Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Reviews

• Sharp and outrageously entertaining

  gogoschka-12013-12-26

  I never really bought into the Kubrick hype. I mean: don't get me wrong; I like all of his films very much - but to me, they all feel somewhat over-constructed and lack a natural flow. And then I finally got to see 'Dr.Strangelove'. Wow. What a terrific, pitch black satire. This film is so wild and mean and funny - and Peter Sellers gives THE performance of his career. Unlike in any of Kubrick's later works, there's a sense of playfulness here that gives the whole movie a crazy kind of energy; I'm guessing that Seller's love for improvisation forced Kubrick to ditch his usual perfectionism to a certain degree (and the film is all the better for it). Sharp, outrageously entertaining comedy/satire by one of the most revered directors of the past century. 10 out of 10. Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/ Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/ Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/ Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

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• "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

  elvircorhodzic2017-07-29

  DR. STRANGELOVE.... is a satirical black comedy or rather an ironic approach to decisions and information in the Cold War madness. The smart choice is the mother of all wisdom. It is loosely based on Peter George's novel "Red Alert". A crazy American general has ordered, due a bizarre reason, a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. A bit absentminded captain has realized that a general has lost his mind. Meanwhile, a President meets with his top Pentagon advisors, including a passionate super-hawk general, who sees this as an opportunity to do something about Communism in general and Russians in particular. However, the Russians have an "automatic" response... This film loses all touch with the reality on the one side, and yet, it directly affects an image of a disturbed political reality on the other side. The irony stems from human stupidity, irresponsibility, suspicion and arrogance. Mr. Kubrick has created a satirical hopeless situation, through a conflict of mentality and a sense of patriotism, after which, a bizarre - moral winner rises. The highlight of satire is that world diplomacy rejects itself on multiple occasions. However, there is a lot of questions. Why give so much power in hands of a few people? One of them, I mean all, are mostly crazy. Why use energy resources to build nuclear weapons? Probably because we do not have better things to do. Is it wise to make fun of a defense system of the strongest force in the world? Of course it is, one day, we have to stop being afraid of each other. That's why this film is a satirical warning in an universal time, because we live in a time of a political satire with very serious consequences. I am thrilled with a fact that this film does not have a trace of cynicism. Of course, there is plenty of satire, sarcasm, irony, perhaps exaggerated caricature, but there is no cynicism. Mr. Kubrick, you're a genius! The characterization is excellent. Peter Sellers (Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove, the wheelchair-using nuclear war expert and former Nazi) is simply awesome as a kind of voice of reason, incompetence and insanity at the same time. It is a strange kind of patriot, savior and avenger. Sterling Hayden (Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper) is a paranoid ultra-nationalist, who shows his madness through a serious facial expression. George C. Scott (General Buck Turgidson) is the personification of chauvinism. He expresses his anger and paranoia of communism in a very comical way.

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• Russians In The War Room

  francozeff2017-05-17

  Spectacular and chilling to watch Dr. Strangelove in May 16, 2017. I'm not going to talk about prophecy not even coincidence. Art has a way to warn, express or simply entertain in a way that its relevance will always be renewed. That opening with George C Scott's secretary, in her underwear, answering the phone for her boss in the most professional tone imaginable, is a masterful way to introduce us to the normal absurdity we're about to embark on. Terry Southern's extraordinary script (sharing credit with Peter George and Stanley Kubrick himself) is a masterpiece of intention and execution. The film doesn't have a moment of emptiness nor a single cheap shot. Everything works with the irrational logic of tradition and set standards. How can something so serious and ultimately terrifying can be so funny. I think that's the definition of film art. I don't want to sound pompous but that's exactly how I feel. I've seen a 1966 movie by Stanley Kubrick in 2017 that's better, more relevant, ingenious and even revolutionary than anything we've seen in a long, long time. Peter Sellers, fantastic three times over (and he was also going to play the Slim Pickens part) George C Scott in one of the greatest comic performances ever put on film and Sterling Hayden in a frighteningly credible show of abuse of power, complete the pleasures of this remarkable film.

