Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb “Gentlemen, You Can’T Fight in Here! This Is the War Room!”

Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!” U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a “Doomsday Device” which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on indulging a drunken Soviet Premier; and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that “such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which, at this moment, must be all too obvious.” Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world? Directed by Stanley Kubrick Written by Peter George III, Stanley Kubrick, and Terry Southern Based on the novel Red Alert, aka Two Hours to Doom Cast Peter Sellers Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake Peter Sellers President Merkin Muffley Peter Sellers Dr. Strangelove George C. Scott General “Buck” Turgidson Sterling Hayden General Jack D. Ripper Keenan Wynn Colonel “Bat” Guano Slim Pickens Major T. J. “King” Kong Peter Bull Ambassador de Sadesky James Earl Jones Lieutenant Lothar Zogg After viewing the film, answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. 1. Why does General Ripper send his bomber wing to attack the Soviet Union? What makes him go “over the edge?” 2. What kind of president is Merkin Muffley? Describe his character. 3. What country is Dr. Strangelove from? Why would he be advising an American president? 4. Dr. Strangelove satirizes a variety of important organizations and institutions. List the institutions that come under attack in this dark comedy, and what are the producers of this film trying to say about them? Cite specific examples from the film to illustrate your comments. 5. In your opinion, what does the “Doomsday Device” represent in this film? 6. Although this film is a comedy, it deals with some pretty serious subject matter. The producers are trying to say something in this movie. What is the message that the producers intend to convey? Would they have been better off doing this as a straight drama rather than a dark comedy? Why or why not? .

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