Unlike Any Other Comedy Ever Made

Rating: Null/10 (21 September 2016)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
**** (out of 4)
A General has a mental breakdown and orders an American plane to drop a nuclear bomb on Russian. When the Russian president hears the news he warns America that if the bomb drops they were retaliate by dropping a Doomsday bomb.
Stanley Kubrick's DR. STRANGELOVE is considered one of the greatest comedies ever made. That has always somewhat baffled and amazed me because there really aren't too many actual laughs in the movie. What Kubrick originally set out to do was create a serious drama but as time went along he realized he should turn this into a comedy. What DR. STRANGELOVE does do is show that there's a very thin line between intense suspense and black comedy.
What really amazes me about this film, as I said, is the fact that there really aren't too many laughs but that doesn't hurt this comedy. Kubrick would become known for creating his own universe in movies and when people talk about this they usually mention 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. I think this film also fits that description because there's just an alternate universe going on here. The film looks and sounds like a serious drama but at the same time there's that underlining comedy that comes out at times. The look compared with the tone of the film just sets off a rather weird universe that isn't quite "our" times.
It certainly doesn't hurt that Kubrick lined up a terrific cast of characters and of course there's Peter Sellers playing three different characters. Of the three my favorite is without question President Muffley because of the scene where he must tell the Russian president that a nuclear bomb is about to kill millions of his people. Then you've got Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn and Slim Pickens also turning in great performances. George C. Scott will always be known for his tense dramas but his comic timing here is pretty darn good and especially when he lets his character's madness out.
The film contains a wonderful score and there's no question that it's downright beautiful to look at. Kubrick is considered a genius for obvious reason but I honestly don't think there has been another director that would have managed to get out of this film what he did.