Rating: 
Summary: my favorite film
Review: I've seen a lot of the films that critics of our time and of the past have deemed great: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Godfather, and Vertigo to name a few. But Dr. Strangelove tops them all, with its innovative, offbeat dialogue and its huge scale plot. It is funny and sharp, with possibly the greatest ending of any movie ever made.
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Summary: The lighter side of Armagetton! A true classic!
Review: "Dr Strangelove or:How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" may be the only comedy ever made about neculear war. This 1962 satire of Cold War politics is witty and sharp, and is almost as funny as it was insightful. If you are left of center in your politics it is espitially entertaining. It savagely attacks the Cold Warrior mentality and makes a statement about the arms race in a way you proably would not expect from a movie of it's era, while staying light and funny.An Air Force general, convinced that his impotence is due to a commie plot to make americans weak and impure (the flouridation of water), decides to put together his own first strike so the US will have to follow and wipe out the Russians. The movie chronicles the President (Sellars), the General's Brittish aide (Sellars) and others try to stop the destruction of the world. Other charachters include a twisted Nazi scientist, Dr. Strangelove (Sellars), the bomber crew (including James Earl Jones and Slim Pickens), and the archetypical Cold Warrior (Scott) who advises the president it is all a great idea. I could write a hundred pages and not convey how much this is worth seeing. If you like good black comedy, if you think the Cold War was absurd, or if you just like good films, this is a classic and should not be missed. Hope you love it! Peter Sellars plays 3 parts. George C Sott and James Earl Joenes are in it. Stanley Kubrick directed it... can't miss... END
Rating:
Summary: "Dr. Strangelove" is a classic black comedy
Review: "Dr. Strangelove" is the epitome of black comedy and social commentary. Heavy subject matter (the accidental beginning of World War III) is taken to a totally different plateau. Sterling Hayden is convincing as General Ripper, the deranged general who starts the mess. George C. Scott is unusually hilarious as the Air Force Chief of Staff responsible for recalling the renegade bombers. And Peter Sellers, in three different roles, is magnificant. Classic line: "You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!" Classic caution: Don't sit too close to the screen during the finale. END
Rating:
Summary: "We Can't Afford To Have A Mine Shaft Gap"
Review: Stanley Kubrick's classic 1964 satire on militarism and the Cold War specifically. So close to the reality of the time that the humor of the movie lies more in how closely it reflects the political and military thinking of the Cold War: hence the satire. Sterling Hayden delivers an impeccable performance as General Jack D. Ripper, the psychotically paranoid Air Force general who orders a preemptive nuclear strike by a B-52 squadron on the U.S.S.R. Peter Sellers is brilliant in his triple role as the U.S. President, Dr. Strangelove, and Mandrake. George C. Scott also tops the cake in his over-the-top caricature of the Pattonesque General Buck Turgidson. It's hard to describe all of the nuances of this film on such a short review: you have to see it for yourself. Although the film will certainly have more of an impact on those who are old enough to remember the Cold War and all its tensions: there's a universal message in this satire that isn't bound to just that period of time. As a side note, this film isn't far from the truth as the Soviets had, by 1964, indeed developed a doomsday device. Under Stalin's rule, the USSR was planning to dock several grounded tanker ships filled to the decks with nuclear material. The ships would automatically detonate and consume the earth in radiation once they detected a level of radiation that could only be present as a result of nuclear war. Horrified by the possibility of accidents and human error, Nikita Kruskev ordered the project scrapped and it was never implemented.
