A review of Dr.Strangelove

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2013)

Doctor Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, directed by Stanley Kubrick is a political satire set in America during the cold war. The story unfolds in three settings; The first in a B-52 Bomber whose crew has been ordered to bomb the Russians, the second at the military base that ordered the attack, and the third in the war room with the President and his military advisers. The story unfolds as each group of characters in the three settings try to avert a string of ever worsening disasters. The movie was filmed in 1964 during the Cold War. For this reason, the movie is viewed as a black humor commentary on a worst case scenario. Major characters in the story include Brigadier General Jack K. Ripper (played by Sterling Hayden), an unbalanced man convinced that the communists are "contaminating his precious bodily fluids", Major T. J. Kong (played by Slim Pickens) a cowboy hat toting B-52 Bomber pilot, and General Buck Turgidson (played by George C. Scott) an enthusiastic general with no love for the "Ruskies". Interestingly, Peter Sellers was given three major roles in the film; Lionel Mandrake – a British RAF exchange officer, President Merkin Muffley, and Dr.Strangelove – the ex-Nazi nuclear expert. Each of these characters complement each other to create a colorful and entertaining world while still addressing a serious topic. While the special effects and picture quality are far below my 2013/teenage standards, I found myself forgetting I was watching an almost fifty year old movie as the musical score, the cast of characters, and photographically composed shots drew me into the story. The combination was like a window into another era, since in the time the movie was filmed, nuclear war with Russia was an ever present threat. Taken through that lens, the movie manages to be hugely entertaining and thought provoking at the same time.