Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (40th Anniversary Special Edition)
by Stanley Kubrick
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Actor: George C. Scott, Keenan Wynn, Peter Sellers, Slim Pickens, Sterling HaydenDirector: Stanley Kubrick
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Gilbert Taylor
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick
Producer: Leon Minoff
Producer: Victor Lyndon
Writer: Peter George
Writer: Terry Southern
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); Korean (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Russian (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Unknown
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.66:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (40th Anniversary Special Edition)
DVD Review: "The purity and essence of our natural fluids"
Summary: 5 Stars
Supposedly, Kubrick originally intended for this movie to be more "serious" rather than a comedy. But after about 2-3 minutes of some thinking, Kubrick finally settled for this movie to be a comedy. And Peter Sellers was originally supposed to play Major TJ "King" Kong, but the Cowboy accent was something Sellers was unsure of. So Kubrick casted Slim Pickens, but didn't tell him that this movie is a comedy. This was some lil' fun-fact trivia that I learned from first watching this movie on the Turner Classic Movies channel. Naturally, I think 90% of youse already knew this. But I found this info quite interesting, especially the first.
The Cold War years and Red Scare contributed mass fear into the American public. I wasn't born in those years, so I cannot imagine what the fear was like. With such political satires as Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" and "The Manchurian Candidate," one can only imagine what the viewer then felt while viewing these movies. While "The Manchurian Candidate" feared communists invading America, "Dr. Strangelove" feared nuclear holocaust... but in a humorous way.
The movie begins when a General named Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) orders an attack on Russia. Somehow, he thinks "commies" are poisoning "the purity and essence of our natural fluids." The first thought that came to mind was, "What the-??" Even the other characters are puzzled by this statement. But I managed to laugh out loud. Ripper is obsessed with protecting our "precious bodily fluids" that basically he's gone mad. After ordering the unauthorized attack on Russia, he orders the base to go on red alert and kill anyone that dares to enter. He's also convinced that commies could be in disguise and look like any soldier or any other American. The base is on red alert, it's sealed off, the planes are flying to Russia to attack (thanks to a coded message called Plan R), and all telecommunications are cut off (both base and all planes). Ripper has a British companion named Mandrake (Peter Sellers) who tries to get the General to stop the planes.
Meanwhile, in the War Room at the Pentagon, President Muffley (Sellers again) is informed of what's going on and what's gonna happen by Gen. Turgidson (George C. Scott) and a large group of aides. Seeing Scott as Gen. Patton, I typically thought of him being in serious roles. "Dr. Strangelove" proved me wrong. This was something totally unexpected. I mean, George C. Scott's character is just downright wacky and seemingly maniacal. Truly, a major surprise.
Later on, the people in the War Room are shocked to discover that once the planes release a nuclear warhead, a "Doomsday" device of some sort will go off, killing all life on Earth and radiation will gradually permeate the entire planet, which will last for 90+ years. Dr. Strangelove (Sellers once again!) is a unique character. An ex-Nazi that now works as part of the president's aides. He offers advice on what to do and has trouble controlling his right hand, which has a life of its own once we see Dr. Strangelove struggling to gain control of it (and also preventing it from strangling himself). Dr. Strangelove deep down also retains his Nazi heritage by accidentally calling the president "Mein Fuhrer" and his right arm raised in a Nazi salute.
Truly, Peter Sellers gave such great performances and it's hard to believe all three characters (Mandrake, Muggley, and Strangelove) are acted out by this lone man. He gives life to each character, which makes all three seem as if three different people acted out the roles. Seeing this movie, I'd like to see what other work Sellers has done.
I can't help but ponder that perhaps Steven Spielberg tried to make his own version of "Dr. Strangelove" with his underappreciated, slap-stick, comedic epic "1941," with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and... wha-hey, Slim Pickens! Like how Kubrick's movie dealt with the fear of nuclear holocaust and communism, Spielberg's movie dealt with the fear of a pending Japanese or German attack on US soil (mass panic that erupted shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked). It's no coincidence, right? But Spielberg was criticized for that movie. Kubrick's satire is hailed as "arguably the best political satire of the century" (Roger Ebert).
Although a comedy, it still seemed quite scary if such a "Doomsday" device existed and would wipe out mankind as we know it. Once the movie was about to begin, I knew I was in for a treat. And I wondered how Kubrick would be able to pull off a comedy. To my surprise, I ended up loving this movie. Dark and twisted humor interjected into the most frightening time of US history was probably the sigh of relief audiences back then needed... or were they? The movie as a whole is funny but also scary at the same time. Towards the end has Slim Pickens' memorable moment when he rides a nuclear warhead to his untimely demise. Are we supposed to laugh or be shocked? Once the movie ends, it's rather more of a down note once we see stock footage of nuclear blasts and mushroom clouds.
Nevertheless, I ended up loving this movie and I dare call it Kubrick's best work.
More Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (40th Anniversary Special Edition) reviews:
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Description of Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (40th Anniversary Special Edition)
DR. STRANGELOVE OR HOW I LEARNED TO S - DVD MovieArguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so-called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens's character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. --Jeff Shannon
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