Perhaps the greatest black comedy ever made

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 1999)

Learning of Stanley Kubrick's death on Sunday, March 7, 1999, came late for me. I had missed the news and only found out on Monday. I decided the best way to honour the man, was to watch my favourite film of his, "Dr. Strangelove".
Some time ago, when I told a friend that I was working on my own black comedy, he said he didn't think there were any black comedies that were successful as they fell flat and did poorly overall. I thought about it for a moment, but couldn't think of anything at the time. I later recalled "Dr. Strangelove" in the same way you think of the perfect comeback to an insult the day after.
When I first saw the film, I was struck by the brilliance of Peter Sellers, playing three roles. I learned later that he was slated for four roles, the fourth being that of Major T.J. "King" Kong, but due to an injury he wasn't able to do it. But then Slim Pickens might never have hit the world stage in the way that he did.
I recently bought the DVD, somewhat reluctantly, as it does not have any special features whatsoever. I have read there's a fantastic alternate ending where a pie fight in the war room ensues, but unfortunately, everyone was cracking up and having a good laugh over it, and ruined the feel that Kubrick was looking for. Wouldn't that be great to see, though? There's a still picture of this scene in a biography of Kubrick by John Baxter.
Perhaps in the wake of Stanley's death, we may see some special editions of the film reissued on DVD, which would be a welcome treasure in my opinion. I only wish that all film companies would give the same attention to film's behind the scenes and outtakes that Criterion does. Universal and New Line have gone to great efforts to provide high quality DVDs with plenty of bonus materials.
I'll leave you with a quote from Stanley which can best summarize the mood of the film: "Confront a man in his office with a nuclear alarm, and you have a documentary. If the news reaches him in his living room, you have a drama. If it catches him in the lavatory, the result is comedy."