By James Zhang
Directing A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick is widely regarded as one of the best filmmakers ever. Even though he only directed thirteen films, his diverse film genres range from war films early in his career to horror and even science fiction. Almost all of his films are book adaptations, yet critics agree that many of his films surpass the books they are based on. One such film is Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. This movie is a black-and-white film released in 1964; notably, at the height of the Cold War. It is based off of the book, Red Alert,, which was a dramatic thriller about nuclear war. Yet Kubrick, when writing the screenplay for this movie, decided to make it into a political satire dark comedy film.
The plot of this movie revolves around a general who ordered American planes to launch a nuclear attack on the USSR. However, in a horrible coincidence, the USSR had just made a doomsday device that would end the world the moment a nuclear bomb was dropped on itself. When the U.S. government found out about this attack, they began trying to call it off. They were successful in calling out every plane loaded with nuclear weapons, except a plane hit by a USSR missile that destroyed the communication system. The expert plane captain evaded all other USSR missiles and managed to drop the nuclear bomb successfully on the USSR, ending the world.
One of the best aspects of this movie is its satire. It points to a very serious topic in a humorous, ironic light. An example of this is that the only reason the plane managed to drop a bomb on the USSR is because the pilot was too good. It is also very funny how the line of power in the military system is so disorganized that a general, who is openly portrayed as insane in the movie, can launch a nuclear attack on the USSR.
Dr. Strangelove also subverts the expectations of the audience. Whereas a similar movie like Top Gun: Maverick depicts the main character’s successful mission as a good thing, not only is it bad in this movie, but the government fails to stop it.
Just as amazing as the satire, the performances in this movie were top-notch. Actor Peter Sellers plays three different roles in this movie: Captain Mandrake, the President, and even the ex-Nazi turned nuclear strategist Dr. Strangelove himself. When watching the movie, it is barely noticeable that an actor played all three of these main roles. Along with the exceptional performances, many iconic moments accompany this film from the scene where the government discusses the end of the world sitting at a circular table to funny one-liners scattered across the movie.
Even though this movie is fictional, it is incredibly relevant today. In our modern world, nuclear war can start at the press of a button. The film’s themes of mutually assured destruction and the danger of unchecked power continue to resonate within the United States military to this day. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb may seem old, but in reality, it is a timeless masterpiece that everyone should watch.
The Roar 