"Fail Safe" the motion picture was directed by Sidney Lumet , and "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To
Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb", was Directed by Stanley Kurbrick. Both movies share a very similar
story, about America and Russia during the Cold War and the threat of a Nuclear Attack on both countries.
"Fail Safe" took a serious approach to the story, while "Dr. Strangelove" was a bit more comical.
In the Movie "Fail Safe" we learn that new technology is created faster than our ability to fully control it.
Most of the movie is shot very close-up, with a normal lens, and the movie itself has no soundtrack.
The movie begins as a pilot is awaken from a disturbing dream he's been having of a bull fighter and a bull,
which doesn't seem to make sense until the end of the movie.We then join a Congressman as he is given a
tour of a United States air military control facility. As he is shown around and told the fail safe measures the
military has, the equipment notices a unidentified flying object near the United States.
They send planes to
check out the situation, and after the coast is clear they are told to return to their fail-safe points; however,
one of the bombers didn't get the all clear to return to the fail-safe point. The pilot receives an emergency
code CAP811 that means to head toward Russia to bomb Moscow. The interior shot of the plane it self is a
very tight close-up shot and the camera it self doesn't tilt or pan.The inside of the plane is very confined,
almost claustrophobic.
Back in master control we see the first long shot in the entire movie as doors open
and more military personal come out. In the next scene we enter a war room with a table in the shape of the
letter "V" which the director intentionally did to draw the eye of the viewer to the center of the screen at the
most important person in the room.We then enter a empty room with nothing much more than a phone,
where the General and his interpreter call Moscow to alert them of the mistake. To no avail the United States
could stop their own bombers and Moscow is bombed. The movie ends with a montage of generic shots of
New York life right before we drop the bomb on our own country as we promised the Russians.
In the Movie "Dr. Strangelove" we see a very similar story line with more of a comical approach.
The motion picture contains more Long Camera shots and more establishing shots.The camera shots in this
movie tracks around freely and less confine than in "Fail Safe". The Movie was based on novels called "Red
Alert" by Peter George. "Dr. Stangelove" is a movie about Jack D. Ripper, General of Air Force Base that
orders planes from their fail-safe points to go out and attack the Soviet Union.
Unlike Fail-Safe their are more
shots of the exterior of the plane and of the base. Not just stock footage of one place taking off multiple
times. The master control room is shown The War room in this movie is Circular and doesn't draw the
attention of the audience to a certain point. The Movie ends comically as he rides the Bomb down wearing
his cowboy hat and yelling, then a montage of shots of the bomb going off appear on the screen.
I enjoyed both movies but found "Dr. Strangelove" to be more engaging than "Fail Safe".
Everything in Fail Safe was too symmetrical, and very plain. The visuals in Strangelove were more appealing
and easier on my eyes, in "Fail Safe" i felt very confine to the space on the screen. I do recommend seeing
both movies back to back.
It was interesting to see the art direction of two different directors with similar
story lines.
