Year: 1964
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Country: U.S
Language: English
Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest and one of the most unusual American Directors to grace the screen. His films, which include A Clockwork Orange and Lolita, have been known to be incredibly controversial for their time. Causing panics and uproars, one film of his was removed from the theater due to enormous negative response. Is he a genius or a madman? I would consider him both. His Dr.Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb only adds prestige to his odd legacy.
Dr.Strangelove stars Sterling Hayden as U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper. A man who goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world ?
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is a war room!" Dr.Strangelove is a fantastic black comedy that acts as a political satire. Around this time in history, the American people were terrified about the real threat regarding nuclear annihilation. The cold war had continued to rage on and anti-communist conspiracy theorists like Jack Ripper were surprisingly common. Kubrick not only made this film to mock the "serious" atmosphere of America at that time, but he made it to reassure Americans that everything was going to be alright so we might as well laugh at our fears.
Gilbert Taylor's black-and-white cinematography is outstanding, which goes well with the suspenseful plot. Kubrick's eye for detail goes to extreme lengths with this film, he decided to make the table in the war room green like a poker table because he though the idea that these important men were playing poker with the world was funny, however this was a black-and -white film so the colour wouldn't even show and the detail was a waste. Peter Sellers' acting in this film is legendary. He plays three characters, most notable the twisted Dr.Strangelove who seems unable to stop his arm from doing a nazi salute. Mein Fuhrer...I can walk!
In conclusion, while it can be argued that Dr.Strangelove is not his best film, it most certainly is his funniest. It is full of fresh & witty dialogue, President Muffley's monologue while talking on the phone with the Soviet Premier in Moscow is absolutely hilarious. We went and did a silly thing. Indeed this is truly Kubrick's most silly film. Praise it! 5/5
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