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Sex in Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove
Pathological male behavior is a common theme in Stanley Kubrick films. The stereotype of a sexually driven man and his behavior is what fuels many of his films from the peeping tom character of Davey in Killer’s Kiss, Humbert Humbert in Lolita, Alex in A Clockwork Orange, to Harford in his finale Eyes Wide Shut. However, none of Kubrick’s films reach the level of behavioral analysis that his 1963 satire Dr. Strangelove does. In Strangelove, Kubrick links this sexual behavior to the end of the world by a narrative thread and visual images.
Take, for instance, the first and (almost) last images of the film: the phallic image of a refueling plane’s nozzle penetrates the fuel hatch of another plane or, what is called the ultimatic phallic image in film history, Kong riding the bomb, rodeo style, into oblivion. This is probably the most obvious sexual image in the film, complemented by the sexual utilization of Ripper’s intimidating cigar. The men on the airplane also gaze at a Playboy magazine. However, Kubrick does not limit his commentary on male behavior to images. It is the thrust of the narrative as well.
Before the narrative itself is delved into, we must understand that the character names are strongly sexual. For instance, we have General Jack D. Ripper, named after the famed serial killer and sexual mutilator of women. Kubrick provides two of Peter Seller’s characters with such names. The President’s name is Merkin Muffley, a deviation of the slang term "muff diver". Dr. Strangelove, or his German equivalent, is exactly that. Loving something strangely. However, Kubrick does not stop the sexual innuendos with the names of his characters.
Character names aside, the plot itself is extremely sexual. Ripper begins his move towards Armageddon because of the fear that his bodily fluids have been tainted by a communist conspiracy (the fluoridation of water) and that his life essence is being robbed during sexual intercourse. The Russian President is attending a sort of orgy (after all, as the Ambassador proclaims, he is "still a man"). Ironically enough, Kubrick makes the only woman appearing in the film Turgidson’s mistress (who also appears in the Playboy magazine that the flight crew is gazing at). Turgidson speaks to her on the phone, proclaiming that his love for her is more than physical, however, as we see in the film’s climax, the idea of ten women to each male proves to be more than exciting for the diplomats. Following the dropping of Kong’s bomb, the diplomats do not wait to grieve. They brainstorm the ultimate scenario for survival. It is this concept of the women to men ratio that proves to be the ideal scenario for the government officials following the apocalypse. They fantasize about living in a mineshaft, each of them keeping ten wives and participating in nothing but procreation. The men set aside the concept of a monogamous relationship and end up destroying the world for polygamy.
Turginson is lying when he tells Ms. Scott that it’s more than physical. The whole apocalypse is caused by the male fascination with sex and Kubrick not only comments on this narratively and visually in extremely phallic metaphors. This is why the satire works and why it’s payoff is as powerful as it is.
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