We Should Stop Worrying

Rating: 10/10 (25 October 2005)

Recently I had a great chance to see Stanley Kubrick's classic comedy "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". It is based on the novel "Red Alert" by Peter George.
A crazy American General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) executes a plan which commands the US Air Force to launch atomic bombs at more than 200 Russian targets. The President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) gets very troubled when he learns that the Soviet Union will protect itself against any attack with the Doomsday Machine that brings the 93-years-long nuclear winter to the Earth. The only man who can stop the General is a British 'exchange officer' Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers again).
The movie was released in the 1960s when the Cold War had become extremely tense. Using the nuclear weapon was not only possible, but even likely to happen. In the times when the whole world is afraid of terrorists and 'evil countries', it is very refreshing to see a comedy about nuclear war. Kubrick combines this serious matter with an absurd plot and a witty dialogue. Colourful characters with strange names make this film hilarious. Sellers also plays Dr. Strangelove, a German nuclear scientist. His performance is absolutely spectacular. The phone negotiations between the president and the Soviet leader is one of the most memorable scenes in the history of film.
"Dr. Strangelove" is a film that you should not miss. It will provide you with the escape to the Cold War and with a lot of laugh.