One of the famous examples of Cold War paranoia inspired cinema is Dr. Strangelove. Strangelove was a dark comedy driven by the legendary performances of George C. Scott and Peter Sellers of Pink Panther fame. Sellers played three roles including the president and an insane scientist who who developed a fail-safe measure that averted a full blown nuclear war while only killing 4o-50 million people.
What a wonderful work of fiction!! The only problem is that the plan was very real!!
It is a bit surreal to think about the reality of the nuclear threat that American's were living during the Cold War. The influence of this threat is evident in cinema and literature during this time. Were it not for the swift action of prominent thinkers and leaders, our known history and mere existence would have been challenged.
ReplyDeleteJust because man has developed nuclear technology that can wipe out 50 million people in one instant, it doesn't mean that we should use it, America included. I wish that we would also follow the same path in matters of abortion and stem-cell research.