devastating power of nuclear
bombs during Hiroshima and Nagasaki and recently, during the Cuban missile
crisis in 1962, the world had come almost at the brink of nuclear war.
Undoubtedly, this gave all humans alike, every reason to worry and be on their
edge of their seats about the constant threat of bombs. To add to the parody of
the clause, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, the plot itself
was set in the United States and though the plot also involved the Soviet Union,
the story primarily revolved around the United States of America. Now,
considering the fact that the US voluntarily or involuntarily involved itself with all
the political and military affairs in the world and was and still is a central world
power, it was in fact, in the most danger of getting bombed. So, the people had
no reason not to worry. Yet, the title of the film states that someone could learn
to stop worrying and love the bomb. The titles power comes from the fact that
it completely conflicts with the context of its time wittingly using bombs as a tool
to create satire instead of as a tool to incite fear. How I learned to stop worrying
and love the bomb, emanates a light mood that should not have existed in the
period especially in the United States which was at the foreplay of every conflict.
It criticises the precarious nature of the period and the fear associated with it.

Hence, the title plays out as a satiric parody because it completely understates
and critiques the sense of danger and fear that saturated the period of cold war.
Besides the parody, the title also shows a strange acceptance of the bombs. It
highlights the fact that the individual learned this acceptance. Throughout the
film, the politicians and the military commanders assembled at the Pentagon are
hysterical about the danger posed to United States, because of the misconduct
of one commander ordering the nuclear attack on Russian grounds, without
authority to do so. The situation eventually worsens and they became
increasingly desperate- going as far as to allow a Russian ambassador (enemy)
into their war room compromising on its security. However, the twist of the film
is that ultimately they cannot stop the transpiring of events, of an all-out nuclear
war (doomsday device) between the Soviet Union and the US and possibly the
world, and hence they just accept their situation. Russias automated doomsday
retaliation device and the unstoppable US air bomber are an ironically perfect
mix for imminent nuclear war due to Mutually Assured Destruction. USA and
Russia both have large stockpiles of nuclear bombs. But, on the other hand, they
(people at the pentagon) have plans to survive the nuclear warfare by living in
underground bunkers for a 100 years. In the end, they just end up accepting the
imminent doom of nuclear war after considering the fact that they can save
themselves. This explains the strange sense of acceptance of the bombs
depicted in the films title. This films satire lies in the evocation of disconcerting
feelings in its audience of the time-period because the situation depicted in Dr
Strangelove (during 1964) was not unusual at all. Again, the recent Cuban
Missile crisis reinforced their fear of the precarious state of nuclear war affairs
and the film fiddled with this sense of danger criticising the alarmed state of
people. The title sets up the tone suggesting that the danger of a nuclear bomb
dropping on them at any moment is quite real but it can simply be accepted, this
idea is emphasised by a manual like structure of the clause How I learned to
stop worrying and love the bomb. This manual handbook presence is emanated
from the use of the words: How and learned. The manual like structure also
tauntingly criticises the people for dreading imminent destruction, which was the
state of affairs of the general public at the time, by subtly insinuating that the
individual (in the title) has learned to stop worrying about the bomb while the
general public still dreads its presence. In simple terms, the film shows
characters placed in quite a realistic turn of events who learn to accept their
imminent disaster and then directs itself back to the audience, who havent been
able to accept the bomb, to self-reflect. Essentially, the title, How I learned to
stop worrying and love the bomb forces the audience to reflect over their own
quite reasonable agitation and criticises them for their fears of the nuclear bomb.
Though the fear cannot be overcome, it can be criticised indefinitely. Thus, the
title utilises contextual state of affairs concerning nuclear warfare as an element
of satire to criticise the people during the cold war period.
Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb has but
one more peculiarity. It mentions that the individual, the title refers to, has
accepted the bomb but then it is followed by the out of place phrase love the
bomb. It is quite a rapid development in the relationship between the individual
and the bomb and the enjambment produced by this leap is utterly confounding.
The title naturally places emphasis on the odd and out of place word use of
love while clearly referring to weapons of mass destruction and raises the
question as to why someone would feel such a strong connection to such an