Rating:
Summary: Black Comedy at it's Cold War Best
Review: Watching the recent funeral and memorial tributes for the late Ronald Reagan speaker after speaker praised the former President for his part in ending the Cold War. My 18 year old daughter asked me what the Cold War was about. I tried telling her about the iron curtain and the Berlin Wall and nuclear proliferation, then I realized that I had the perfect movie to demonstrate some of the fears that gripped most of the civilized world while the USA and former Soviet Union had their respective nuclear arsenals aimed at each other. Stanley Kubrick took a chance making an over-the-top black comedy about nuclear war, but the payoff is evident. George C. Scott in a broad comedic farce? Believe it! He riffs with Peter Sellers' President Muffley in a way that absolutely must be seen. Sellers has played comedic madness in many other films, but as President Muffley he is the straight man to Mr. Scott's General Turgidson, who is out of control trying to explain why one of his Base Commanders has ordered all of his B-52's to deliver their nuclear payloads into the Soviet Union in the diabolique "Plan R" - the contingency plan which was put into place to allow lower level military leaders to continue the war after a "sneak attack" had wiped out Washington and the rest of the military big-wigs. Sellers gives a tour-de-force performance in three roles, and the most interesting one to me is as Group Captain Mandrake, the 2nd in command to Sterling Hayden's deranged General Jack D. Ripper. General Ripper is the kind of paranoid patriot who thinks that "the only good commie is a dead commie", and when I was growing up there were men like this in every neighborhood I went to. I met some in the service too, and it's not much of a stretch to imagine one becoming a general who would decide to "take the initiative" and begin World War III with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The other main sub-plot takes place in one of the B-52s that General Ripper has sent off on Plan R. Slim Pickens is an absolute hoot as the pilot, and finding out later than Kubrick had told Slim that this was a patriotic war film and that Slim was playing "Major Kong" straight makes his performance that much funnier. Kong's crew play it even straighter than Slim, and as their plane gets closer and closer to dropping the big one there is palpable tension that mounts, ending with one of the most memorable visuals ever filmed as Slim rides the bomb down to it's destination, waving his cowboy hat and hooping and hollering.
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Summary: "I think you're some kind of deviated pre-vert."
Review: Some films have a timeless quality intrinsically inherent with the story, allowing for them to maintain a certain amount of relevance, despite the subject matter, or when they were made. This aspect holds true for many of Stanley Kubrick's films, in my opinion, and is true with this film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Directed by Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Terry Southern (Easy Rider), based on the serious novel Red Alert aka Two Hours to Doom by Peter George, and starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden, Dr. Strangelove deals in a highly farcical and satirical manner the subject of nuclear proliferation, and proposed responses devised by men of power to perceived threats, whether they be based on reality, or founded from paranoia. The film starts off with Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Hayden), commander of Burpelson Air Force Base, initiating Attack Plan R to his group, a plan created to allow someone other than the president to launch a nuclear counterattack in the event the enemy has managed to disrupt the normal chain of command, thereby preserving our response abilities despite significant loss of leadership. Only problem is, there has been no offensive put forth by enemies of America, and it turns out this issuance was completely unprovoked and the result of one who has basically lost his mind. Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Seller, in one of three roles), a British officer participating in a officer exchange program, and, subsequently Rippers 2nd in command, realizes this, and must act before the B-52 bombers reach their destinations within the Soviet Union and deliver their atomic payloads, in turn setting off a new doomsday device conceived by the Soviets due to the fact that they were unable to keep up the United States in terms of arms proliferation, which, if activated, would cover the planet in a radioactive cloud for 100 years, destroying all life on Earth. Pretty heavy stuff, huh? One wouldn't think there'd be much humor to be found in a situation like this, but then one would be wrong... The humor comes in the form of the absolute ludicrosity (it's not a word, as I just made it up) of the situation grown from the intense level of paranoia developed between democratic and communist powers after WWII and how, once things are set into motion, how safeguards meant to protect us basically work against that goal. It's really pretty funny to see what a mutated beast has been born of these fears, both perceived and real. Hayden Sterling is wonderful as the psychotic general with visions of communists infiltrating the very core of our democratic being, with his thoughts on 'precious bodily fluids', and conspiracies by the red menace to undermine and sap our strength. Peter Sellers is perhaps the standout in the film, playing three separate parts with such ability that I often unable to distinguish the actor from the characters within the film, seeing not an actor playing three separate parts, but only seeing three distinct characters in the British officer Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room", and finally ex-German scientist Dr. Strangelove "Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world?", advisor to the President. One thing each of the characters does have in common is the Seller's comedic genius. His most memorable roles were those involving the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies, but his skills shine through in his portrayal of three completely separate personalities, one straight-laced (Mandrake), another sort of bewildered but trying to maintain a sense of control (President Muffley), and a third hilariously over the top (Dr. Strangelove). Finally, there's George C. Scott's performance as the scheming, opportunistic, plotting and conniving, but all in the name of patriotism, General 'Buck' Turdigson "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks". He completely reminds me of his lead role from the film Patton (1970), but in a very perverted, devolved manner. Great support roles include Slim Pickens Major T.J. 'King' Kong as the pilot of one of the B-52's, James Earl Jones as one of his crewmembers, and Colonel 'Bat' Guano as the leader of the force assigned to take control of Burpelson Air Force Base, and recover the recall codes from base commander General Ripper. All in all, Kubrick has just an amazing style for relating a story to the audience. From his use of different formats of film to evoke a particular mood or convey a sense of feeling, i.e. the documentary style use for the actual fighting footage at the air force base, to the choice of music to enhance the tone set in the various scenes. It all works perfectly to create mock realism in spite of the comedic nature, presenting the essence of a black comedy. The picture looks wonderful in this full screen format, and you will see that change from time to time as Kubrick used various aspect ratios in the film. As far as special features, there are quite a few of them, including a theatrical trailer, a featurette titled 'The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove', a documentary titled 'The Making of Dr. Strangelove', original split screen interviews with actors Scott and Sellers (this was done by having the actors answer pre-determined questions, and then local interviewers could be added in later asking said questions, making it look like they were interviewing the actors), promotional advertising gallery, and talent files. Some have called this 'The Greatest Black Comedy of All Time', and I would have little difficulty in arguing that... (...)
