DR. STRANGELOVE
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb *** (out of 4 = good) 1964, not rated, 93 minutes [1 hour, 33 minutes] [satire] starring: Peter Sellers (President Merkin Muffley, Captain Lionel Mandrake, Dr. Strangelove), George C. Scott (General Buck Turgidson), Sterling Hayden (General Jack D. Ripper) Slim Pickens (Major T.J. "King" Kong), written by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel "Red Alert" by Peter George.
"Dr. Strangelove" probably holds the record for the longest and strangest title in movie history, and in a way it's symbolic of the contents. This is a story of the end of the world, but a funny and thematic one at that.
The plot is a bit difficult to follow at first, but it is full of subtle themes and moods. Sterling Hayden co-stars as General Jack D. Ripper (wonder if that name is symbolic?), who has gone insane and ordered a nuclear attack against Russia. Peter Sellers plays three supporting roles, one is that of Captain Lionel Mandrake, a British military officer working with Ripper. When he tries to talk Ripper out of his insane actions, it has such a satirical, almost cartoony affect, it's funny but a little scary considering how serious the mood is.
George C. Scott also co-stars as General Buck Turgidson, who is quite a character to behold. We first meet him when his secretary (and girlfriend) relays a phone conversation between him and an admiral while he is in on the toilet! This isn't hysterically funny, but it's just the thought of the situation that is humorous.
Other sequences like this crop up throughout the film, such as Turgidson being called by his girlfriend in the Pentagon War Room to discuss their relationship; the funny phone conversation that ensues between President Muffley (Sellers) and the premier of Russia in which Muffley nonchalantly says they are about to start a nuclear war accidentally; and of course Dr. Strangelove (Sellers), the mad scientist.
The film does have a suspenseful aspect to it, as we wonder if the Air Force troupe we have been following since the beginning will carry out their orders since they don't know what is going on. This bunch is led by the eccentric Major T.J. "King" Kong (Pickens), who seems more like Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam than any kind of military leader. In fact, by the end of the film Kong rides a nuclear bomb like a bucking bronco - how off the wall is that?
"Dr. Strangelove" will go down in history as the best satire of the Cold War. Its strong point isn't the humor, but the theme, which comes across very clearly of the defining mood. Who else but Stanley Kubrick could make nuclear Armageddon so lighthearted?
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