rating:
(out of
4 stars)United Kingdom; 1964
Directed by Stanley Kubrick; produced by Stanley Kubrick; screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) orders his B-52 bombers to attack the
Soviet Union with The Bomb and that is where Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr.
Strangelove' starts. Kubrick takes us to the air base where Ripper has
locked himself in, together with Group Captain Mandrake (Peter Sellers), who
wants to stop the attack.
Kubrick also takes us inside one of the B-52 bombers with pilot Maj. 'King'
Kong (Slim Pickens) and inside the War Room, one of the most famous sets in
the movies. Inside the War Room we meet the President (Sellers again) and
Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott). To solve this problem they also bring
in the Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky (Peter Bull). The bombers can't
be called back and the President and the Ambassador call the Soviet leader
Dimitri and a hilarious scene follows.
Ripper believes he had to attack the Soviets because they taint the US water
supply and deplete the precious bodily fluids, as he says it. In the War
Room they decide that they send people to the air base. The soldiers on the
air base are instructed: shoot first (when they are in range of 200 yards),
ask questions later.
In the meanwhile we learn that the Russians have their own device, called
the Doomsday Machine. This machine will work automatically when the Soviet
Union is under attack and can not be shut down. It will destroy all human
and animal life on earth. Finally we meet Dr. Strangelove (Peter Seller for
the third time), who has some troubles controlling his right hand.
What will happen with the planes you will probably know but if you don't I
will not spoil it for you. It all leads to a couple of famous scenes, one
involving a rocket, and a famous montage.
This is one of Kubrick's masterpieces. For me personally it is his second
best movie, '2001: A Space Odyssey' is my favorite. The way he combines the
satire, the comedy, with the serious message this movie has is great. Today
this movie still makes it point and is still relevant in a lot of ways. A
great movie made by one of the greatest filmmakers that ever lived.