Day 95 - Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) directed by Stanley Kubrick

I kind of dread watching these super famous movies sometimes because you have to invest so much energy to watch them. That is why I held off so long to watch Lawrence of Arabia and why I still haven't seen some other classics like Gone with the Wind. Also for the purpose of this blog, it is hard to write about a film that has been talked about to death by people much smarter than me, but here I go...

To fully appreciate Dr. Strangelove, you have to understand the context in which it was made. It was filmed during the heart of the Cold War where fear of nuclear bombs was constant. It is a perfect satire to this whole era. While the Cold War is long over and we don't have to worry about communists anymore, I think there will always be a fear of nuclear weapons. This will always make Dr. Strangelove relevant even as memories of the Cold War fades away from our social consciousness.

Above all, this film is really funny. It is highlighted by Peter Sellers' triple performance as Mandrake, the President and Dr. Strangelove, but the supporting cast is great too. There is Sterling Hayden as the insane General Ripper, Slim Pickens as Major Kong and George C. Scott as General Turgidson. It is hard to pinpoint a single character but I guess my favorite would be Mandrake. There is just something really funny about him. Maybe it is his British accent or his thick sophisticated mustache, but more likely in his nervous interactions with General Ripper. You can tell he's thinking "WTF?" when Ripper explains his theory on bodily fluids, but can't really say anything because Ripper is clearly insane. He is stuck in an impossible situation and it's just so comical.

Sellers is also great as the President. His mild manner delivery of absurd lines like, "There's no fighting in the war room!" are gold. This role kind of reminded me a lot of Gene Wilder, and that is a compliment in the biggest way.

Scott as Turgidson is pretty hilarious too. He is so over the top. I like how he's always pointing at the map of Russia. "The Big Board!" I laughed hard when he's describing the skills of his pilots proudly, only to realize that it probably means the end of the world.

Speaking of the War Room, the whole thing looks preposterous. It is just a giant empty room with a table in the middle. The Big Board that Turgidson is always worried about spies seeing is just a giant map of Russia. There is even a buffet in the back.

Underlining this comedy is an actual tension and suspense. I had no idea how it was going to end, nor how it should end. Would Genearl Kong's bomber hit his target and trigger the end of the world?

I think the film works perfectly for what it wants to accomplish. It works as a satire and as a suspense. It also goes to show that maybe machines won't be the end of the the world, but rather humanity's own stupidity.

Grade: A