So this movie was by far my favorite so far. Not only was I excited to get back to a movie with a plot, but I found the movie to be interesting and very funny too. I really liked how they decided to make the movie black and white. Even though the movie had a lot of satire in it, the actuall situation was not funny at all and the black and white seemed to make the situation more intense. I was really surprised that people actually accepted this movie. During this time period people were actually really worried about the situation and no one really knew what was going to happen. Then, for a movie like this to come out just seems like there would have been more problems with it then there was.
Throughout the movie I kept thinking that they made it out to seem like nuclear war isn't that bad. It's like "eh, so what if we destroy the world? No big deal." The way the men on the B-52 were talking about how they were basically going to come home as these "all American hero's" was funny because they wouldn't be hero's, they would be dead. They seemed very calm about the situations in the plane. When they couldn't get the bomb door to open I kept thinking well what happens if the bomb explodes right there? I honestly don't think the men even thought about that. They were too wrapped up in their survival kit - condoms, enough gum for thirty people, stockings and god only knows what else. Everything that would make for a great weekend in Vegas; and of course would not help at all in any real situation. Also, I loved how the pilot wore a cowboy hat with a thick southern accent. That was just hysterical. The best part of that was when he went to go try to be the hero and open the bomb door and basically rode the bomb to his death all while yelling and waving his hat around.
Another part that was interesting was when the president was on the phone with the Russian guy ( I don't remember any names, but they were all weird with sexual underlines.) They talked to each other like five year olds. Not only that but the world could end that moment and all they care about is if each other can hear the other one and who is more sorry. You would think their tone would be a little more intense and serious because of the situation.
I also thought that the guy who went crazy and committed suicide, along with many other characters in the movie, were complete idiots. I would hope that today we have people who might be just a little brighter in those positions. I really just don't understand how its possible for one guy to screw things up so badly for everyone else. Not only could no one reach him, but there were so many codes and everything else that it seemed super ridiculous and complicated. I couldn't believe when the one guy was trying to make a phone call to the president and had to have the guy shoot the machine for coins.
I really liked this movie however, I feel that if I was living through this time I would have had a completely different view on it. I think it's funny now many years later, but if I actually had to deal with the thought of the world ending at any given moment I think I would be a nervous wreck and not found the movie very funny.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I cannot agree with you more. Finally a movie with a plot!! I too found this movie to be hysterical. I loved their survival packs. I couldn't help but think...did they really believe that they would survive the effects of the atomic bomb after dropping it?
ReplyDeleteI was also shocked to find this movie to be accepted for what it was during the time of the nuclear bomb scares. I felt this movie was used to make a terrible time one to just laugh at. Lighten the tensions. Lord knows if a movie was done in satire about the current Iraq war, hell would be raised and people would be up in arms. I do not think it would be accepted by the majority.
I enjoy this movie a lot too! I would be interested to see what people thought of this movie when it came out. On one hand I see what you're saying; it points out the total destructiveness of nuclear warfare but on the other hand, the way it satirizes war is somewhat empowering. He breaks down politics and policy to the essential; nuclear war is a terrible idea, now let’s get on with another solution. I can think of very few, if any, contemporary examples of a film that addresses the horrors of the Iraq war in this way. Usually if a filmmaker wants to show the destruction of war they present images of combat, wounded soldiers, crying families. Kubrick addresses war with a serious intent in a humorous form that is extremely inventive. But yes, your blog got me thinking about public acceptance of this movie in the 1960s and I’m definitely going to try to find some film reviews now!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how the one guy had the ability to call out the nuclear attack. It's funny the way the movie points it out. When the president was on the phone, he mentions the system to pick men on their level of sanity and is offended when the russian leader says it's a bad system responding that you can't criticize the system on one guy going crazy. When you think about it, that completely shows the system failed if one guy got in who could literally end the world and then loses it and does.
ReplyDeleteSomebody in another peer group brought up Team America as an example of similar contemporary satire. But in general, we might be a little too freaked out to laugh. 9/11 made a huge difference--nothing actually happened in this country during the Cold War, except stuff we did to ourselves, such as Kent State, Watergate, and several assassinations. You all ask an interesting question. At the time this movie came out, there were actually several other satirical as well as serious treatments of the Cold War. Catch 22 was satirical, as was The Mouse that Roared. But Fail Safe was scary-serious. Everybody knew that the situation and the mentality behind it was absurd, but nobody knew what else to do, given the fears and worldview that existed at the time. Consider the reading, and the "American liberal consensus," and what that has to say about how this movie was received.
ReplyDelete