If only all performances were that good...

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 1999)

I have seen "Dr. Strangelove" five times now, and it seems to get better with each viewing. Kubrick was a master filmmaker, and the script is both hilarious and bitingly honest (and probably a good deal more foreboding at the height of the Cold War).
What I love the most about the film, however, are the performances and the characterizations. Peter Sellers, one of the greatest comedic actors ever, plays three roles just as easily and brilliantly as if he was doing only one; George C. Scott manages to be lovable, hilarious, and almost irritatingly stubborn--all at the same time; Sterling Hayden is a lesson in quiet, calm insanity (think Anthony Hopkins thought of Ripper while playing Hannibal Lecter?); Slim Pickens, even if he was fooled into playing it straight, IS the American, gum-chewin' cowboy; and Keenan Wynn provides a hilarious supporting performance.
I especially love these characters. Dr. Strangelove, the brilliant (yet mechanically inept, so it would seem) Nazi scientist is the old bumbling genius, who tells his superiors exactly what they want to hear ("Ten females to every male"). President Muffley is a benevolent leader who goes to all extremes to "promote peace"--even if it means shooting down his own men. Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake, the stuffy, good-old-boy, English fighter pilot tries to save the world in the stereotypical British, foppish manner: "Tell you what, Jack, I'm going to guess what the code is, and you tell me if that's it. Okay?" And Jack (Colonel Ripper) is a confused, emotional wreck: After a profound "fatigue" during the act of making love, he surmises that the Commies (of course) are poisoning the water supply with this "fluoridation" scheme. Major Kong is a hilarious patriot; he's also extremely frustrating, because he's just so darn DETERMINED. A lesser man might have turned back, might have saved himself and 86'ed the mission; unfortunately, we train them to think objective first, and it bites us in the butt in this scenario. And, of course, Colonel "Bat" Guano (if that really is his name): the typical "orders are orders" soldier; sure, the world might be ending, but if Madrake doesn't get the President on the phone, and if he tries any "preversions," well, he's just going to have to shoot.
The only movie that I think is a perfect 10, Dr. Strangelove is the ultimate black comedy, with the ultimate in satirical characters.