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From the late 1940s to 1991, the USA and the Soviet Union were involved in a tense, geopolitical stand-off as both countries try to proclaim superiority and influence around the world. This decades-long period was marked by the constant fear of attack or retaliation from one country to the other, but also for the rampant paranoia that "foreign ideals" might permeate and "impurify" the country. That fear is what director Stanley Kubrick latched onto when making this hilarious comedy, which is now considered one of the best comedies of all-time.
Dr. Strangelove follows the attempts of the US government to stop a nuclear bombing to the Soviet Union after a paranoid general closes off his base and orders a group of B-52 bombers to proceed. The film stars Slim Pickens as the pilot of one of the bombers and George C. Scott as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the most notable performance(s) perhaps is Peter Sellers in a triple role as Captain Mandrake (who is unwillingly barricaded with the crazy general), President Merkin Muffley, and the titular doctor and war expert.
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and, although I liked it a lot, I didn't feel I *loved* it as I was expecting. However, as I was preparing for an episode of my podcast dedicated to Kubrick, I wanted to give it another shot and it was certainly an improvement. The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.
Peter Sellers is excellent in all three roles, but I think his best work is as President Muffley, with an excellent combination of deadpan delivery and genius improvisation. But still, as good as Sellers is, George C. Scott steals every moment for me. His whole performance is hilariously over-the-top, and it's only made more hilarious when you know the circumstances behind it. There's hardly a moment that he's on screen that I'm not at least chuckling at his body language or expressions.
Ultimately, I love the way Kubrick unabashedly makes fun of our situation as a society, and with this, he doesn’t pull any punches. He just lets it drop like a bomb on all of us.
Grade:
DR. STRANGELOVE OR:
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
(1964, Kubrick)
Freebie
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
(1964, Kubrick)
Freebie
"War is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."
From the late 1940s to 1991, the USA and the Soviet Union were involved in a tense, geopolitical stand-off as both countries try to proclaim superiority and influence around the world. This decades-long period was marked by the constant fear of attack or retaliation from one country to the other, but also for the rampant paranoia that "foreign ideals" might permeate and "impurify" the country. That fear is what director Stanley Kubrick latched onto when making this hilarious comedy, which is now considered one of the best comedies of all-time.
Dr. Strangelove follows the attempts of the US government to stop a nuclear bombing to the Soviet Union after a paranoid general closes off his base and orders a group of B-52 bombers to proceed. The film stars Slim Pickens as the pilot of one of the bombers and George C. Scott as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the most notable performance(s) perhaps is Peter Sellers in a triple role as Captain Mandrake (who is unwillingly barricaded with the crazy general), President Merkin Muffley, and the titular doctor and war expert.
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and, although I liked it a lot, I didn't feel I *loved* it as I was expecting. However, as I was preparing for an episode of my podcast dedicated to Kubrick, I wanted to give it another shot and it was certainly an improvement. The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.
Peter Sellers is excellent in all three roles, but I think his best work is as President Muffley, with an excellent combination of deadpan delivery and genius improvisation. But still, as good as Sellers is, George C. Scott steals every moment for me. His whole performance is hilariously over-the-top, and it's only made more hilarious when you know the circumstances behind it. There's hardly a moment that he's on screen that I'm not at least chuckling at his body language or expressions.
Ultimately, I love the way Kubrick unabashedly makes fun of our situation as a society, and with this, he doesn’t pull any punches. He just lets it drop like a bomb on all of us.
Grade: