Absurdity in Dr. Strangelove

The film Dr. Strangelove is not a generic comedic film. It deals a lot with deep issues, such as nuclear war and death. That being said, it contains a lot of absurd humor and understatement in order to not be too dark.

The humor in this film is carried throughout the film by understatement. No one seems really upset about anything; they just cuss and move on. When the guy realizes that wing plan R was called, he just sat there eating a sandwich. Even the emotional speech given by the pilot isn’t that drastic, just general resignation. Everyone seems to be extremely calm. A prospective nuclear war is on its way, and Capt. Mandrake is listening to music while General Jack Ripper just wants a drink. General Buck Turgidson actually seems to relish the idea of the nuclear attack. He smiles while talking to the President and doesn’t seem that concerned with the end of the world. The President himself isn’t that stressed out either. He calls the Russian leader to tell him about the strike and spends a while talking “small talk” and assures him that it is a “friendly call”. He and the Russian leader, Dmitri, argue about who is sorrier instead of actually panicking about the fact that there is a nuclear attack about to happen. This attitude is shown clearly when the President of the United States says “There’s no use getting hysterical about this!” Of course the Russian leader should get hysterical about the nuclear attack! Doomsday is extremely dangerous and it’s a clear understatement that the President states.

There is also a lot of ridiculousness in this film. The pilots and crew of the strike team get the most absurd things in their survival kits, such as condoms, lipstick, and nylon tights. The President also says something ridiculous when the Russian ambassador comes to the war room and is attacked by General Turgidson: “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here.  This is the war room!” It’s a war room. The whole point is to deal with conflict and fighting. Of course men are going to fight in a war room! The air force base’s motto is “Peace is our Profession”. Obviously it isn’t, for the base started the nuclear problem in this film. It is also absurd when the Coronel won’t shot the Coca Cola machine because he doesn’t want to deal with the Coca Cola factory. I’m sure that the fate of the world as he knows it is more important that dealing with the Coca Cola Company. Not to mention the fact that he and his army already shot up most of the base, so what does one more thing matter? The Generals also are upset about allowing the Russians to obtain mine space to save the people from nuclear attacks, but they discuss these plans right in front of the Russian ambassador.

The General who calls this strike is named Jack Ripper. This name is obviously an allusion to the serial killer in the 1880s, known as Jack the Ripper. In history, Jack the Ripper was a man who killed 5 people over the course of a few months.  Buck Turgidson’s name also has a meaning. Turgid means pompous and overblown. He seems extremely puffed-up about his plan and starts to challenge the President of the United States. He is extremely overconfident and acts like the king or supreme ruler. Coronel Bat Guano’s name literally means “bat shit”.