A Cold War gem

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2015)

This movie hilariously depicts how absurd the Cold War was. Especially in the early 60s, when this movie was made and the world was so close to Nuclear War, it was almost as if people actually wanted it. Some just for the sake of the show, or curiosity of how it would actually look like, and some because they had actually suffered all the brainwashing that came with the Cold War. I think that what's best achieved in this movie is how hilarious yet realistic the whole situation is. I mean, had someone actually sent those poor boys in nuclear planes to drop a nuclear bomb in real life, I bet their reaction wouldn't have looked much different. And it's funny because we've all consumed the imagery of war full of heroes ready to die for their Motherland or an Idea, while in reality it's just made of flesh and bones people, more similar to the ones in this movie. That's what makes this movie so great: it deconstructs all the social meaning charged into the ideas of Superpowers, Nation, War. In the end, it's just people. Mention apart deserves the great acting in that good ol' American accent of the 50s and 60s, which makes the script even funnier. Sellers, Scott and Hayden pull of amazing performances the three of them, specially Dr. Strangelove's amazing role. I only realized that Mandrake, the President and Strangelove where the same actor when reading the cast, and it makes Peter Seller's performance even more praiseworthy.