“Gentlemen! You can’t fight in here! This is the war room!”
A far cry from the serious tone of other Kubrick masterpieces like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining, Dr. Strangelove’s comedic genius comes in its dialogue. Much like films such as Fargo and Rushmore, Kubrick is able to masterfully utilize situational irony. Similarly to how the cops in Fargo casually chat about a triple homicide, the characters in Dr. Strangelove make light of an impending nuclear disaster.
The first instance of this style is when Miss Scott answers the phone for General Turgidson. The officer on the call is urgently trying to inform the general of an order given to American bombers to nuke Soviet Russia. However, instead of blaring alarms and yelling soldiers, we get Miss Scott’s ambivalence. Repeating the messages of the officer to the general, Miss Scott speaks gently, making light of the shocking news. Furthermore, Kubrick chooses to have her sunbathing when she answers the call, giving a further sense of comfort and leisure to what should be an urgent matter.
Another important detail is the staging of the scene. The phone conversation is filmed in a single, long take, yet we don’t see the general until the very end. This intentional choice further deflates the tension by physically removing the general from the frame. We just hear his voice in the distance, and the careless tone indicates that the news is a nuisance to the general. The disconnect between the seriousness of the news and the casual nature of the general creates the situational irony which trademarks Kubrick’s brand of humor.
Another great example of this style comes when President Muffley calls the Soviet leader, Dimitri. At first, Dimitri is drunk and playing loud music; certainly unsuitable behavior for the leader of a world power during the Cold War. Throughout the conversation with the President, he seems more concerned with his personal relationship with Muffley than the B-52 bombers flying into his country.
“Of course, I like to speak to you! Of course I like to say hello!”
Dimitri accuses Muffley of being a bad friend, seemingly ignoring the fact that his country is about to be bombed. Similar to the scene with the general, the delivery and dialogue of the characters in this scene completely undermines the gravity of the situation.
As the bomber gets closer and closer to its target, Group Captain Mandrake makes a last ditch effort to call the President and give him the cancellation code. With any other director, we would get a race against time complete with epic music and dynamic camera movements. However, Kubrick yet again displays his mastery of situational irony.
“Could you, uh– Could you make this a collect call, operator?”
As the future of mankind hangs in the balance, Mandrake has to worry about something as trivial as having enough change for the payphone. Kubrick chooses to shoot the scene in a static, shot-reverse shot between the Group Captain and the Army Officer. The use of simple, unremarkable film making techniques in such a pivotal movement enhances the situational irony.
Mandrake seems to be one of the only sane characters in the entire film, and is utterly powerless. He is at the mercy of a moronic army officer who is more concerned with damaging a Coca-Cola soda machine than getting the President the cancellation code.
“But if you don’t get the president on that phone, you know what’s gonna happen? You’re gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola company!”
Likewise, the President is stripped of all of his authority. First, the erratic General Ripper orders a nuclear attack on Russia without Muffley’s approval. Then, he’s at the mercy of a drunk Dimitri. At the end of the movie, he is forced to ask Dimitri to shoot down American bombers, and he can’t even convince him to do that!
In Kubrick’s world, sane characters are few and far between. The careless behavior of the characters allows us, as the audience, to laugh at what otherwise would be a serious, heavy subject matter.
Kubrick’s situational irony culminates when Dr. Strangelove reveals his plans for post-Doomsday society.
“There would be much time, and little to do… with the proper breeding techniques and a ratio of, say, ten females to each male…”
Holding back laughter, Dr. Strangelove seems to be enjoying himself. The ultimate insult to the gravity of the situation, he lays out a plan for his sexual fantasy just as a nuclear bomb falls on Russia.
The irresponsibility of the characters plays into Kubrick’s biting satire on war. Like any great satirist, he makes the audience laugh at what is serious, and reveals societal problems through comedy. After you’re done laughing, you’re forced to think: do we really trust our leaders to make such important choices for us?
In fact, the satire was so effective, that the US military actually implemented policies to prevent such a disaster from ever occurring! (https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/almost-everything-in-dr-strangelove-was-true)
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