The afraid of the bomb: a real afraid

The afraid of the bomb: a real afraid. We remember that, nowadays bombs should destroy the world several times.

Afraid: If a mad man, in a power position, could give the fatal order: what could happen? And, if this order couldn’t be revoked?

This is, briefly, the Idea of “Doctor Strangelove”. An order, given by a General, that can’t be cancelled. It’s in a secret code!

This is a story that could be a simple, banal story. Maybe rich of suspense, but meaningless.

But, a story, when is conducted by a great director, one of the masters of Cinema, like Stanley Kubrick, can become a masterpiece. And so it is.

The period, to begin. The film was performed in 1963, the apogees of the famous Cold War. The afraid of Communism in the USA. And Russians are considered the enemies to be destroyed.

A recall to peace? Maybe, but not only! The afraid of destruction is so strong, in the work. It’s intense. But Kubrick, like usual, can play a rule between the two opposite aspects of the Human Soul: love and hate, Eros and Thanathos, Construction and Destruction.

The General that ordered the attack used a password inspired to Peace. It can mean that, if we consciously look for destruction, unconsciously we look for peace.

The writes themselves we look in the barracks are like “We work for peace”. This may be a pretext: it’s not unusual that people and governments looking for War say the contrary. It’s not unusual the most bleed dictators say their aim is Peace and Love. This, nevertheless, is conscious, or nearly. In this way, instead, the meaning is that, if we repress an instinct, it emerges in another way. Maybe completely different, but it emerges.

This is not a new in Kubrick: it’s well known, and we tested it in films like “Clockwork Orange”, or “Shining” (in which the theme of the “double” was well-remarked!).

In this work there are a lot of doubles: Russian an Americans, love and hate (the hate between American and Russian and their way of behaving). Planes and persons know (the truth) and don’t know. They are all doubles that reinforces every situation.

Double, but not only. An important rule in this work is played by atmosphere. What does it means? What’s this atmosphere we can speak about? It’s the relationship between the dramatic situation described and the irony filling the scene.

We are near the End of the World. It' s a dramatic situation. If we remember the description of the effects of a nuclear bomb in “The Day After” we can imagine what a total destruction of the world could be! Kubrick, nevertheless, succeeds in doing irony upon this situation. Nearly it was unreal! We can’t be worried in looking at the screen, we risk of being amused. Some situation can be comic ones. Like unreal!

But Cinema itself is fiction. Not real! Another dualism: fiction and reality. This is Fiction. Reality is another thing.

However it’s not all! Irony is the characteristic of great personages to succeed in showing dramatic events, giving the impression of showing amusing ones. It is another dualism, like it was shown the life of the unconscious; it’s the eternal dualism in the human soul. The Russian Counselor makes only laugh, like President of USA too. A comic personage. Maybe to make irony upon politic and political tools.

Doctor Strangelove: a German Scientist: Probably Nazis. The sign he makes is very explicative. This joins violence, builds-up a parody of every situation. Connects Americans, Russians, Hitlerians and Germans in an only container. Politics may be ridiculous.

And the music emphasizes so. Not a dramatic one, but a Music that makes irony upon man and situations. A World Conflict is dramatic but, above all, is ridiculous, because destroying is ridiculous.

A Political work. Or, better, an “above political” one. A work in which Politics and life are strictly connected. The center is, always, man. This wonderful machine that can be, sometimes, so terrible.

The color: black and white. Better. In some situations black and white is much more expressive than colors: he describes better and better. Colored Doctor Strangelove….no thanks. That’s better so!

A masterpiece: I think. For scenes, for environments, for descriptions, for situations, for…the breath of life, of spirit of Art that it can take into us.

A work that contains, in itself, the breath of life, and the willing of live it. Maybe only to look at works like this!

Sergio Ragaini