Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Who would have thought that Stanley Kubrick would have such a great sense of humor? Honestly, it came as a surprise to me when I learned that Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a political satire, since most of Kubrick’s work I had been exposed to is based on films such as The Shining and A Clockwork Orange. Considering this movie was released in 1964, when I believe the paranoia in the US about a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union was at its highest, I can only imagine the stir a film such as this one would have caused. Couple this with the fact that it was made by, in my opinion, one of the greatest filmmakers ever, the movie caused such a great impact that still resonates among movie lovers.

The plot revolves around a United Air Force General Jack D Ripper, played by Sterling Hayden, who has seemingly lost his mind and has ordered a first strike nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. RAF Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers), who is at the base from where the order originated, tries his best to get General Ripper to retract his order. Meanwhile at the Pentagon war room, General Buck Turgidson (George C Scott) and President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) are debating over the pros and cons of withdrawing or going ahead with the strikes, while they are trying to establish contact with one of the carriers commandeered by Major T J “King” Kong (Slim Pickens) that is on its way to deliver the payload. Also involved in this discussion, besides the other generals, is the Soviet ambassador Alexei de Sadeski (Peter Bull) and a mysterious Director of Weapons Research, Dr Strangelove (once again the absolutely mesmerizing Peter Sellers).

While being a satire with an expected generous dose of humor, the film is also a poignant reminder of a holocaust that awaits if decisions to use weapons of mass destruction are left in the hands of less capable men. The film created such a stir among government officials that the US government had to change protocols related to operating their nukes. I came across an interesting article by The New Yorker about these changes during the film’s 50^th anniversary. You can read it here.

As always, Kubrick, being the master of his craft, is in firm control of the film. Be it the shots at the air force base; the interior of a bomber, which was recreated based on the single picture; and the now famous war room (which Kubrick designed to be green so that it looks like a poker table). What can be said about the performances except that everyone is on top of their game. Peter Sellers excels in all three roles that he plays in the film, especially Dr Strangelove. But the star of the film is undoubtedly George C Scott. As General Turgidson, he brings the unabashed bravado one would expect from an army official who is completely confident about every decision he makes, even if the fate of the world hinges on them. Though it would surprise you that he wanted to character to be more somber and was tricked by Kubrick into playing him as the over-the-top army man you see in the movie.

A fair word of advice for first-time watchers of this film; do not watch Dr Strangelove with an expectation of watching a movie where every other line ends in a hilarious joke. The film is funny but not comical. The humor is subtle and at times what might have been considered funny then may not be as funny. Blame USA, the warlords of the world, for killing some of the humor that could have been timeless.

Rating: 8/10