The Greatest Film Ever

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2000)

This is the finest Kubrick film of all time, the finest black comedy of all time, the finest comedy of all time, and the finest film of all time. The greatest achievement is to make a truly horrific concept (the end of the world) absolutely riotous without being trivial. From the names (Col. Bat Guano) to the red-phone scene ("I can be as sorry as you can, Dmitri"), to the depraved answer to the end of the world devised by Dr. Strangelove and accepted by the War Room crowd, the film is poignantly funny because the characters (who mirror common attitudes of the time and play it absolutely straight) have no idea how ridiculous they look. Kudos to Peter Sellers who (again) portrays multiple characters with tremendous humor, sensitivity, and distinction.