[Old Movies / Young Eyes] Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Release Year: 1964 / Directed by Stanley Kubrick / Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden

I’m going to be honest here and admit that when I sat down to watch Dr. Strangelove, I had no idea what to expect. My dad was excited to loan me his DVD, but I was hesitant to watch it for two reasons: I do not know much at all about older films, and I especially do not know much about (or prefer to watch) anything involving war. However, almost immediately I knew I was going to be in for a treat. The movie was released in 1964 and based on the novel Red Alert by Peter George. Released at a sensitive time after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and only a couple years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dr. Strangelove gives an ironic and hilarious take on the otherwise very serious nuclear arms race.

The film is presented in black and white but does not leave anything to the imagination. The opening credits are slow and boring but the song–Vera Lynn’s “Try a Little Tenderness”–is captivating and makes the opening shot of the plane being refueled, dare I say, sensuous (Check out the opening at the end of the post). There are three major locations in which the scenes take place: a B-52 bomber airplane, the War Room of the Pentagon, and General Ripper’s office. The story begins when unbalanced US Air Force General Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden), initiates a special code sent to armed B-52 bombers to drop nuclear bombs on key targets in Russia. The planes are already partaking in a training exercise close to Soviet airspace. The crew on board one particular bomber are convinced the code was sent in error, but begin to follow through with their instructions after confirmation. The situation quickly escalates when Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers), Ripper’s executive officer, realizes the Commander issued the code without just cause, only his own paranoia and fear of a Communist conspiracy to taint American water systems and as a result, American bodily fluids. Mandrake needs another code from Commander Ripper in order to recall the B-52’s before they wreck havoc on the Russian people, but Ripper will not relent.

The President of the United States, Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers again), is briefed in the War Room by General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) on the impending nuclear catastrophes. When Turgidson prompts the president to follow through with the bombings, despite the lack of aggression from Russia, the president decides to get the Russian ambassador involved in the round table discussion. The president calls the Russian Premier, Dimitri Kisov, and emphatically warns of the situation and encourages the Russians to shoot down the American bombers. Kisov warns Muffley of a doomsday device that will kill the entire world population if anyone attempts to bomb the Soviet Union. The war room scenes are my personal favorite of the whole movie. The hot-line phone conversations between Muffley and Kisov are hilarious, and Turgidson’s reactions to the conversations are sure to induce a giggle or two.

After the Army is able to infiltrate Commander Ripper’s base, Mandrake pieces together the recall code needed to get the bombers to retreat and is eventually able to pass along the code to the president. Although Russia have already shot down some of the approaching airplanes, most are able to turn back. One, however, does not get the recall code and continues on its way to dropping a bomb on its closest target.

One of the best scenes of the movie is when Major Kong (Slim Pickens) is fiddling in the bomb bay and the doors open. The shot of Major Kong falling to the earth while riding the bomb and waving his hat is impressive and moving to say the least, as well as one of the better known scenes from the movie.

Soon we meet Dr. Strangelove (Sellers third role), a former Nazi and physicist, who advises the president on the doomsday device.  Confined to a wheelchair and sporting a black glove on a hand that occasionally jumps up into a Nazi salute or strangles himself, Dr. Strangelove brings a humorous but eerie character to the story. More than once, he acknowledges President Muffley as “Mein Führer”; I’m still not sure if it was always on accident or not. After the bomb (and Major Kong) fell and detonated in Russia, Dr. Strangelove even suggests relocating a portion of the population into underground mine shafts to survive the nuclear fallout and repopulate the world. Just as the doomsday device initiates, Dr. Strangelove is able to get out of his wheelchair and stand on his own.

The movie ends with a series of disturbing nuclear explosions and another beautiful song by Vera Lynn called “We’ll Meet Again”. The contrast between the visuals and the music are enough to give me chills. I was blown away by how timeless is the film. The dark humor in the movie made light of such a serious and fearful time in world history, but I feel that Stanley Kubrick was able to do it with solid underlining respect.

I’m kind of bummed that it took me so long to see this amazing film! The original characters are by far the highlight of this funny and serious story. I urge anyone who hasn’t seen it to pick it up and prepare to be blown away by top notch performances and a solid storyline that can be understood by generations to come.