Tuesday, October 9, 2007

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

First off, Stanley Kubrick's black comedy that is Dr. Strangelove is the most poignant and funny film of its time, and maybe all time. It encompasses everything you want in a movie, as strong script, excellent plot, amazing cast, and a master director.



Many people might think its outdated, but on the contrary, its just as relevant today as it was 40 years ago, even though we are no longer in the cold war. Global tensions, fear and hysteria, shady government leaders with insane motives. This relevance to our society, and how much it makes fun of it, might be a hard pill for some to take, but those people miss out on one of the best films ever made. As a black and white movie, its immensely beautiful. Each shot is almost like a painting.



The dialogue and character interactions really make up the movie. These scenes, like the president talking to the drunk Russian premiere, or General Ripper explaining how the Russians have invaded our bodily fluids, will have you rolling on the floor. But, the true humor comes out if you look a little harder. The more you pay attention, the more you get out of it, and you realize how rich this film is. Peter Sellers and George C. Scott give amazing performances and create characters you get attached to. This movie is rock solid even up until the ending, which i won't spoil. If you haven't seen Dr. Strangelove, than go watch it.. NOW

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Screening of Dr Strangelove should be mandatory in primary, middle and highschool. It should be played in contrast to the movie it most closely spoofs as well - the sobering ball buster FailSafe.