Movie - 59, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

by

Stanley Kubrick

Movie Seen (Twice!): 13 & 15 November 2015

Note Written: 14 November 2015

(Forewarning: This is a long note)
I was planning to watch 'Spartacus' by Kubrick but unfortunately found the file missing in the folder - so I chose 'Dr Strangelove'. The name itself gets you deeply interested - 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'. I was expecting more of a serious war story and what I got was one of the best political satires ever! I was laughing uncontrollably throughout and had one of the best movie experiences of my life!

The 'Cold-War' crisis and the conflicts between world superpowers could not be shown better than this. Kubrick is a craftsman unlike any other director. He doesn't confine himself to particular genres but dabbles in everything and emerges a master. 

While watching the movie, I was thinking I have seen the guy playing Group Captain Mandrake somewhere and it was only after the movie that I realized it was in the same film! Peter Sellers, the actor, played three different roles in the movie and I had no fucking clue the whole time! Such finesse is rarely seen - each character was different and distinctly played. Bravo!

I was in awe of the movie while watching, clapped jubilantly during certain scenes, and my admiration increased once I started reading about the film. Kubrick has created a satire in the most believable manner, never once going for out-and-out comedy, particularly in the war sequences - I'm certain that if there is an impending nuclear apocalypse triggered by world nations, the circumstances would be similar, powered by clueless individuals, crazy of power or influenced by propaganda. 

The Captain who initiates the attacks, the one with his blatant hatred towards communists and twisted theories about bodily fluids and water becomes an allegory of the various belief systems which blinds people of our times - especially religion. People find their own reasoning and act stupid thinking they are right and acting for the 'greater good'. The are not aware or concerned of the later effects or implications of their acts. By the time they take some counter action or decides to withdraw, things would have gone out of hand for anyone to control.

The war room deserves a special mention - I have always imagined every warring nation to have such a room where only the powerful people have access, where they decide the fate of other people, sometimes even of people who have no clue who they are. A handful of people deciding the fate of the world to meet their selfish motives and agenda. Kubrick, through his humourous scenes in the war room, showed me that these 'leaders' and 'people of power' are also human - not just always serious and responsible for their acts, but also emotionally fragile, stubborn, and occasionally funny. We normally have an 'idealistic' image of these people and Kubrick shatters it through his 'war conference'. 

Stanley Kubrick is a genius - of all the directors the world has seen, he is perhaps the most versatile, most passionate user of the medium. Kubrick perfects his involvement with the cinematic medium through journeying across the borders of genres and archetypes which sometimes chain artists in specific spaces. I will watch all of his movies which I haven't seen, soon enough. Thank you for your patience in reading this note. Definitely watch 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' if you haven't!