object. The first impression that this quirky and unorthodox title posed
particularly on the audience during the period of its release would have been
quite interesting. This sarcastic remark serves to highlight the satire by
presenting an idea that no one would agree with-love the bomb.
However, besides the sarcasm, this phrase love the bomb also implicitly sets
up remarks about human nature as a whole. It achieves this through the
development and the change in a character as the story develops together with
subtle cues. In analysing this part of the title, it is also necessary to look at the
first section. Dr Strangelove seems like a strange name. But, then the title is
followed by the connective word or and then How I learned to stop worrying
and love the bomb creating an overarching connection between these two
seemingly unrelated parts of a sentence-the name and the action. The meaning
behind this connection is presented in the film. The scene sets up in the US, with
prominent politicians and military commanders attendant at the Pentagon, and
assigned with the task of preventing a few ill-informed US air bomber from
dropping nukes on Russian soil. As the congeries of powerful people try to
prevent nuclear retaliation, the abject situation only gets mad and eventually
MAD is assured- for the whole world. At this point, Dr Strangelove, a man just as
strange as his name suggests, proposes a plan for surviving the post-nuclear war
involving the rebuilding of a new society underground, where they would have to
survive for 100 years before the surface is clean of radiation. Also, they could
only take a tiny portion of the population which especially included all the
important people assembled at the Pentagon. Finally, Dr Strangelove suggests
the idea of polygyny; since, they would have to take male and female in a ratio
of 1:10 respectively, to ensure the future of the human race. This plan
completely appealed to the male dominated decision makers reinforced by their
bright countenances and nodding. Even Ambassador de Sadesky (Russian
Ambassador) states, I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there,
Doctor. In fact, this idea that allowed the males to hold multiple sexual relations
with females having sexual characteristics of highly stimulating nature
appealed to their instinctive human nature of sexual needs. Thus, Dr
Strangeloves seemingly out of the blue proposition is accepted hence creating
the connection between Dr Strangelove and the title phrase love the bomb,
through sexual fantasies of the male gender coming to reality because of the
effect of the bomb it is seen as a silver lining. The phrase love the bomb turns
an object of devastation into an object that can fulfil repressed sexual desires- an
object of love. In doing so, this phrase sets up the ultimate irony of the film
and also satirizes human nature for using destruction to fulfil their own
instinctive desires.
Finally, this phrase also hints at the phallic innuendos present throughout the
film. At the very beginning of the film, we see the refuelling of the plane as a
penetrating motion. Then, the camera pans to the front of the plane where the
shape of the nose shares an eerie resemblance to male genitalia. Similarly, there
are direct material representations of the phallic innuendos: there is a playboy
magazine in the plane. Furthermore, there are strange connotations in the
characters dialogue such as when the president of the US asks General
Turgidson the length of time they have to resolve the issue, he replies .The
aircraft will begin penetrating Russian radar cover within, uh, 25 minutes. Note
that the dialogue uses an unusual word while referring to a serious and official
event, penetrate. Ultimately, the only real meaning behind using penetrate

would be to promote phallic innuendo. Even the phrase love the bomb is itself
an example of phallic innuendo this is seen when the engineer on the US
bomber falls while riding the nuke like a cowboy and then the bomb explodes
delineating the climax. Phallic innuendos permeate the film even in the plot; the
idea of polygamy. Considering that the film is set during the period of Cold war
where nuclear war was looming over peoples heads, the phallic innuendos in the
film work to undermine the seriousness of the time while also criticizing human
nature as sexually desirous even in tensing and agitating circumstances. Thus
the out of place phrase, love the bomb plays a key role in disconcerting the
audience by manipulating the fear of the time and criticizing it while also setting
up the scene for phallic innuendos hence making human desires, a tool of satire.
Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb is
definitely a strange title especially so, during the period it emerged in, as it went
against the grains of its social context. The title taunts the audience by
emanating a mood not present at the time and by creating a manifestation of
their fears while criticizing it. Even more, it presents a strong connection with
that object of fear giving off the vibes of sarcasm but also setting up the
criticism, by the film, on the repressed sexual desires inbuilt into human nature.
Thus, the title sets up criticism of the Cold war period and the intrinsic human
nature itself by turning them both into objects of satire. In doing so, it
simultaneously suggests that an object of fear is only exists when it has the
potential to take away what you desire but when that same object allows you to
fulfil your desires, it becomes an object of love hence the phrase love the
bomb.