The enduring genius of "Strangelove" is its hilariousness combined with deeply real satire

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2017)

No film has so brilliantly combined broad comedy and sharp satire to the degree of "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" — before or since.
Stanley Kubrick made many incredible films in his lifetime, but none of them have the unique, distinctive edge of "Strangelove." The prodigious auteur made plenty of anti-war films both prior to and following this film, but it's "Strangelove's" manifold comedic gifts that elevate it to the level of classic.
Anchoring the entire film is comedic genius Peter Sellers playing three vastly different characters with impeccable prowess, a feat that still has no equivalent. He loses himself complete into the roles of Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove — it would be no surprise that if shown to large number of people without any previous knowledge of the film or Sellers, that a large percentage of that group would not realize all three characters were the same actor. He's brilliant, on a whole other level.
"Dr. Strangelove" imagines a ludicrous doomsday scenario in which a rogue Air Force general, Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) sends codes to initiate a massive nuclear offensive on the U.S.S.R., enacting a plan/loophole that would allow him and only him to send the codes that could abort the mission. Ripper holes himself up in his base with Mandrake, who is subjected to his wild conspiracy theories and warped world view. Meanwhile, in the Pentagon War Room, Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) briefs the president and they weigh their options.
The script, written by Kubrick, Terry Southern and Peter George (based on George's non- satirical book "Red Alert") expertly skewer the Cold War mindset at a time when nuclear war was still a paralyzing concern in the world, especially America. The strength of the writing lies in the way the characters behave and say things that are exaggerate but don't feel implausible. Turgidson talking about the benefits of killing 20 million people as opposed to 150 million has both validity and absurdity to it and proves that such drastic matters are better off out of the hands of men. And how deep the trenches of distrust and machismo go in regards to the arms race and other "races" against the Soviets is both insane and reflective of how some people probably felt.
The action of "Dr. Strangelove" is largely contained to the deck of a B-52 bomber, the War Room and the military base where Ripper and Mandrake are hunkered down, so Kubrick has to flex the more subtle filmmaking muscles to tell this story in a compelling way. He balances both long takes from a single, wide angle and meticulously strung together, more suspenseful sequences with lots of close-ups. He manufactures a good amount of tension considering the humor of the entire film prevents it from being a thriller like its equally excellent (but for different reasons) cinematic peer, Sidney Lumet's "Fail- Safe." Nevertheless, "riveting" isn't among the words that best describe "Strangelove."
Instead, "hilarious" and "sad" are more apt. The film's biggest action sequence takes place at the base in a battle between American forces — the ones ordered by Ripper to protect the base at all costs and the ones ordered by the president to stop Ripper. Kubrick doesn't shy from filming an all-out war scene and the result is comedy at its absolute blackest. The "Peace is Our Profession" billboard is delightful (and sadly non- contrived) irony.
"Dr. Strangelove" can be interpreted in the more academic sense countless ways, but it really comes down to the comedic achievement. Most films that insist on big performances and other over-the-top elements don't have the intelligence in the writing and storytelling to buoy that kind of swing for the fences. "Strangelove" does thanks to Kubrick's meticulous direction, Sellers' other-worldliness and a comedic conceit that's dead on for its time and place.
~Steven C
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