Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Stanley Kubrick (as we know) was not only a guy who made movies in several different genres, but wound up often succeeding at making the BEST movie of all time in that particular genre, and this 1964 effort still stands today as undoubtedly The Greatest Black Comedy Of All Time, a parable about nuclear holocaust that is disturbing and terrifying, but also (unlike all those awful âmessageâ nuclear war films made during the 80s) highly satirical, humorously inventive, and at times laugh out loud hysterical. The story primarily takes place in three basic locations that we cut back and forth from throughout, including an Air Force base where a completely insane General (Sterling Hayden) has ordered an unauthorized nuclear attack upon The Soviet Union using a loophole in the chain of command; The Pentagonâs so-called âWar Roomâ where The President and his advisors have gathered to sort out the situation; and a B-52 Bomber Plane whose pilot (Slim Pickens) and crew (including James Earl Jones) show complete dogged determination to penetrate into the heart of Russia and drop their payload no matter what obstacles they might face. As the crazed General, Hayden in many ways might be the standout, with his rigid intensity at making sure The Russian Communists get whatâs coming to them for what he believes to be their tainting our drinking water in order to make us weaker and more open to attack, with the brilliant irony being that his attitude towards The Commies was not unlike many in real life at that time who ran along right wing lines. However, the true showpiece in this movie is the acting of Peter Sellers (an absolute Legend of comedy acting whom many of this generation are probably not aware of) playing no less than THREE roles in this movie (all of whom are instrumental in trying to stop the attack) and all three performances are so unique in their own way that many first time viewers might not even realize that itâs the same actor playing them. The first is the British officer serving under Hayden who quickly realizes that this man is out of his mind and hilariously does everything he can, whether it be humoring him, cajoling him, or outright begging him to come to his senses and call this thing off. Then, Sellers portrays The U.S. President in The War Room, a balding, timid type who appears heavily frightened by the prospect of presiding over a nuclear holocaust and seems to have the sensibility of being a more liberal-minded leader who allows his military commanders to run roughshod over him even as he nervously talks to The Russian President over the phone to tell him that the missiles are on their way. And finally, Sellers plays Dr. Strangelove himself, The Presidentâs advisor on weapons technology (which means we get to see Sellers engage in conversations with himself) who appears to be an ex-Nazi (with a penchant for the Hitler salute and calling the President âMein Fuhrerâ) whom when it seems that all is lost, relishes in the idea of a post apocalyptic society in underground mine shafts in which the primary purpose of the human race would be to do little more than have sex and breed. Indeed, the sexual metaphors that are prevalent from the very first scene with the bravado and insecurity of many of the male characters almost makes the motivation for them in this scenario to be that of sexual frustration. Which brings us to the no less great performance of George C. Scott as The Presidentâs top general in The War Room who is sleeping with a Playboy model and audaciously suggests to The President early on that MAYBE they should go with âfull commitmentâ and nuke The Russians to oblivion because hey, why not? As for the others, Peter Bull is an imposing presence as The Russian Ambassador, Keenan Wynn nearly steals the movie with five minutes of screen time as The Army Colonel who comes calling on Hayden, and Pickens was immortalized forever in screen history for riding a nuclear warhead all the way down to impact like a bucking bronco. Moreover, there are themes in this movie (that still make it relevant today) of the pressing need certain people of either ideology have to literally kill or wipe out those who disagree with them even as the media insists on making people choose a side for some possible civil war. As awesomely funny as this movie is, itâs important to still take heed of its message even today, so that similar events donât play out in this day and age, and many more generations can discover the genius of Kubrick, Sellers, Scott, and all the others on displayâŚ
10/10