Dr. Strangelove
…but some movies are just too good! Actually I have a huge backlog of amazing films that I feel incapable of blogging about. Some films just leave you breathless, and “Dr. Strangelove” definitely is one of them.
Ever since I watched “The Shining”, I have been looking forward to this film that I have nicknamed “my last Kubrick” – among all the major, later Kubrick films this one was the only one I have not seen. In between, I randomly decided to watch “Paths of Glory”, and now, after another four months, I finally managed to see the title I have always been looking forward to. During this time, I announced this intention to several friends, all of whom praised the film and strongly recommended it to me. My expectations for the film, especially considering how much I love some of his other works, grew larger and larger.
Amazingly enough, they were completely fulfilled! The film was 2 hours long and about 15 minutes before the end I thought we weren’t even 1 hour into the film. It’s been awhile since I found a film to be this suspenseful, and that definitely was not because I was recently lacking suspenseful films. I also knew nothing about the story of “Dr. Strangelove” except that it was somehow about fascism. It was more a war parody than seriously about fascism, a mix of “Full Metal Jacket” and “Paths of Glory”, except much more stylish, funnier and even better executed. While none of Kubrick’s other films have been overtly funny, this one proves how incredibly well he is able to handle the genre of satirical comedy. I laughed out loud so many times! The Texan pilot! Bodily fluids! The lovely president! Merkwürdigliebe!
After reading Wikipedia articles and other secondary “literature” on the film, I think that I am very glad I didn’t know anything about the film beforehand. Besides some hilarious word plays, there doesn’t seem to be all that many hidden, subtle meanings in the film. Very much like “Rear Window” it shows very clearly what it wants to say without being blatant and vulgar, exactly the way I like it.
Ultimately I already have a feeling that “Dr. Strangelove” will hold a special place in my all time favorite list. Despite being a big fan of Kubrick’s other films, especially “Full Metal Jacket” and “A Clockwork Orange”, I am pretty sure that “Dr. Strangelove” has deserved the number one in my Kubrick ranking. It’s just that great.
I’m glad you enjoyed this because it’s one my all-time favourites. I’m still in the process of watching Kubrik’s back catalogue, starting with the most well-known first purely by accident (I’ve only seen this, 2001 and A Clockwork Orange).
I was brought up on Monty Python but also the Goons, so perhaps part of the appeal here was the multiple appearances of the late and great Peter Sellers.
I don’t know if there are as many hidden meanings as the critics suggest either: the obvious bits of humour work so well for me anyway! I like dark, dry humour and satire too so it’s the ‘perfect’ comedy for me. The absurdity of the situations is what comes across so clearly…it’s a film that’s making a serious point about a serious issue, but in the end the best way to approach it was to poke fun at it. Genius.
My favourite line is possibly my favourite movie quote ever: “Gentlemen! You cannot fight in here! This is a war room!” Utterly, utterly perfect.
Ohhh, how nice to hear from you again! Yeah, “Dr. Strangelove” is entering my own all-time favourites as well.
I have never seen the Goons, but of course sort of grew up with Monty Python as well. I have always found some of their excuses not all that funny, but they are excused by the sheer greatness of their amazingly funny ones. In that sense, I absolutely love British humour after all, and completely ignored the fact that “Dr. Strangelove” is perhaps Kubrick’s most ‘british’ film.
Oh God, Peter Sellers is wonderful. Before I read the Wikipedia article about the film, I didn’t even recognize his many faces. Not even the president and Dr. Strangelove! I would also have failed with “Kind Hearts and Coronets” if I hadn’t known that Alec Guinness is playing all of them. Have you seen it?
I think I like the way how satire works: Sometimes something is just too cruel and too serious that its absurdity forces you to criticize it with humour. “Dr. Strangelove” is the pinnacle of how this is done with war. So perfect indeed!
It’s difficult to pick a favourite quote, there are too many good ones! “Sir, you can’t let him in here. He’ll see everything. He’ll see the big board!” XXXD