Rating:
Summary: Oh for the days of the Cold War!
Review: Every ideology that seems terribly important to one generation usually ends up seeming idiotic and even disturbingly naive to the following generation. Think about it. The ideologies of the 18th century - dying for one's prince, duke or loot - seemed insane during the Napoleonic Wars, when nationalism became THE primary motivating factor. "Pure" nationalism - like the extreme gung-ho attitudes at the beginning of World War I - seemed rather distasteful to the Allied forces in World War II, who fought to liberate peoples from Fascism. The idea that Fascism would always endure, and was seriously in danger of taking over the world, seemed laughable during the Cold War. How does the Cold War look to us today? The McCarthy era; Americans truly believing the USSR and the Communists were veritable Antichrists; truly believing that DESTROYING ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET was a feasible prediction about life in the near future; that the world was, always had been, and always would be, characterised by a fight between Communists and Capitalists. *Sigh* Dr Strangelove (or: how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb) is actually MORE funny - and disturbing - in some ways now than it was before. Admittedly I can sort of understand the immense impact of this film - could ANY politial satire have been more timely - but the fact that the "better red than dead" ideology nowadays seems as ridiculous as fighting for your Duke, means that this film can be seen in a new light. People actually believed that is was better to be dead than Red? (Yes they did). People actually believed fluoridation of water was a communist conspiracy??? (Yes, they did). The Russians actually contemplated building a Doomsday device? (Yes they did!!! Josef Stalin actually started research on such a device, which would have EXTERMINATED ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET for the sake of a politial dispute between Communist and capitalist that today seems absolutely laughable!) The passing of the Cold War era means that this movie is seriously disturbing. To a new generation, the all-annihilating power of the superpowers of the 1960s appears to have been based on disputes that appear petty in the extreme. Truly this movie makes us wonder what future generations will think of our fixation on modern ideologies; in an era that began three years ago with the late unpleasantness - and which is already making Francis Fukuyama's ideas, from the happy days of the 1990s, seem obsolete. He claimed that history was over; that free market ideology was the ULTIMATE ideology that would finally bring about an end to all future historical events by making us all live in peace.
That is SO 1995... History is not over. Each generation seriously believes its own era is the ultimate era - that their own era is THE era whose disputes TRULY matter. Well, history changes, as Strangelove shows us. I seriously hope that this movie makes us moderns think a little further before considering annihilating the world again! At least over something like fluoridation of water...
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Movie Ever Made
Review: I have seen "Dr. Strangelove" over 100 times which proves either I need to get a life or I have very good taste. I hope it's the latter. This is, quite simply, the most complete and the most brilliant film ever made. There is not one boring, poorly acted or superfluous scene in the entire movie. The performances are simply outstanding. Peter Sellers in his three roles is, as always, superlative. But George C. Scott, not generally noted for comedy, proves he is a comedic actor of the highest order. Slim Pickens gives an absolutely hilarious performance as Major Kong. Watch how he takes his cowboy hat out of the safe, and his accent when he delivers the classic line, "A fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff!" Keenan Weenan delivers an absolutely dead-on performance as Bat Guano ("if that really is your name...") and Kubrick somehow managed to drag a riveting performance out of Sterling Hayden, not normally known as any great shakes in the acting department. This film is gorgeously directed, paced and is literally perfect. Watch particularly the lengthy scenes in the war room, with Sellers as President Muffley delivering his lines in a flat midwestern American accent to Dimitri, the fun-loving Russian premiere. If you have never seen "Dr. Strangelove," you're in for a cinematic experience you'll never forget. You can watch it dozens of times and still laugh, still appreciate the outstanding performances and marvel at this perfect motion picture.
