Review of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) by Briain D — 07 Dec 2012

A splendid political satire; a high point of Kubrick's career, though let's face it, he's had many high points. Dr. Strangelove centres around the Cold War. America and Russia have a tense relationship (though this is often satirised too- the President's phone conversations with the Russian premier are pure hilarity!). Either side could make use of nuclear weapons at any time. All it takes is one order from someone in authority. This ridiculous placing of power in one person's hands is exactly what Kubrick is attacking here. The film tells the story of a general (superbly named Jack D. Ripper) at a random air force base in the States. He decides one day to authorise a nuclear attack on Russia, with the aim of "protecting America's precious bodily fluids". Yeah, I know this sounds ridiculous, but that's the point. He then locks down all communication both to his base and to the planes involved, stopping even the President from interfering. Inevitably, this descends into mayhem as army regiments, sent by the President, attack the base (Americans fighting and killing Americans, another vicious satirical blow from Kubrick), with the aim of stopping the impending attack on Russia.

Dr. Strangelove is strong from all points of view. The cast, particularly Peter Sellers, is great. As is common in his films, he plays more than one role (three in this case, though it was supposed to have been four!), and he plays them with delightful enthusiasm. He is supported amply by a great cast, and a great story, dealing with important issues in a funny way, all coupled with Stanley Kubrick's original touch, make Dr. Strangelove a timeless classic, which will be funny and relevant to anyone with any interest in war or peace. So pretty much everyone. Including Tolstoy.