ion of two of Kubrick’s most brilliant works, Dr. Strangelove and A Clockwork Orange.[okay, I don’t think it is this simple, that is, I don’t think it is just a matter of good vs evil, it goes much deeper than that; remember what we discussed in class, it is the system that constructs us, thus we are a reflection of that system; it is a system that we have created but that now controls us [so to speak]; it is a system that de-naturalizes, dehumanizes, in essence regresses or reconfigures human into something else, i.e. quasi-primal state (Alex, Jack, Pyle), hypermasculine monsters, machine, etc.; in fact thinking about it in these terms, I like the notion that in fact what is constructed is not primal man, but in the extreme cases is a primal machine so to speak, a fusion of humanity’s worst stages of development, roughly speaking; in any case, again, it is not simply a case of good/bad; if anything I think you could say that the system taps into our dark side and in some cases (for whatever unusual, particular cases you are focusing in on, i.e. hyper masculinity in Ripper’s case; an already dehumanized, artificial world {and apparently hyper masculinity and power if all the phallic symbols Alex is associated with is any indication, i.e. mask, car, Beethoven, etc.} and then the overt reconstruction by the system {science, the state} in Alex’s case) brings it to the surface, though even here, I think , it is more complicated than that]Though it may at first appear to be a science fiction film, Dr. Strangelove’s true emphasis is not on science but rather on human nature. The entire apocalyptic scenario is nothing more than a clever analogy to make some very moving observations on certain aspects of human behavior. Not only does it provide an analysis of on screen characters but it gives a unique profile of the audience as well. The title alone has several deep implications for those who actually w...