Rating: 
Summary: It's BLAST OFF for the Neurotic Age
Review: A byproduct of the cold war is that it provided Hollywood with enough fodder to celebrate espionage in a string of political thrillers. Some took the threat of Russian invasion quite seriously. Others chose a less credible, but wholly more satisfying route into pure farcical escapist entertainment. Of particular interest in this latter category is Stanley Kubrick's intense black comedy about the nuclear age; "Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb." "The film, frequently adorning "all-time best" lists, is a vapid spoof that teeters on political insanity and military incredulity. The story begins as homage to the Cubin Missile Crisis, with General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), an obsessed relic, launching his own personal assault on Communism. Ripper commissions a squadron of B-52s to bomb the USSR. Naturally, the big bad Russians launch their own counter offensive - the so- called "Doomsday Device." While the world holds its excess gas, U.S. President (Peter Sellers) enters into riotous hot-line negotiations with his Commi-counterpart. Always fascinating to watch, Sellers also interjects his own inimitable brand of craziness into two more roles; a British military attaché with a humorous tick and the psychotic bomb-maker, Dr. Strangelove. This trio of psychotics is fleshed out by Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants loose canon whose military advice boils down into two parts mass hysteria and one part factoid meaningless statistics. This is the third outing for "Dr. Strangelove" on DVD. As with its predecessors, this disc exhibits a just above average visual presentation. Working backward from second and third generation elements, blacks are sometimes velvety deep and smooth. There is some minor edge enhancement and a hint of pixelization but nothing that will distract you from enjoying this classic. There's also alot of film grain. Multiple aspect ratios are in keeping with the film's original theatrical presentation. The movie also boasts 5.1 DTS. This 40th anniversary edition also embellishes its extras made previously available with two more short subjects. Overall, there's little reason to run out and re-buy this title, although die hard fans will ultimately want the very latest from the military board room in the cockpit of their own libraries. Either way, brace yourself - its blast off time for the neurotic age!
Rating:
Summary: Cold War Still Cuts Like Broken Glass in Kubrick Classic
Review: Stanley Kubrick's classic black comedy about Cold War tensions still provides fertile ground for brilliant satire that has not so much dated as become a cutting period piece about the misdirected patriotism pervasive within the country's mindset at the time. I'm so glad Sony has decided to re-release this masterwork in a brand-new print on DVD, as it is well worth appreciating again, especially as we go through the uncertainty of American imperialism in Iraq. This movie, however, focuses on a different target, the Soviet Union, our then-competing superpower, and how the U.S. manages the threats of a demented general hell-bent on dropping nuclear payloads onto Russia. His motivation for attack is rooted in a paranoia-driven "Commie plot" he is convinced the Russians are hatching through the flouridation of the water supply in the U.S. This far-fetched premise is played out not by stand-up comedians ridiculing the government for cheap laughs but by a cast of accomplished actors who seem to be playing their roles quite seriously.
Propelled by a smart, insightful and hilarious script by Kubrick and Terry Southern, this straight-faced approach makes the gravity of the situation all the more resonant, while making their characters' failures all the more bitingly funny. Aside from the unblinking honesty of the script, the acting is brilliant for the most part with an eccentric cast that includes Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn and Slim Pickens. In a triple play of comedy genius, Peter Sellers portrays a British Army captain who tries to reason with the general; the title character, a German-accented strategist with an uncontrollable right hand and an eerie similarity to Henry Kissinger; and funniest of all, the U.S. President, an Adlai Stevenson look-alike whose soft-spoken manner is challenged by the mad scramble of events that depend on his leadership. In fact, Sellers' scenes in the War Room as President Merkin Muffley are hysterical in the very conflict of personalities that give rise to the inevitable ending. As brilliantly versatile as Sellers is, I still believe George C. Scott, with his rubbery face, exaggerated gestures and macho manner, gives the film's best performance as yet another general, a gung-ho type more than ready to take out the Russians. The climax of the film encapsulates the absurdity and gravity of the story well with Pickens astride a nuclear missile like a rodeo cowboy riding a bucking steer. Kubrick was never as funny with his subsequent films (even "The Shining" seems misbegotten by comparison), which is a shame since he had an acute gift for capturing the seriousness of human failure within the context of dark comedy.
The two-disc DVD package has loads of extras, most of which bring added context for the timeless significance of the film despite its Cold War setting. These include several good documentaries - an informative one focused on the making of the film itself, plus two others that trace the careers of Kubrick and Sellers, respectively; and finally, a new film that explains the sociological influence of the film today. Strongly recommended even if you feel you've seen it many times before.
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