“The heightening of a speech and performance by the choice of a dramatic camera angle; the use of light and shadow in the "War Room" so that it seems an endless subterranean world where footfalls echo ominously; the maintenance, in true American film-making tradition, of a sense of narrative action through the plane that deposits the bomb triggering world destruction;-all this buttresses his comedy with good old melodramatic interest”(Richardson 252). This quote from Richardson does show what the movie portrays. I noticed that when it got to the scene in the war room it was much more dramatic than all the other scenes. He made it seem like they were the only important people on Earth. In another quote by Richardson, it stated, “He is not concerned with the small, well-perceived insight, though beautifully capable of it, unless it can be matched, added, and linked to what he considers an inclusive statement about the fate of man on this planet at this time” (Richardson 253). The author was definitely more concerned about the fate of men. He made sure that men had enough women to keep them happy and be able to prosper as much as possible if need be. Women were not involved in anything.

In the article by Stillman, it says, “Keen-eyed observers have already pointed out that Miss Scott (Tracy Reed), the well-spoken Pentagon secretary under the sunlamp displaying (for the time) ample navel, also pops up as the centerfold in the Playboy magazine being admired by Major Kong in the cockpit” (Stillman 491). This quote probes even more that the women are used as sex symbols more than anything else. The woman did not even know what the individual was saying on the phone when she answered it. As a secretary, I would think that she would at least know a few of the terms but there is no knowledge. Further in the same article it states, “We should not overlook the significance for Kubrick of this device of the hidden photographic revelation, as he was later to use it with devastating effect for the final revelation of the true nature of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) as a reincarnated axe murderer in The Shining (1980), through the use of his look-alike in the old Fourth of July party ballroom picture hanging in the haunted Overlook hotel” (Stillman 493). According to this quote, the importance of photography is very relevant to. It became apparent to me through the movie that the ability to have their huge screens in the war room was what made all the difference. Without having the ability to see the planes coming and going, they would have had no idea how much time they had to cancel the attack.

I am not a huge fan of this movie. There are many reasons as to why this movie does not fit my personal liking. First of all, I do not think that there were enough intense shots with lighting. When the men were in the war room, the lighting was extremely dark and almost to the point where I could not tell what people looked like. Also, when it was lighting was bright, sometimes it was even blinding. Also, the score was not that impressive. I liked that they had a war song while the planes were in flight but there were some many more songs that they could have played as well and the audience would still feel the same way in that scene. Furthermore, having Strangelove not be able to control his arm was very frustrating to me. I was trying to pay attention to what he was saying but I could not. It would have been affective if it happened once or twice but not more than that. Another thing was the set design, I thought that it was pretty affective for the time being but since there are so much better set designs now, I was not impressed. Lastly, the costume was about the same as the set design. Since costumes are so much better now, I did not like how they did them. I believe that there were many ways that the movie could have been improved. If I would have seen this movie when it first came out then I might have liked it then. However, if it were a choice of mine to watch it again, I would not.

Kubrick, Stanley, dir. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the

Bomb. 1964. Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Stillman, Grant. "Two of the MaDdest Scientists." Film History. 20 (2008): 487-500.

Web. 17 May. 2010.

Richardson, Jack. "'Strangelove' and 'the Silence.'" The Hudson Review. 17.2 (1964): 250-255.

Web. 17 May. 2010.