Dr. Strangelove

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2016)

Stanley Kubrick is not one to stray from controversial subject matter. In 1964, Kubrick directed the scathing political satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Starring Peter Sellers, in three roles, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden, Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove tapped into the overwhelming fear of nuclear war that was immensely prevalent in the 1960's. Analyzing the threat of overreach of power and the ego problems that arise in international politics, Dr. Strangelove is as relevant today as it was in the heart of the cold war.
Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) has lost his mind. The poor General has gone completely mad, blaming fluoridated water for altering his body chemistry and contaminating his body fluids, Gen. Jack D. Ripper is sure that the U.S.S.R. is behind this conspiracy. Blaming the Russians for his "ailment", Gen. Ripper sends his command to destroy Russia and attack with nuclear weapons. Once he sets the attack in motion, a "Doomsday Machine", which nothing can stop is triggered. The "Doomsday Machine" was created with the purpose of destroying all plant and animal life on earth. Panic sets in when the U.S. President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) and Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky (Peter Bull) realize there is only one way to stop the worldwide destruction already set in motion and that solution lies in placating an inebriated Soviet Premier and former Nazi commander Dr. Strangelove. The world is involved in a race against time in which one side losing means everyone loses.
I have such a strange relationship with the films of Stanley Kubrick. I more than recognize his supreme prowess as a film director. I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time this year and gave it a glowing 5- star rating, I find The Shining a shining 5-star film as well (see what I did there?). As much as I appreciate and respect his films, and see his superior directing in everything I've seen of his, I never reach for a Kubrick film to enjoy at random. There definitely "mood" films for me that I may only watch a couple times a year, although never tire of. I read that this was the final Kubrick film to be shot in glorious black & white, which is fantastic, as such a political satire begs to be shot in black & white. The tone is much more heightened and shadows can be more manipulated in B&W than in movies shot in color, and Dr. Strangelove necessitated a look that takes itself maybe too seriously, as a B&W film can. Peter Sellers is well known for the difficult task of playing three roles in this film, which he did wonderfully, especially the scene in which he was on an extended phone call resulting in several laugh-out- loud moments. George C. Scott more than stole the show, for me, however. Every time he was on-screen, Scott stole the scene. He overplayed his part to perfection, creating one of the best characterizations I have seen on-screen in recent memory. Of course, several Kubrick staples made it into the film including his penchant for long takes. Kubrick's long takes are always a joy for cinema lovers and were an absolute necessity for the dialogue-driven Dr. Strangelove. With a beautifully brilliant script, Stanley Kubrick struck gold again, creating a perfect political satire as relevant today as it ever was.