Review: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) · 5:43am Jul 13th, 2015

Stanley Kubrick's masterful black comedy satire of the Cold War and the fear of nuclear apocalypse remains just as hilarious and witty as it was more then 50 years ago, remaining one of the best satires ever made.

For one thing, much of the humor comes out of the way the film is directed. Instead of directing it in a broad, comical way, Kubrick instead opts for a hybrid mix of documentary style handheld and static, carefully orchestrated steady shots. This, coupled with performances that play the beautifully absurd script as if it were serious helps create a wonderfully demented riff on the paranoia of the time, while also riffing on any number of serious Cold War dramas that have come out either before or since.

The screenplay, based on the deadly serious 'Red Alert' by Peter George (who co-writes with Kubrick and Terry Southern), is another beautiful work. Originally devised as a straight drama, Kubrick quickly realized the wealth of absurdities inherent with the premise of nuclear warfare, and highlights them, playing them for beautifully dark laughs, while also providing a commentary on the then current political environment, all in the same wonderfully demented tapestry.

Of course, much of this wonderful demented hilarity comes from comic genius Peter Sellers, who plays a triple role as straight laced US President Merkin Muffley, prim and proper RAF Captain Lionel Mandrake and, most memorably, wildly insane former Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove. The best part of Sellers' performance(s) is that each feels like a unique character of its own right. They feel fully fleshed out, with their own unique ticks and traits that help define them, and of course, Sellers' beautiful improve abilities come to the fore with Muffley's series of increasingly desperate phone calls to Soviet Primer Kissoff, and Strangelove's beautifully absurdist ranting and phantom hand. Simply put, its wonderfully absurd and really forms the core of the film.

But the rest of the cast doesn't skimp out either. George C. Scott's wild eyed war hawk General Buck Turgidson (another one of the film's many, MANY hilarious innuendos) is equally hilarious, albeit in a more off the wall, totally boinkers way. Coupled with Peter Bull's arrogant and self righteous Soviet Ambassador Alexi de Sadeski, they play off of each other beautifully, and expertly across Sellers' straight man of President Muffley.

Slim Pickens' hick B-52 pilot Major King Kong, and Sterling Hayden's paranoid ultra nationalist nutcase General Jack D. Ripper form their own brand of hilarity, with Pickens' being great as the ultra Texan pilot who goes through thick and thin to complete his mission come hell or high water. His hokeyness feels oddly sincere and endearing, and this might be the only movie where you find yourself rooting for the guys about to accidentally cause nuclear apocalypse.

Hayden is a swirling pot of paranoia, chewing his cigar and causing nuclear war for the sole reason of loosing his sexual prowess due to age (but convincing himself its due to fluoridated water). The best part is that Hayden sells this totally, completely straight. He speaks his increasingly unhinged rants about the evils of water as if it were the gospel truth, which helps make it all the funnier.

So yeah, I've seen this film a good dozen times or so, and each time, I just end up laughing and laughing each time. Its a true testament to its timelessness, its wit, and its humor.

So yeah, 5 out of 5