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<p align="center">"Everything there is to know about nuclear strategy can be learned from Dr. Strangelove.</p>
<p align="center">-John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists</p>
At the Burpelson U.S. Air Force Base somewhere in the USA, Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper orders the 34 nuclear-armed B-52's of the 843rd Bomb Wing past their failsafe points where they normally hold awaiting possible orders to proceed and into Soviet airspace. He also tells the personnel on the base that the US and the USSR have entered into war. In the "War Room" at The Pentagon, Air Force General Buck Turgidson briefs President Merkin Muffley about the attack that General Ripper ordered. Although a nuclear attack should require Presidential authority to be initiated, Ripper used "Plan R", an emergency war plan enabling a senior officer to launch a retaliation strike against the Soviets. From there there, the US must decide the fate of the Russians, the US, and the World (IMnD.<!--more-->

As the postwar age began the world saw the confrontation of Western liberal capitalism and Eastern authoritarian socialism. Youngblood and Shaw argued that cinema was affected by the Cold War, allowing domestic and foreign audiences to participate in the war; "cinema shaped and reflected everyday Cold War mentalities and values". Cinema at that time is disguised propaganda with plain enemy stereotyping that reflected the lifestyles and ideologies, but never directly mentioned the conflicts and topics of the Cold War. Cinema during 50’s such as the <i>Soviet Meeting on the Elbe </i>(1949) and the U.S. <i>Man on a Tightrope </i>(1953), all use ideological strategies in attempt to discredit each other and as a result create the villain stereotypes that will be used by future filmmakers from both sides. Filmmakers focused on promoting each ideologies life style to the world, <i>Roman Holiday </i>(1953) and <i>Spring on Zarechnaya Street </i>(1956) are two examples of cinema that solely focuses on private issues. In 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis involved President John Kennedy and First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev debating over the placement of a hidden nuclear missile site located in Cuba. As the event unfolded, the world was witnessing the first nuclear standoff between two of the world’s superpowers.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, is a black comedy that focuses on the cold war culture and the nuclear scare. In the 60’s many filmmakers focused on the dangers of misusing nuclear technology, films and shows such as the Soviet drama <i>Nine Days in One Year </i>(1962), the US thriller <i>Fail-Safe (1964),</i>  and <i>Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)(</i> <i>Youngblood and Shaw). </i> What separates Dr. Strangelove’s from other works, is how it focuses on the nuclear deterrence, the similarities between the film and actual events and policies. By focusing on these key themes to the point of absurdity, the film finds a unique balance between realism and insanity (Lidley).

The film received received popular reviews from both critics and the general audience, nominated for four Oscars, eight other nominations, and winning 13 awards (IMnD). Since nuclear warfare became a popular topic during the 60’s, the US Air Force worried that some of viewers belived everything in the movie was a possibily. As a result the Strategic Air Command created a 17 minute propaganda film called SAC Command Post, the Film was never shown to the public, until it was discovered by Willam Burr at the national archive (McGreal). The films purpose was to convince Americans that nuclear warfare would only occur if it was the only appropiate action take, Burr states: "The air force wanted to show they have control of these weapons, they were responsible, they would use them under presidential direction and they were ready for war," (McGreal).

Dr. Stangelove is considered one of the greatest movies of all time, receiving a 96/100 from Metacritic, 100/100 from Rottentomatoes, and a 8.5 from Imdn by critics of different times in history. When the National Film Preservation Board was created in 1989, Dr. Stanelove was one of the first movies to be selected for preservation by the board. As more and more countries gain access to nuclear weapons, Dr. Strangelove’s themes continue to remain relevant. The result from the 60’s nuclear scare has caused many of the developed countries to limit and control the nuclear stockpiles to prevent such an event from ever happening. On November 25, 2013, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in favor of lighter economic sanctions(CNN).

The only appropiate movie to compare Dr. Strangelove, is its polar opposite, the ultra-realistic thriller, <i>Fail-Safe</i> (1964). Both movies tackle the exact same themes, but take diffeent approaches at expressing its serious themes. Colombia Pictures produced both movies in the same year, realized that both movies were too similar, and as result allowed Dr. Stangeove to be released first. Fail-safe uses a straightforward and serious tone to deliver its message; there are no soundtracks or music pieces to create suspense, only dialect. Dr. Strangelove’s features important songs, one of the most frequently played is <i>When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again </i>(IMnD), a popular song during that civil war that appealed to families as it offered hope that their loved ones would return(Civilwar.org). The song is played at the most ironic moments, the scenes that featured the U-2 Bomber making its way to drop the bomb, which would lead to the destruction of the world. Although Fail-Safe’s government official and generals are seen as cruel and unreasonable, the movie portrays them as intelligent men that are only trying to use their techniques and skills to adapt to their given situation (Crowther qtd in Henriksen). In Dr. Strangelove, the characters are either portrayed as incompetent, insane, or hypocritical. Whether it features an incompetent President Muffley that doesn’t know any of his countries policies, a mad General Ripper that justifies his actions on a conspiracy that revolves around Russians stealing his precious bodily fluids, or the mirror imaging between the constant quarrels between a “degenerate atheist” and an “imperialist stooge” (IMnD).

<i>Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb</i> is a unique piece that is still relevant today. Even though we survived the cold war, many of the dangers present today. There are around 1,700 nuclear warheads scattered throughout the world, each capable of disturbing the delicate global balance. Dr. Stangelove must be preserved to remind future generation of the dangers and responsibilities we must take to ensure our stability, how easy it is to find ourselves in a lose –lose scenario, how we will respond to such actions, and how easily it can all go wrong.
<p align="center">Works Cited</p>
<p align="center">Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. <i>eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)</i>. Web. 5 Dec. 2013</p>
<p align="center">"Civil War Music: When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again." <i>Council on Foreign Relations</i>. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">"Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." <i>IMDb</i>. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">Henriksen, Margot A. <i>Dr. Strangelove's America : Society And Culture In The Atomic Age</i>.</p>
<p align="center">Lindley, Dan. "Lindley: Study Guide to Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove." Rev. of <i>Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb</i>. Weblog post. <i>Lindley: Study Guide to Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove</i>. N.p., 8 Sept. 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">McGreal, Chris. "How the US Took on Dr Strangelove and Tried to Make Americans Love the Bomb." Rev. of <i>Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb</i>. n.d.: n. pag. <i>Theguardian.com</i>. Guardian News and Media, 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">"National Film Preservation Board (Library of Congress)." <i>National Film Preservation Board (Library of Congress)</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">Rupprecht, Tobias1, Tobias.Rupprecht@eui.eu. "Cinematic Cold War: The American And Soviet Struggle For Hearts And Minds." <i>Kritika: Explorations In Russian &amp; Eurasian History</i> 14.2 (2013): 473-476. <i>Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson)</i>. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">Ringstad, Arnold. "The Evolution Of American Civil Defense Film Rhetoric." <i>Journal Of Cold War Studies</i> 14.4 (2012): 93-121. <i>Academic Search Complete</i>. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">Simpson, David, Dan Merica, Michael Schwartz, Joe Sterling, and Yousuf Basil. "Israeli PM Netanyahu: Iran Nuclear Deal 'historic Mistake'" <i>CNN</i>. Cable News Network, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.</p>
<p align="center">"Status of World Nuclear Forces ." <i>Federation of American Scientists</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.</p>