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• Laughing at Fear

  Sickfrog1998-08-14

  What makes this film so powerful is the message that it made at the time of its release. This film came out at a height of paranoia of the nuclear age and the Cold War, right around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This film depicts a horrible, tragic incident in which a breach in the government and a few diplomatic mistakes result in nuclear holocaust. So, why didn't this film inspire panic? Because of the brilliant way in which Kubrick presents it... as a satire. The scariest thing about this film in retrospect is not how it depicts the impending doom of the Cold War, but how it makes you laugh at it. By presenting it with humor, it conveys just how much of a farce the nuclear arms race was in real life. And I don't think that any other film has captured the absurdity of war nearly as well as this one has. And I am not likely to believe that one ever will. In my opinion, Kubrick has never made a better film since. And kudos to George C. Scott for his astounding performance, as well as Peter Sellers for the most versatile acting I've seen from an actor in one film, and to Sterling Hayden, for performing the most serious, yet the most hilarious role in film with perfect accuracy. Beware of fluoridation!

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• Dr. Strangelove: A Masterpiece of Satire and Drama

  nickykelly-651342017-09-07

  Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" is cited as one of the director's best films, and one of, if not the best satirical comedy in cinema history, and with very good reason. Dr. Strangelove exceeds exponentially in many ways, the three main being the direction, writing and the unforgettable performances from George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden and of course, Peter Sellers. Kubrick's direction is perfect, the film is perfectly paced, no scene overstays it's welcome and the editing and camera angles do their jobs greatly at conveying a time of nuclear crisis but at the same time remaining darkly humorous. One of the more obvious factors of the film is that it is shot and presented in black and white which works perfectly with the film, the dark representing the terror of the situation and the white representing the comedic side of the film. Kubrick also manages to assist in the comedic side of the film, he achieved this through using 'rehearsal' takes and allowing Peter Sellers to improvise. The level of film making is exquisite, Kubrick uses mostly steady camera shots when in the War Room, and hand-held camera shots when inside the B-52 bomber, he also frames each image with perfection and creates incredible compositions. He never cuts too often or ever drastically changes the angle, thus never confusing the viewer and allowing the scenes to flow. The B- 52 models on real life footage backgrounds may look dated, but oddly enough it still works well with the overall tone of the film, in fact it could be argued that it even adds a small comedic aspect to the film. In my opinion, this film's writing was quite underrated, many people remember the genius unforgettable lines that were likely ad-libbed by Peter Sellers, but overall the film's dialogue and plot is incredibly well written. The plot goes that the general of an air force base goes mad and without-authority, commands a large number of B-52 bombers to attack their targets in Russia, and the men and President in the War Room, desperately attempt to prevent this from happening. This plot is outright brilliant and is executed brilliantly, there is no outright exposition in the dialogue, and any exposition there is, is not jarring or comes of as lazy at all. The film does an incredible job at creating an environment of sheer crisis, with George C. Scott's character explaining that there are very few options in resolving the matter, and the reveal of Russia's top secret 'Doomsday Machine' which adds an almost unbearable amount of tension to the film. The film reaches it's inevitable end of Nuclear Annihilation, after one of the B-52 bombers manages to hit one of it's targets, thus triggering the Doomsday Machine and ending all life on Earth. I found this ending not only to make sense, but also to fit perfectly into the film's tone, there is also a great comedic value to the end, with it coming so suddenly and playing classic music over the footage of many nuclear bombs detonating. Overall, I hope it is clear that I see this as simply one of the best comedies ever made, or even perhaps one of the best films ever made. The film is incredibly unique and although the more satirical points of the film may not be quite as relevant now, they are still hilarious to experience. The film holds up incredibly well even with it's clearly dated visual effects and somewhat dated humour, but Peter Seller's performance alone will allow for this film to be seen as one of the funniest satires ever made even long after the events the film is poking fun at have ended. And even if you don't find the film particularly funny, you can still be in awe of the genius film making and incredibly suspenseful plot.

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