Mein Fuhrer!

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2004)

Stanley Kubrick's classic satire, Dr. Strangelove, continues to this day to show us simply how silly war and particularly the idea of nuclear war really is, but with comedy, very dark comedy. Chock full of excellent actors and with the direction from one of the most talented of all time, Dr. Strangelove is a brutal powerhouse of a film that few can compete with. Made and released during the Cold War, it definitely had much more of an impact back then than it does now because the film is about just that...the Cold War and it's ludicrous implications.
All hell breaks loose when a general gone mad, General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), decides to take things into his own hands and start a nuclear war in retaliation to the Soviet's "attack" of implementing fluoride into our water supply, thereby poisoning the entire American population's bodily fluids. As the imminent threat comes closer and the planes carrying the warheads travel closer to their targets destined for complete annihilation, it quickly becomes apparent that stopping the attack might not be as easy as the powers that be originally thought. As dark as it sounds, this film is hilarious!
Peter Sellers is this film. Without him, it wouldn't be nearly as funny. He plays three different characters including the President of the United States, Jack D. Ripper's first officer, and of course Dr. Strangelove. He is a pure joy to watch on the screen and even with the knowledge of his multiple characters beforehand, he is almost entirely unrecognizable from role to role. One of my all time favorite movie characters is his Dr. Strangelove. He was also supposed to play Slim, the pilot, but supposedly the cast and crew could not stop laughing during his performance to the point of hindering filming. As a result, he was replaced. I'd love to see those out takes. George C. Scott as Gen. Buck Turgidson, the completely brash and ignorant commander, is also quite hilarious.
Very few films can make such a strong statement, one that stands the test of time. It's even more difficult to do that with satire/comedy. Kubrick does this with Dr. Strangelove flawlessly and created one of the most important films of all time, if not the most important film ever made.