Dr Stranglelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

I picked today's movie on a total whim. No rhyme or reason to it, I just had it at hand and popped it in. Many consider it a classic, so I knew I had to get around to it eventually. The full title is Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1964, it's safe to say that you don't really have any idea what you're about to get into when you start watching it, much like 2001: A Space Odyssey. This film, however, is not only a commentary on war, but also a comedy. I'd heard it was very funny, but I actually don't like hearing things like that since it can get your hopes up. Hit the jump to see if it lived up to the image in my mind or if it just bombed.


One of the most notable things about Dr. Strangelove (the movie, not the man) is that it stars Peter Sellers in not just the main roll, but 3 rolls. He is the titular, and very German, Dr. Strangelove, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, and also US President Merkin Muffley. Each character is shockingly different from the next, not only in looks, but voice and manner as well. There are quite a number of other characters, all complete with their own strange names such as Brigadier General Jack Ripper (can you guess that he's the one that causes the trouble?) Colonel 'Bat' Guano, Major 'King' Kong, and Lieutenant Lothar Zogg. Of the side characters, Zogg is of particular note in that he's played by a very young James Earl Jones, who many will recognize as the famous voice of Darth Vader.

Group Captain Lionel Mandrake

The story is an odd tale of war, of excessive rules, and power gone unchecked. General Jack Ripper seems to have gone insane, and ordered a bunch of bombers to fly to Russia and drop all their H-bombs. He's able to do this by enacting a special order which is only to be used in the case the President has been killed. The President is perfectly fine of course, but the damage has already been done. British officer Group Captain Lional Mandrake happens to be assigned to Ripper's Air Force base and while he deals with the General to find out the secret code needed to bring the planes back, President Muffley confers with his top men, including Dr. Strangelove, over what to do next.

President Merkin Muffley

While the story seems quite grim on paper, and perhaps a little exciting, it's not really because the conversations that go on between all the characters are often absurd, or terribly dry. All the scenes that take place within the one bomber featured in the film were extremely dull, unless you really like military jargon and people repeating procedures and instructions to each other in a totally serious manner. The absurd comedy, on the other hand, lightens the mood just enough that it's hard to take the extreme situation seriously. A scene in which President Muffley talks on the phone to the apparently incredibly drunk Russian leader comes across as cute and silly instead of the dire situation it should probably be.

The kooky Dr. Strangelove

Really all this movie is, is a character piece to show off Peter Sellers' extraordinary talents. While I didn't much care for the rest of the cast, his 3 characters are all likable in their own unique ways. The oddest of all being the unusual Dr. Strangelove who seems to have a hand with a mind of its own... for no reason. Even with all the silliness going on though, it does have an undeniably strong message about the dangers of war, in particular nuclear war.

The film is fairly short at only an hour and a half, and it's odd enough that I think I'd still recommend it, but with a warning. It has some slow boring parts, and the humour is very dry. It all quickly ramps up right at the end with a famous scene that I'm sure everyone will recognize featuring a cowboy, and of course that's when Dr. Strangelove's hand decides to fight him and make certain historical German salutes seemingly against his will. To be honest it didn't live up to what I was expecting. I didn't really find it all that funny, just silly. Give it a shot if you're curious, it's certainly a title to remember.

YEEEE-HAW!