strangelove response

Dr. Strangelove is definitely a movie that requires a second, and much deeper look. There are many things that can be learned, as well as debated. For example it is still hard to tell exactly where the name “Dr. Strangelove” comes from. Also where and why Kudrick obtained his ideas for some of the details for this film. There are many different elements that require us to roll up our sleeves and take a closer look at.
Even something as simple as the name of the film still draws much attention to it. We are not certain where this name comes from, although there are some very good suggestions. For example, Stillman proposes that it may come from a character in the first James Bond movie called “Jack Strangways”. In the bond movie this character talks about mowing down “commies”, so there could be a real connection here. Also, we see a suggestion that a man from president Kennedy’s Cabinet may have been the influence for the character, a man named Robert Strange McNamara. So as we can see, there are multiple places that Kudrick could have gotten his idea for the name of this character, the character that the film is named after. But perhaps this is what makes Kudrick’s work so interesting.
I believe Kudrick leaves these open ends for two different reasons. The first being because he enjoys doing it, the second being he wants us to look deeper into his work. He didn’t just give us these answers; he wants us to find them. He clearly states “If you didn’t discover it for yourself, it wouldn’t mean anything anyway”. This shows that he made his films this way so that we would have to dig deep to find answers, even answers that are still debatable.
Another mystery in Kudrick’s work is where he gets his ideas. There is strong evidence to suggest that it comes strait from the media. For example, it is believed by some that he got his idea for Ripper’s theory on fluoridation from two sources; Playboy Magazine and The Nation’s Future (a showing airing at the time on NBC). Also he gets the idea of covering the war room table with felt like a poker table from James Bond, which gives us the famous quote “the president, the generals and the Russian ambassador are playing a game of poker for the fate of the world” He uses the resources around him to his benefit. These provide him with popular information that people would be and are familiar with. It’s a great way to connect with the general public.
In closing we can see that Kudrick very wisely used his imagination and his surroundings to make such a good film.