After watching Threads a few weeks ago, the thought of how ridiculous, frightening, and, frankly, insane one has to be to comprehend “winning” a nuclear war was fresh in my mind. What has to go through the heads of people who dream up scenarios measured in megadeaths and Mutual Assured Destruction? Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, the epitome of a black comedy, sheds a satirical light on that type of mindset and how it’s justified by scientists, politicians, and military commanders.
General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) issues a command known as “Wing Attack Plan R” from his command post at Burpleson Air Force Base. This particular code is to be used only when the U. S. government has been prevented from following the normal chain of command, presumably by a Soviet sneak attack. Plan R instructs airborne B-52 bombers to strike targets within Russia.
Ripper’s executive assistant, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake — played by Peter Sellers and one of his three roles in the film — discovers that Ripper has issued this order of his own accord and not as the result of an actual attack on the U. S.
Major “King” Kong (Slim Pickens) is one of the pilots instructed to fly a bombing mission to Russia. Along with his crew, he his forced to mentally prepare for the idea that the U. S. has been attacked and their mission could be the only thing that prevents the Russians from achieving victory.
General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) is tasked with briefing President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers in role #2) about the situation, the facts of Code R, and how to deal with General Ripper. Among Muffley’s advisors is Dr. Strangelove (Sellers in role #3), a former Nazi scientist.
Although it’s meant to be a comedy, Dr. Strangelove truly is a commentary on the sheer insanity of nuclear war. For example, It’s not hard to imagine the dialogue in the War Room scenes, where General Turgidson tries to argue in favor of preventing a “Doomsday gap,” being uttered in a completely serious nature by military advisors during the Cold War (or the present day for that matter.) Thankfully, the performances of all involved, especially Peter Sellers, are brilliant and thoroughly hilarious in their sincerity.
Sellers’ masterfully interprets dialects and accents and this is showcased in the extreme differences of each in the three characters he portrays. Sellers also nails the behavioral differences of the serious Muffley and the initially polite Mandrake but it his unhinged Dr. Strangelove that is, by far, the highlight of his three roles.
George C. Scott’s Turgidson is one of the best performances of his long and storied career. His ridiculously dogged defense of military procedure is perfectly over-the-top. Sterling Hayden is completely believable as General Ripper. He captures the persona of someone who believes their own nonsensical logic.
Kubrick’s pacing is tight and the dialogue by Terry Southern, along with Peter George and Kubrick, is word-perfect. Not one scene in the film is wasted.
This film may be over 50 years old but it still is quite fresh and funny today. Aside from the obvious use of models and matte shots in the B-52 sequences, it hasn’t really aged at all.
Dr. Strangelove is an unadulterated classic in every sense of the word.
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
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