The American Film Institute seems to designate many, many films as classics due to how important they were at the time of their release. Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is one of these perfect examples, as its timely relevance greatly outweighs its lasting impact. This film is a clever satire on the Arms Race during the Cold War that makes it quite obvious why it was so controversial at the time but frankly, this movie has not held up. At least for me, the comedy only works in some sporadic moments and while there is plenty to keep the film moving for 95 minutes, I could not help but grow incredibly bored. Screenwriters and dialogue aficionados will have an absolute blast with this movie but it was just hard for me to connect with this. I did appreciate a lot about Kubrick's early style and direction throughout this film and how the cinematography was quite humorous but unlike many others apparently, I was not too fond of this story as a whole.
Rogue general Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) gives unprecedented orders for his fleet of bombers to drop their bombs on Russia, effectively beginning a new nuclear war. When the War Room of the White House hears about it, President Muffley (Peter Sellers) gathers his men to make a plan to stop it while the peculiar and eclectic Dr. Strangelove (also Peter Sellers) offers weird advice to the council of men who will decide the fate of the human race. This film's script, written by Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George, and based on the novel Red Alert by George, is where I am unable to find most of my enjoyment. The movie is a supposed comedy and satire on the Arms Race during this period in American history but next to none of it worked for me personally. Kubrick does a great job translating this story from page to screen but it is one that I do not actually think needed that treatment. This type of comedy works really well on the page but even with Kubrick's fantastic direction, I did not find it as effective as everyone else. There are only certain moments and gags throughout this film that I found humorous and while the dialogue is indeed witty. it all felt very forced to me. I also find the inclusion of the titular character of Dr. Strangelove to be just that: strange. Sellers' titular and overly exaggerated German scientist did not seem to serve any purpose in this movie other than to cause paranoia in the War Room and he never helped to further the plot at all. Perhaps there is a meaning or message that I am missing but this entire film just felt like a congregation of character actors put together in a slightly ramshackle world and the pieces never quite came together. I can understand why this movie was made and appreciate it as a piece of film history but its intended purpose did not affect me at all.
Whether it's Kubrick's direction or Anthony Harvey's editing, there are so many scenes throughout this film that just felt misplaced. They were never constructed in a way that held my attention and so much of this movie was left unexplained or abrupt. That creative choice definitely characterizes the manic and often deranged energy of a war room and a global emergency, but it just made this whole film feel disjointed and choppy. Thankfully, the hilarious performances throughout the movie and some other technical pieces were done quite well. The performances from Peter Sellers, in particular, were fantastic, as he played three different characters. I'm still not sure what the entire point of that casting choice was, but he embodied every single one to such an impressive degree. Much of the film's humor relied on the delivery from cast members and the irony of its situations and Sellers did an excellent job holding it all together. I also adored Gilbert Taylor's cinematography and how influential it was on comedic camerawork. The quick whips and intense close-ups made this film even more visually striking and the production design with the prop places and set design of the different locations helped to keep Dr. Strangelove's visual storytelling compelling. One of my favorite things about this film, however, is its ending. I completely love how bleak and frankly horrifying it is and I'm certain it was even scarier for people at the time with the looming thought of possible nuclear war. There is a trend in horror films of utilizing pleasant pop songs during a terrifying sequence and Kubrick does this perfectly. The use of Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" is the perfect contrast to the images of nuclear annihilation and this eerie ending is absolutely legendary.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a solid satire of nuclear politics during the 1960s but one that I could not get myself to care about. I do believe that Kubrick is such a talented and diverse filmmaker in which he is able to touch on lots of different genres effectively but I was just never fully entertained by what he presented. Whether it could benefit from tighter storytelling or less unnecessary plot points is up to the viewer and while I appreciated what Kubrick was doing here, the attempted comedy just isn't for me.
My Rating: ★★★
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