Hollywood History: Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove is a landmark film for a variety of reasons. Most obviously, it cemented the career of its now-famous iconoclastic director Stanley Kubrick. The success of Strangelove paved the way for what may very well be the most expensive art film ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Dr. Strangelove also surely bears a good deal of credit for opening Hollywood movie studios the idea of black comedies that would be made in the years following; movies such as Lord Love a Duck, M*A*SH and Network, for instance.

The true significance of Dr. Strangelove, however, may be its place in the political history of America. Prior to this film no movie major American movie had ever dared to suggest some of the dangerous geopolitical truths that Dr. Strangelove does; at least not by treating it in such a serious style. The key to the success of the humor of Dr. Strangelove lies in its documentary, deadpan style. Unlike just about every other comedy ever made before, none of the characters knew they were in a comedy. That is to say, no character in Dr. Strangelove-regardless of how outrageous the dialogue or situation-is attempting to be funny. Every line of dialogue is spoken with the complete earnestness of a dramatic motion picture. In fact, it may not be too far-fetched to suggest that if an audience who had never heard of the film before were to view it in ignorance of its comedic intention, it's quite possible a substantial part of them would take it as a serious drama. Clearly this a film that has had a major influence on the Coen brothers who have made a string of comedies where the characters aren't aware they are in a comedy.