In Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, one of the most creative characters is Dr. Strangelove played by Peter Sellers. He is shot in low key
lighting for the majority of the time suggesting he has a dark side, or is a dark person. Dr. Strangelove is shown sitting in a wheelchair (right) for the entirety of the film until the last minute when he finally is able to stand as he screams, “Mein Fuhrer! I can walk” (Kubrick). “Vincent LoBrutto ascribes to both Kubrick and Sellers the belief that politically powerful figures were really overcompensating for being impotent is some hidden way, and that could have been indicated by the wheelchair” (Stillman 494). Kubrick made it a point to never take an extreme close up shot of Dr. Strangelove, perhaps this was to be sure the audience always saw the wheelchair Strangelove was in. Peter Sellers’ costume for Dr. Strangelove has a lot of black in it. He is wearing a black suit, dark sunglasses, and a black glove on his right hand. The black suit suggests that he is not in the military, but because he is in the war room, he is involved with some aspect of war. Dr. Strangelove is wearing dark sunglasses despite being in a dimly lit room. This suggests to the audience a few possibilities; one being that Dr. Strangelove is “not all there.” Another possibility is that his view of the world is permanently tinted in a dark way. Grant Stillman in his article “Two of the Maddest Scientists” comments on Strangelove’s black glove, “Ed Sikov quotes Sellers as saying that one day Kubrick suggested he should wear a black glove, which would look rather sinister on a man in a wheelch
air” (494). He goes on to quote Sellers talking about the odd behavior of Strangelove’s arm, “So instead of leaving it there looking malignant I gave the arm a life of its own. That arm hated the rest of the body for having made a compromise. That arm was a Nazi” (494). (left)
Even the name Dr. Strangelove is suggestive of the character’s outlook, and the title of the film. Dr. 
Strangelove has a strange love of bombs and warfare. This is displayed when he is talking to the President about the doomsday machine. Strangelove smiles and becomes visually excited talking about the “beauty” of a doomsday machine (left); he has stopped worrying and loves the bomb.
Works Cited
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.
I like your insight on Dr. Strangelove's character. The idea that Dr. Strangelove is wearing sunglasses to represent the world being permanently tinted is a great observation that I never took note of. I also never noticed that Dr. Strangelove never had a close up shot. I wonder why the director wanted the audience to always know him being in a wheelchair? I really liked how you stuck to one key part to the movie and expanded your observations from there. It was easy to follow and the pictures went along great with what you were pointing out!
ReplyDeleteDr Strangelove is indeed a very interesting character. I liked the point you made about how the audience can always see that he is in a wheelchair, as well as his view of the world through his dark tinted glasses. I think the line "Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!" was a good ending line for the film that leaves the audience remembering the character.
ReplyDeleteI agree dr strange love is one heck of a character, and i really never noticed that his stand up at the end of the movie when he said "Mein Fuhrer! I can walk i can walk"! this just to refer to his nazi roots as Mein Fuhrer! mean meant to address hitler and it is germen for the "the highest leader. Also you made an interesting point about dr strangelove's all black costume, as it adds up to his mysteries-ness.
ReplyDelete