By Matt Brunson
DR. STRANGELOVE, OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964)
DIRECTED BY Stanley Kubrick
STARS Peter Sellers, George C. Scott
From the culture of violence depicted in A Clockwork Orange to the sexual politics examined in Lolita and Eyes Wide Shut, its almost uncanny how topical many of Stanley Kubricks films have remained. The same applies to his brilliant black comedy Dr. Strangelove: Even the ending of the Cold War couldn't dilute this uncompromising satires immediacy, not so long as men continue to think with their missiles instead of their minds.
Peter Sellers delivers three great performances for the price of one, playing the harried US President whos confronted by a nuclear holocaust, a British officer who almost always manages to keep that upper lip stiff, and the Nazi madman of the title. George C. Scott also scores as a military man whose idea of an acceptable civilian casualty rate is no more than 10 or 20 million killed, tops depending on the breaks.
This earned four major Academy Award nominations Best Picture, Director, Actor and Adapted Screenplay (Kubrick, Peter George and Terry Southern) although I most fondly treasure it for containing perhaps my all-time favorite movie line: Gentlemen, you cant fight in here! This is the War Room!
(Dr. Strangelove will be screened at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9, in the Wachovia Playhouse at ImaginOn. Admission is free.)