satire as a success story

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2006)

Dr. Strangelove is a classic example of satire as an educational tool. When this film first came out, my gut reaction was that it was anti-American, disrespectful and a plaything of an elite, liberal movie maker. But, I was young, an Air Force veteran, and full of the conservative claptrap. Having the many decades of time between then and now, I view the film as remarkable in its structure, forceful in its message and memorable in the performances. As the B-52 is on its way to the target, for example, the litany of the crew as they prepare for the strike left goosebumps as my earlier experience in military aircraft of the time was nearly identicle is substance and complexity. We were then living on the edge of nuclear annilhilation and viewing this film, even as a satire, shows that the supposed "Balance of Power" concept of the time was in fact a "Balance of Terror". If Swift's "A Modest Proposal" was satire that energized the Irish to their plight, Dr. Stranglove was our energizing message. Surely, this is one of the best films of all time.