Average Rating: 
Rating: - A classic comedy on DVD
It all starts when a military officer afraid that water has been infected, by Communists, to attack our "bodily fluids," calls for a nuclear strike, preventing any contact with the bombers unless the recall code is known, which only he knows. His aide Captain Mandrake try's to talk him out of the plan, and give him the recall code. In the War Room the president is furious, and is on the phone trying to help the Russians prepare for what is happening. Soon he learns the Russians have a Doomsday device that will kill all human and animal life, if activated by the bomb. Time is running out, and things don't look too good, as Dr. Strangelove counsels them.This was directed by the acclaimed Stanley Kubrick, and stars Peter Sellers in three roles. This film was nominated for Best Picture, and Best Actor. The film is in black and white, which was the best choice, due to many darkly lit scenes. This film is considered a classic in the comedy genre, and it deserves it, because every scene contains laughs. Its ironic comedy, satire, making fun of all the paranoid war crazy politicians of the cold war. A lot of the humor is also subtle, so when you watch think about the little silly use of words. So many of the characters and scenes are memorable. The transfer is good, but sometimes grains do pop up, but mostly the black and white pictures looks crisp and clean. This disc also has 2 documentaries and interviews with the stars. As well, some humorous trailers are included. I recommend this highly, just don't take the serious subject matter too serious. 5 stars.
Rating: - Classical filmmaking. Kubrick's best!
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worryingand Love the BombScore: 98/100 Peter Sellers playing 3 roles. George C. Scott supporting him. Stanley Kubrick directing. South American's accents been mocked. It all sounded like heaven. And it was. Everyone got more out of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb than anyone had the right to expect for an independent film of 1964. U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Device" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Permier; and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that "such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious". Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world? George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens and James Earl Jones are all excellent in memorable scenes, but this is clearly Sellers' show, even over Stanley Kubrick's never-better directing detail. Sellers' performance is one of the most stunning, extraordinary and utterly brilliant performances ever put to screen. He always gives the film its comedy and he'll put a smile on your face, and volcanically erupts the comic humour deep down in his intriguing characters. There are many classical scenes; the phone conversation between a woman in a bikini who argues with her bosses' boss; the hilarious quote "Gentleman - you can't fight in here, this is the war room" and of course that ending, a final shot in a film that is one of the finest to memory. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb has one of the longest titles in film history, but damn, it's all over too quickly! But, since there is not a film by Stanley Kubrick that matches this one, it's a must-buy, and you'll be staring at Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb all day after you've spent your money. It's quite simply the best, most classical dark comedy ever made.
Rating: - The Cold War, the atomic bomb, and lots of laughs
Stanley Kubrick, returning to his views on the insanity of the military first expressed in Paths of Glory, has created the ultimate black comedy about the possibility of nuclear war. General Jack D. Ripper decides to put a stop to "the international Communist plot to sap and impurify all our precious bodily fluids" by ordering his B-52 bombers to attack Russia with nuclear weapons. It's up to the Pentagon War Room to halt the attack before World War III begins. How they go about it is both funny and frightening, showing the ineptitude of the U.S. military and government. Sterling Hayden is great as the gruff and imposing General Ripper. George C. Scott, in probably his best role, is General Buck Turgidson, the Communist-hater who reluctantly advises the President to follow Ripper's lead. Slim Pickens is the rowdy cowboy pilot whose plane can't be recalled and who might jeopardize the whole world. And Peter Sellers, in a stunning feat that could easily have earned three Oscars, plays the roles of Ripper's second in command Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, and the famous Dr. Strangelove, refugee from Nazi Germany who is confined to a wheelchair and has an interesting tic. This movie is essential for anyone interested in the cold war and the military, or anyone who's looking for one of the greatest films ever made. (Pay close attention to a young James Earl Jones as the bombadier.)
|
