The War Room - Appreciation Thread for Dr. Strangelove

A disgusted President Merkin reacts:
"Gentlemen, Gentlemen, fighting in the war room!"

Thus begins our humble thread in tribute to one of the blackest comedies ever put on film, a laugh fest about thermonuclear war,
the 1964 classic from the late, great, control freak, Stanley Kubrick.

From it's stark black and white photography, to the multi-faceted performance by genius Peter Sellers, to Slim Pickens riding the bomb to oblivion, this is a one of a kind film.

If you've never seen it, I urge you to check it out. Keep in mind, this is the mid-sixties, the height of the Cold War paranoia, when the threat of world-wide annihilation was much more on everyone's mind on daily basis. For Kubrick to create a comedy about the potential genocide of the human race took BALLS. But of course, Mr. Kubrick never lacked those in his entire career.

Look at the binder label on George C. Scott's notebook. A heavy metal group took their name from it, I believe.

 

Thankfully I was able to interpret these feelings correctly, Mandrick-- loss of essence. I do not deny myself pleasure, women sense my power-- but I do deny them my essence.

~PAd

 

I've never seen it, surprisingly. Peter Sellers is one of my favorite actors! Has anyone seen "The Mouse that Roared"? It is similar to "Dr. Strangelove" in that it is a comedy in which Sellers plays multiple parts, and it features the "Q Bomb," a device capable of destroying a continent.

 

I was unaware of the similarity of those two movies! Interesting. Sellers has got to have been one of the all-time GREAT comedic actors and extraordinarily versatile.

 

OK, time to take the Dr. STRANGELOVE challenge.

Here's your first question:

What was the last name of the character played by George C. Scott in the film?

I'll give you a hint. His first name was Buck.

 

Turgidson, Buck that is

 

"I don't think it's quite fair to condemn a whole program because of a single slip-up."

I love this movie. We watched it in school and I was the only one laughing. I find that a bad sign.

oh well, it's still a great flick.

 

Dr. Strangelove is one of my favorite films for several reasons. First, it has one of the most well written, intelligent, and hilarious scripts ever produced. Second, the stand-out performances from Peter Sellers (as three characters!), George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and others really bring the film alive. Third, having researched and done a huge paper on Dr. Strangelove, I can truly appreciate the brilliance of the film not only as a black comedy, but also as an ingenious and sly satire of American policies in the Cold War.

I know Dr. Strangelove inside and out and yet that deep knowledge of the film doesn't retract from it's sheer brilliance. This is as close to a perfection as Kubrick got.

 

Thinking about it, this is really Kubrick's one real comedy. Parts of Clockwork Orange were funny, parts of the Shining were humorous, and the same with Full Metal Jacket. I wish Kubrick had done more comedies. This one proved he had a real gift for it, as long as the subject matter was grim...what's more grim than the destruction of the human race?