Mass Destruction and "The Bomb" have its Perks.

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2008)

Watching "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" was a refreshing comedy on mass destruction and the insane predicament during the Cold War and the Nuclear arms race. "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more then ten to twenty million killed, tops. Depending on the breaks." is said by General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott). Turgidson says this to President Muffley (Peter Sellers- in his first of three supporting roles) in the "War Room" as Gen. Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) has gone "psychotic" and ordered 34 planes to Nuke Russia (U.S.S.R) because he thinks the commies are trying to spoil their "precious bodily fluids." He says the meaning is "water," but the low angle shots, almost as if the camera is in Hayden's lap, of Ripper sucking on a large cigar only scream of something more than just bodily water. I don't know what to make of that. As Turgidson debriefs the President, some of the best scenes of the film are shot in this one room- the War Room and let's be perfectly clear, there's no fighting in the war room. Turgidson informs the President that Gen. Jack Ripper has complete control and has shut off all communications to the base and the secret code, that only he knows, that can get in contact with the planes pilots have no contact with anyone. So, the President has no way of stopping the planes from dropping the bomb because Ripper has shut off all communications- sounds like some of the stories you hear from the 60s. This leads to a great, one-sided, phone call to the head of Soviet Premier, Dmitri, that might leave younger audiences thinking this is some kind of impersonation of President George Bush, but it's not. Peter Sellers best performance of the three roles comes as the President. The scenes between Scott and Sellers are both electric and very funny that hit on all six cylinders. President Muffley informs Dmitri that he's very sorry that 34 planes are on their way to drop a bomb that will ruin the entire civilization in the USSR, so he orders his own plans to be shot down and assists in the attack giving it the okay. Turgidson disagrees with the idea and would love to wipe out the entire Communist regime, but US policy is not to Nuke first. We Nuke second. It's only proper. "I'm sorry, too, Dmitri... I'm very sorry... *All right*, you're sorrier than I am, but I am as sorry as well... I am as sorry as you are, Dmitri! Don't say that you're more sorry than I am, because I'm capable of being just as sorry as you are... So we're both sorry, all right?... All right." President Muffley sounds very sorry. Quite panicked as well (Not really, which makes it all the more funnier).
I thought Sellers gave the best performances as the incredibly off-the-wall, enthusiastic General with more plans on his mind than destroying millions of people- like getting back to Miss Scott, who's in his bedroom on a countdown. Sellers, as Dr. Strangelove is exactly how you think he would look and act. Is it over the top? Yeah, very much so, but his ridiculous quirks and possessed right arm that seems to have a mind of it's own is very funny, especially when you couple that with his survival plan for when the "Dooms Day Machine" goes off. That's the really big nuke that will kill everybody on the entire planet if the USA pilots reach their targets and in order to save the human race, Dr. Strangelove says all the top generals and leaders of the world will have to live in a coalmine for about 100 years with a 10:1 ratio of women to men. This perks up the attention of General Turgidson and puts a smile on the face of Dr. Strangelove, even though he has a permanent smile on his face. The best scene in the film may come when the pilot of one of the planes is riding the bomb on it's way down to earth as if he's at a rodeo just living it up. That wonderful bomb has so many great advantages when you really think about it: A lot of sex with a lot of different women, you can ride on them like a cowboy, you can eliminate millions of commies there's just much good that can come of a bomb such as this. The fact that this was made right in the middle of the whole fire storm makes this film even more appreciable, now, more than ever. There are some great performances, good laughs, and a very engrossing look on annihilation and mass destruction as numbers are thrown around like numbers instead of human casualties. Other than the look of the airplanes resembling more paper planes on strings than actual airplanes, there's really not much to dislike. Very rarely do you see a refreshing comedy that was made over 40 years ago, but I've seen just that as "Dr. Strangelove" has some serious staying power. It's a near-masterpiece. This should be Kubrick's best film, but I certainly see why "2001" may be regarded higher.