Whenever we think of the director Stanley Kubrick, what movies usually come to mind? Is it A Clockwork Orange And Full Metal Jacket? Or was it his older classics like Paths to Glory, Spartacus, or even the somewhat controversial Lolita? Personally, when I think of Mr. Kubrick, I not only think of Full Metal Jacket, but I also think about his very popular movie from the mid 1960s. What is this movie, you might be asking? The movie I’m talking about today is also the subject of this review. Today’s movie goes by the name of Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (due to the movie’s long name, we’ll simply just refer this movie as Dr. Strangelove). Before I dive in to why this movie is so great, allow me to explain what this movie is about.
In Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, US Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (played by Sterling Hayden) sends out a squadron of B-52 bombers equipped with atomic bombs to go on a raid on certain targets in the Soviet Union during the cold war. As General Ripper does this, the other generals, the President of the United States, other major members of the United States government, and a literal half Nazi named Dr. Strangelove (played by Peter Sellers). Once everyone (minus General Ripper, who is currently holding out in his US Airfield) must construct a plan in order to prevent not only World War 3 from happening, but also to prevent the USSR from activating a Doomsday device in the process.
At first it seems that Dr. Strangelove is a bit of a dramatic, intense war movie. However, after viewing it, it really was an entertaining and surprisingly funny dark comedy that even a modern audience can sit down and enjoy. It’s enjoyable in my opinion because Kubrick was able to not only embody a lot of stereotypes in hysterical fashion (such as my personal favorite character, Slim Pickens), but it also gave me a glance into a future that could’ve happened with how people felt towards the atomic/hydrogen bombs, and with the diplomatic problems back then as well.
After viewing Dr.Strangelove, I was able to see firsthand how high tensions were between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was also interesting to see, in a comedic way, how everyone reacted to the news that bombs were being sent towards Russia without anyone giving an official order (except for General Ripper). Everyone from the lower-ranking generals to even the representative of the Russian embassy was extremely concerned with the possibility that a nuclear war was about to occur.
Between the humorous scenes of the pilots delivering their payloads, to the action packed scenes of gunfire at the Airfield, to even the stressful moments in the War Room, Stanley Kubrick was able to capture each scene with a perfect balance of comedy and suspense, especially with the amount of writing and character that each actor here displays with such grace and effort. I enjoyed this movie so much, that I’m now going to go and watch it a second time!
And who knows, when I figured out how to stand up out of my chair, I can proudly have a Dr. Strangelove moment as well!
The Toasty Review 
Dr. Strangelove really does give us that perfect balance between comedy and intensity. While at times it does go more on the side of a parody, it kind of needs to go in that direction given the overall absurdity of the current state of affairs in this world. But nonetheless, it is still an incredibly interesting film.
LikeLike
Dr. Strangelove has been my favorite so far. The characters, the action, the dark humor. Everything has stuck out to me. I also agree that it was interesting to see the humor in such nuclear attacks. These characters helped with the dark humor that Kubrick was going for. Kubrick really had a variation of humor and suspense in this movie. He doesn’t over do either one of them. He likes to be funny and serious at the same time, but in this movie he takes serious topics and turns them into something humorous. This was definitely a great movie.
LikeLike
Hi Mark,
I’m testing out the comments sections for a random sampling of the class’s blogs. Let me know if you see this, please!
-Ryan
LikeLike
What a review of Dr. Strange Love! This movie was a parody at laughing at this awful situation in the cold war, and makes all other parody films fall flat in comparison. Slim Pickens was the best part about the film, and partly because of his work in Blazin Saddles. Great analysis of the movie Mark!
LikeLike
Mark,
This is a very strong blog. It’s very clear in stating that it is a review of Dr. Strangelove. Your voice in this is also very strong. Of the blog posts that I have read, yours brings across a very vivid, clear, and strong voice towards your viewing of the film. It reads as if we are talking with you about the film rather than reading a detailed, analytical description of the film. Very nice stuff.
There really was only one part I would suggest drawing your attention to. Near the beginning of your blog post, you state: “Personally, when I think of Mr. Kubrick, I not only think of Full Metal Jacket, but I also think about his very popular movie from the mid 1960s. What is this movie, you might be asking? The movie I’m talking about today is also the subject of this review.” While your conversational voice reads very well in most of this bog post, it reads kind of hammy and a little silly in this part specifically. It’s also obvious that you’re reviewing Dr. Strangelove since it is stated in your title, so there is no need to repeat that fact in the actual review. Overall, very nice job!
~Anthony
LikeLike
Prior to taking this class, I never knew who Stanley Kubrick was. It was very refreshing to learn about another filmmaker with a great story to tell. Kubrick has a way of making you feel as if you’re apart of whats going on in the film. In ” A Clockwork Orange”, I caught a super weird vibe. But in a weird way, I couldn’t stop watching and I found it oddly satisfying. In “Dr.Strangelove”, Kubrick gave a personal glimpse at the higher ups in way that makes us see them on a more humanistic level. They were portrayed as regular people with a title or position. I definitely admire his story telling and creativity.
LikeLike
Some iconic moments from Dr. Strangelove are timeless and are being used in many genres we watch today. I remember watching Simpsons one time, and Holmer rode an atomic bomb, waving his hat just like in the movie. Somehow I knew they got that concept somewhere. Just as you mention the balance of comedy and suspense, I can agree. There was enough tension in the war room along with the Colonel obnoxiously disagreeing to conform with a Russian leader as they go toe-to-toe.
LikeLike
Dr. Strangelove was a lot more intense then I thought it would be. I can really tell from your writing that you genuinely liked this movie! The comedy is what helps keep you going through the movie, since if the whole thing was just intense everyone would have been on the floor from falling off the edges of their seats.
LikeLike
Good work noting the intensity between the two massive superpowers. The Cold War could’ve been one of the worst conflicts ever to be inflicted on mankind, so the fears that people had during this time were very real. A film lampooning such fears and accepting them was a much needed release for people back then, and even now. I wonder if we are going to see more similar films come out for more contemporary conflicts. I find your blog super entertaining, so stay toasty.
LikeLike
The American government was so skittish about getting bombed by the U.S.S.R that they had students do these drills known has “duck and cover” and went so far as to make films that give instructions about what to do and how to act during the drills. You can find these films on YouTube. However, Kubrick was not the only one who made a dark humor laced satire about the Cold War. There was a piano player named Tom Leher that wrote a song titled We will all go together when we go;
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never seen this before. This is dark, dark humor. I like it! According to the YouTube info, this is from 1967. Good example of how pervasive the threat of nuclear war was.
-RP
LikeLike
It’s funny because when I first saw this film (as a kid) I didn’t think it was a comedy at all, I thought it was a completely serious war film. Now that I’ve watched it as an adult however I am able to actually enjoy the dark humor and see the actual comedic bits for how brilliant they are.
LikeLike